Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor issued a memo affirming the Trump administration’s stance on religious liberty, offering accommodations for federal employees who have religious needs.
The guidance complies with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ensuring that reasonable accommodations are granted to employees. It further honors President Trump’s executive order urging the executive branch to “enforce the historic and robust protections for religious liberty enshrined in Federal law.”
It is also “in the interest of the Federal government to recruit and retain highly-qualified employees of faith,” Kupor noted in the memo.
“This guidance is applicable to all employees in the Executive Branch who have personal religious beliefs requiring accommodations, such as abstaining from work during specific times or participating in religious observances or practices,” Kupor wrote, encouraging agencies to “adopt the use of various types of leave and workforce flexibilities as religious accommodations,” including flexible work schedules, telehealth, and other efforts.
“While implementing Return to In-Person Work,” Kupor wrote, referring to President Donald Trump’s January 20 directive, “agencies are strongly encouraged, where feasible, to consider telework as a reasonable accommodation for religious practices, such as Sabbath or holiday observance, scheduled prayers, services, meditation, fasting, or other religious obligations.” Kupor explained that telework opportunities allow employees to “fulfill religious duties without compromising agency missions.”
Agencies weighing religious requests must “engage in a good-faith interactive process with the employee to explore reasonable accommodations,” the memo adds, reminding departments that “religious accommodations may involve multiple, complementary or hybrid approaches to fully address an employee’s religious needs.”
