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Secularism (laïcité) at work

Q: Which rule applies to a public employee at work?

He must not engage in proselytism. A public employee is free to have a religion. But at work, he must not engage in proselytism.

Q: Can an employee of a private company wear a religious sign?

Yes, unless it disturbs the company. An employee can wear signs showing his religion, unless this disturbs the proper functioning of the company.

Q: An employer refuses an absence for a religious holiday. On what condition is this possible?

The refusal must not be discriminatory. The employer's refusal is possible, on condition that it is not discriminatory.

Written by the Hexaciv editorial team · Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026 · Our method

Read in: Français · العربية

In short

Secularism (laïcité) does not apply in the same way everywhere. It is different for public employees (agents publics) and for employees of private companies (salariés).

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Key points of the sheet

A public employee is free to have a religion. But at work, he must not wear any religious sign, for example a veil, a cross or a kippah.
At work, a public employee must not engage in proselytism (prosélytisme). His behaviour must not disturb the functioning of the public service.
An employee is also free to have a religion. At work, he can express his religious opinions and wear religious signs, unless this disturbs the proper functioning of the company.
The employer can limit this freedom in some cases. For example, for reasons of hygiene or safety.
To be absent for a religious holiday, an employee must get permission from his employer. The employer can refuse, but the refusal must not be discriminatory.

Words to know

public employees (agents publics): They are the people who work in public services.
employees (salariés): They are the people who work in private companies.
proselytism (prosélytisme): A public employee must not engage in it as part of his work.
discriminatory (discriminatoire): Refusing an absence for a religious holiday must not be discriminatory.

Test yourself: 3 questions

Which rule applies to a public employee at work?

In French, the language of the exam: Quelle règle s'applique à un agent public au travail ?

A public employee is free to have a religion. But at work, he must not engage in proselytism.

Can an employee of a private company wear a religious sign?

In French, the language of the exam: Un salarié d'une entreprise privée peut-il porter un signe religieux ?

An employee can wear signs showing his religion, unless this disturbs the proper functioning of the company.

An employer refuses an absence for a religious holiday. On what condition is this possible?

In French, the language of the exam: Un employeur refuse une absence pour une fête religieuse. À quelle condition est-ce possible ?

The employer's refusal is possible, on condition that it is not discriminatory.

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Source

Sheet “La laïcité au travail” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.

Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.

Hexaciv is an independent tool for preparing the French civic exam. It is not an official site, is not linked to any administration and gives no legal advice. For your file, the authoritative source is the Ministry of the Interior's, cited on this page.