The Bloomberg Law article by Elias Schisgall discusses a new memo from the Trump administration’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM), led by Director Scott Kupor, which encourages federal employees to openly express their religious beliefs at work—even to the point of proselytizing. While the memo echoes Clinton-era guidance, it notably omits cautionary language about supervisors’ religious speech potentially being coercive. Legal experts warn that this shift could make employees less likely to report unwelcome religious pressure and may influence private-sector norms, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s recent Groff v. DeJoy decision, which raised the bar for denying religious accommodations. Critics argue the memo blurs boundaries between personal expression and workplace pressure, particularly when supervisors are involved.
The article quotes Brian Grim:
Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, said it’s possible the memo’s authors were drawing from their own faith traditions, but “religious freedom includes being literate of other faiths.”
“I read it trying to see how other faiths might read it, and I think they would see that this offers them opportunity for protection as well,” Grim said.