Polaris Bank has come under criticism on social media after one of its executives asked Muslim staff members in her unit not to perform their Friday prayers.
In a leaked email, one of the bank’s executives, who supervises a unit, told her subordinates that the bank has no policy that allows employees to go for religious activities during work hours.
The mail read, “Dear all, it has been observed that on Fridays, you leave your work desks to attend the Jumat service bearing in mind the impact of your absence on the workflow and productivity of Yes Centre.
“Kindly note that there is no provision made anywhere in the bank’s policy for employees to attend any religious activities during work hours. Going forward, such permissions would not be granted on the Yes Centre platform and any infraction of this directive would be dealt with accordingly. You are all expected to acknowledge the receipt of this mail. Thank you.”
In reaction, some Twitter users began calling for Muslims to boycott the bank.
However, the bank in a statement on Wednesday said the manager’s submission did not represent its position as a corporate entity.
“The attention of the bank has been drawn to a shared screenshot of mail sent by a supervisor to staff in her department in respect of Friday prayers.
“This is to clarify that Nigeria is a secular nation and our Bank is guided by this standard. Accordingly, there is no policy in the Bank that forbids staff from practicing the religion of their choice; hence, the said staff had acted in ignorance and we have since addressed the issue internally.
“We assure all staff, customers, and the public that we will continue to respect the fundamental rights and freedom of worship of every employee,” Polaris Bank stated.
