How to support Muslims at work during Ramadan

As an inclusive employer, it is important that you have policies and practices in place to support Muslims at work during Ramadan. This blog explains more about what Ramadan is and provides expert advice on how to support Muslims at work as they observe this act of faith.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. It is considered one of the most spiritual times of the year and signifies the time during which the Qur’an was revealed.

It recognises one of the 5 pillars of Islam (the five tenets that uphold Islamic belief in practice) that practising Muslims observe: fasting. It is important to be aware that not all Muslims will be in a position to fast.

People with physical or mental ill-health, those menstruating or travelling are not expected to fast but they are just as valid in their expression of faith. They are still able to take part in observing Ramadan spiritually, through prayer, charity and community connection.

Why do Muslims observe fasting during Ramadan?

Fasting is not just the act of refraining from food and drink (yes, even water), it is a spiritual cleansing. It’s a time of introspection, a focused exertion on patience and prayer, a stillness of the mind to quell the desires of the body and feed the soul. Throughout the world, millions of Muslims will observe fasting during the month of Ramadan, and this will impact many Muslims at work.

Many Muslims find Ramadan is a time where their usual spiritual practice increases, whilst other Muslims find Ramadan is a time to connect more with their faith than they do at other times of the year. This is part of each individual’s own journey that employers should be sensitive to.

When is Ramadan this year?

This year, Ramadan is predicted to start on 10th March 2024. The date is predicted, and subject to change, because the Islamic calendar is lunar and follows the phases of the moon. New months begin with the first crescent of a new moon, and the day begins after sunset. This makes the Islamic calendar shorter than the Gregorian calendar by 10 to 11 days, so Islamic months travel throughout the seasons.

Ramadan lasts between 29-30 days and this year is predicted to end on Monday 8th April. Fasting Muslims will refrain from food and water from sunrise to sunset throughout this time. This means during the longer Spring/Summer days this could range from 12-18 hours depending on where you live.

How to support Muslims at work during Ramadan

Remember that different people will be celebrating Ramadan in various ways, understanding this is also an important part of how you’re supporting Muslims at work during this time.

Supporting Muslims at work goes beyond thinking about what to say to someone fasting for Ramadan, it’s about showing an understanding and considering how you can support them during this time.

Here are some ways for supporting Muslims at work during Ramadan:

Be flexible with working arrangements and time off for Ramadan

Options for flexible working and time off are key to supporting Muslims at work. Fasting will likely have an impact on energy levels, coupled with longer nights spent in community and worship. Colleagues can be supported with more frequent rest breaks and more inclusive meeting hours.

This could include earlier starts and earlier finishes, forgoing lunch breaks for an earlier finish and having meetings during more core working hours.

The last ten days of Ramadan are considered the most sacred of the month and so requests for leave should take this into consideration. Whilst flexible working and time off are wonderful inclusive options, this should be a choice for employees and shouldn’t be applied as an expectation.

Discuss with your employees how to help them

As a group, Muslims are not a monolith. Everyone will have a different relationship and approach to their faith. Be mindful not to assume your employees needs, cultivate meaningful connections with your employees and provide opportunities where they can openly and safely discuss their needs with you.

Be prepared for annual leave requests for Eid celebrations

Recognising that the Islamic calendar is lunar allows employers to make space for supporting Muslims at work. Employers can understand that Muslims won’t know the exact date upon which Eid will fall (as this depends on the sighting of the new moon). Eid is the festival that marks the end of Ramadan, you can learn more about it on our Eid al Fitr awareness day page.

This means many people may need to request time off at relatively short notice and others may request a range of 2-3 days off to make sure they will be off work at the right time.

For more flexible working arrangements, where organisational needs and service delivery permits allow, employees could provisionally book a range 2-3 days off and then work the days outside of where Eid lands. A pragmatic approach and open dialogue with employees is the best way forward.

Raise Ramadan awareness in the workplace

Members of your team may be wondering how to wish their colleagues a happy Ramadan. Incorporate awareness raising into your plans for supporting Muslims at work, so that your entire team can recognise the time and learn more about it. You can learn more about this by visiting our Ramadan awareness day page.

Awareness is a building block for an inclusive workplace. Raising awareness of what Ramadan is and making space for the importance of it and its impact on Muslim colleagues during this time is a great way to build positive team connections.

There are many options that can be explored to raise awareness and celebrate diversity and inclusion during Ramadan. You may want to provide platforms for Muslim voices to share their Ramadan experiences if they wish, you could host fun engagement sessions using our Ramadan Quiz to test your colleagues knowledge of Ramadan.