Overview

• The memo, titled "Protecting Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace," was issued July 28 by OPM Director Scott Kupor and distributed to all federal agencies.
• It underscores First Amendment and Title VII protections, declaring religious discrimination unlawful and warning that inadequate accommodations threaten recruitment and retention of faith-based employees.
• The guidance explicitly allows employees to display religious items like Bibles, crucifixes or mezuzahs, form off-duty prayer groups and invite colleagues to worship without fear of reprisal.
• It requires agencies to remove policy barriers, including any rules that single out religious materials for stricter treatment than secular items.
• The directive extends the administration’s faith-focused agenda, following the establishment of the White House Faith Office in February and prior OPM accommodations guidance on July 16.