Prayer Mat Storage: Workplace Rules

The Conflict

You leave your prayer mat in a quiet corner/meeting room. The cleaner moves it, or a manager complains it’s a “trip hazard”.

Your Rights

While you have a right to pray, you generally don’t have a right to “reserve” multipurpose space permanently with personal items. However, treating religious items with disrespect (throwing them on the floor, stepping on them) is harassment.

The Solution: A Dedicated Box

The most common reasonable adjustment is simple storage.

• A dedicated generated shelf, cupboard, or plastic box labeled “Prayer Mats”.
• This keeps them clean (hygienic for face contact).
• It solves the “trip hazard” excuse.

”Trip Hazards”

Health and Safety is often used as a lazy excuse to stop religious observance.

• Fact: A rolled-up mat in a corner is rarely a genuine risk.
• Fact: A mat left spread out in a walkway is a risk.

Compromise: Agree to roll up and store the mat after every use. Ask the employer to provide the storage box.