| A GUIDE for employers who now have a legal obligation to provide, if they can, a prayer room for workers who want a place to be quiet during the day has been published by the St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace. The guide was praised by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears. “We can all benefit from finding a little time to reflect and rise above the daily routine,” she said.
The centre produced the guide after receiving more requests for support for prayer space than for any other diversity issue, its interfaith- projects co-ordinator, Justine Huxley, said last week. “In the City of London there is a clear demand for greater accessibility of prayer space.”
The guide, sponsored by Barclays and the Mercers’ Company, gives details of what companies can do to help their employees find some spiritual quiet during the day. It warns that groups that worship regularly should not exclude others who do not have formal prayer-times.
The room should be oriented east or south-east, and have screens, so that Muslim men and women can pray separately. Neutral colours, simple designs, and effective use of light could create a welcoming space, it says.
If there is no room for a separate prayer space, then a meeting room, staff restaurant, or even first-aid room could act as a quiet area at certain times of the day.
The guide also gives examples of “good practice”. The finance company Citi has a light and airy quiet room overlooking a garden square. BT, Transport for London, The Guardian, and Newham General Hospital are also given as good examples.
For more details, contact Justine Huxley on 020 7496 1610.
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