Top tips to help your employees through Ramadan

You may have employees who are taking part in Ramadan, and you may also be wondering how best to help them. Not only is this an especially holy time, but it’s also when your Muslim employees could feel the most exhausted.

Here are some quickfire tips for you to put into practice.

 

• Be flexible with working hours wherever possible, whether it’s an earlier start time or extra breaks for prayers
• Be sensitive to any last minute annual leave requests you may get, particularly in the final 10 days. Remember Ramadan is based on a lunar calendar, so sometimes people only find out about key days the night before.
• Get line managers to be extra supportive when it comes to wellbeing check-ins. Keep asking people if they need any extra help. It can be harder to spot the signs of tiredness if people are working from home, so make sure managers put daily catch-ups in the calendar.
• If you offer any wellbeing benefits, ensure these are clearly communicated and signposted
• Allow employees that are fasting to arrange their day in line with their energy levels. For example, important meetings should be scheduled for the morning when they’re less likely to be fatigued.
• If possible, set up dedicated prayer spaces in your workspace
• If you have employees working after sunset, consider supplying them with dates and water to break their fast with
• Avoid holding team lunches if one or more members are fasting
• Run a company-wide education session to help people understand the meaning of Ramadan
• Understand that different people have different approaches to Ramadan. Some may fast every day, whereas others may have a more flexible schedule.

 

As an employer, you have a duty of care to your employees all year round, but especially when they may be feeling the strain. These simple but effective tips can help you look out for the wellbeing of your Muslim employees, at a time where this will be appreciated more than ever.