BeOnBoard would like to wish all of our Muslim brothers and sisters Ramadan Mubarak!
Celebrated by approximately 1.9 billion Muslims across the globe, Ramadan is a Holy Month of worship, devotion and reflection. Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic (or lunar) calendar, and it ends and begins with the appearance of the crescent moon. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from the break of dawn till dusk, where they break their fast with ‘iftaar’. All in all, Ramadan is about spirituality, sacrifice, compassion, community, and the practice of gratitude – a time of year much anticipated and looked forward to.
In 2022, Ramadan starts on Saturday, April 2 and concludes on Sunday, May 1. Then, on May 2nd, this is followed by Eid al-Fitr, which translates as ‘the feast of breaking the fast’, which marks the end of Ramadan.
Here are 3 top tips on how your organisation can make itself a more inclusive space for Muslims during the Holy month of Ramadan.
- Raise awareness amongst colleagues and ask if anyone’s observing Ramadan
Employers can raise awareness of key religious events, including Ramadan, by having a calendar of the key religious days and festivals on their intranet, newsletters and other employee communication platforms.
Colleagues should be encouraged to support those observing Ramadan, and a way to do so is by informing members of your organisation about Ramadan. It is also important to ask your employees if they are fasting during Ramadan and what could help to make things easier? This could include:
- Avoiding placing additional burdens on them while they are fasting, for example not asking them to do overtime
- Being considerate by not offering food or drink to them
- Avoiding having work events that involve food, such as working lunches and team meetings where biscuits or food spreads are placed in front of them
- Avoiding scheduling important meetings, such as performance appraisals, late in the day when their energy levels may be low.
- Be understanding
While there is no automatic right to time off for religious reasons, line managers should be sensitive to the needs of employees who are observing religious events, including Ramadan. During Ramadan, a lot of Muslims ask for holiday requests. Requests should be considered as normal, and if you have any concerns do discuss them with the employee. An example of how to show support is by sending out emails to line managers informing them to consider staff requests to take Eid as annual leave. Importantly, to reduce the risk of discrimination, line managers should be encouraged to take a consistent approach to requests for time off and refuse requests only where they have a legitimate business reason. Line managers should always fully explain the reason for a holiday request refusal to the employee in a considerate way. Whilst people may or may not request time off, asking will go a long way to make your colleagues feel valued and included within your workspace.
- Offer Flexible working patterns to support to fasting members
Employers should remember that an employee may be getting up earlier than usual to have a meal before sunrise and staying up late for evening prayers. These factors, and the fact that the employee is not eating during daylight hours, can lead to fatigue and drops in concentration.
So, one of the most helpful things that an employer can do for employees observing Ramadan is to allow them to adjust their working patterns. Offering later working hours or allowing your fasting staff to spread out their breaks throughout the day. Employers could put in place temporary arrangements during Ramadan to allow employees to:
- Start work either earlier or later than usual so that they can leave the workplace earlier/later; and
- Be flexible with their lunch break, for example by shortening it or taking it earlier or later in the day.
- Employers should ensure that such temporary arrangements are not seen by others as allowing the employee to reduce their working hours.
Ultimately, the best way to offer support is through open communication and flexibility.
Altogether, we hope that our top tips help – small changes are big steps towards making your organisation a more inclusive and welcoming space for all of your workforce!
