How To Support Employees Celebrating Ramadan

Ramadan is approaching and over the years our team have been asked about temporary adjustments small business owners can make to support employees so we thought we would help by writing this blog.

One thing has become clear, each person will have different requests when it comes to celebrating, just like not every Christian observes Lent the same way neither does every Muslim observes Ramadan exactly the same way. So if you know an employee who is planning to observe Ramadan, talk to them about exactly what that means to them to understand the best way to offer support.

But before you do so you might like to read this blog first so you can have the conversation knowing what Ramadan is and understanding a few possible ways you can support your employees.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is an important month in the Islamic calendar. In 2023, it is from the evening of Wednesday 22nd March to the evening of Friday 21st April.

During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn until sunset.

It is more than abstaining from food and water - it's when Muslims are invited to reflect upon their relationship with Allah.

For more information about Ramadan, we recommend looking at this great LinkedIn post by Taq (Taqdees) Shah or reading this article.

What can I do as an employer?

Be Flexible

Supporting a Muslim employee during Ramadan doesn't have to be complicated and you can make a difference by offering some flexibility.

For example, your team member will be breaking the fast at sundown, so offering to let them move their lunch to later in the day to so they can break their fast at work, or to go home early can be really appreciated

You could also allow them an early start so they can eat before the sun comes up and still finish in time for sundown prayer. If there are evening meetings planned that would otherwise clash with them breaking their fast, try rescheduling these meetings.

Create A Space For Prayer

Prayer is an integral part of Ramadan. Every day they perform five Salah prayers at specific times while facing Mecca. Each act carries spiritual significance in connecting them closer with God.

You can support employees by making sure there is a private place and flexibility in the working day to pray, and where possible have it so male and female colleagues can pray separately.

Accommodate Requests To Book Eid Off As A Holiday

Eid, also known as Eid al-Fitr, marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and is a time of joy and celebration. You can support Muslim employees by approving requests to take it off as a holiday. 

You might also want to go a step further and offer employees the option to move their entitlement to the bank holidays which relate to Christian celebrations (such as Christmas Day and Good Friday) so instead, they can be taken for the celebration of their religion. If you need support to do this then our Pay As You Go support is perfect for you.

Build Awareness And Understanding

It may be that not everyone will have worked with a colleague observing Ramadan before so to have an open discussion about what it means is really helpful. Also, provide a prayer timetable so that team members can be respectful and not schedule calls during those times. 

Equally, in our experience, team members observing Ramadan want to do so fairly privately and without lots of attention being drawn to it. Comments made about being hungry or needing to pray frequently are not helpful – so making sure the wider team understands that is not a good idea.

You might want to arrange some diversity training which is something that we can help with if you get in touch at hrsupport@pmp-hr.co.uk.

What next?

We hope that this blog post has helped you understand what Ramadan is and some of the possible things your employees might ask for when you have your conversation with them.

After your conversation, you might want to have a chat with one of our HR advisors using our Pay As You Go support  if you want to adjust their bank holiday entitlement or if an employee has asked for something and you are not sure if and how your business can accommodate them.