The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began last week and will last for 29 or 30 days, depending on the sighting of the crescent moon. During Ramadan, healthy adult Muslims observe a fast between dawn and dusk. Exceptions are made for those who are pregnant, menstruating or in poor health. Ramadan is an increased time for spirituality and Muslims aim to deepen their spiritual connection with God through prayer, reading the Qur’an, and aim to increase their Islamic knowledge – as well as spending time with friends, family and in the community helping.
There is no automatic right to time off for religious observances in the UK. Subject to any agreement you might reach with your staff, or any wider policy your business may have in place, they would be expected to come to work as usual during Ramadan (and, indeed, during Eid al-Fitr which follows it).
Employer support during Ramadan
There are several points which employers should consider when looking to support Muslim employees during Ramadan:
- Muslim employees are protected from discrimination because of their religion under Equality Act 2010. Employers must not treat them less favourably because of their religion (direct discrimination). More relevantly to the observance of Ramadan, the employer must not put any provision, criterion or practice (PCP) in place which places Muslim employees at a particular disadvantage (unless the PCP can be justified). Employers should look carefully at things like rigid scheduling policies to make sure they do not disadvantage those fasting without justification.
- Awareness is important. You should make sure that all employees are aware of the timing of Ramadan and that discrimination or harassment on grounds of religion will not be tolerated. Consider holding awareness events or working with Muslim employees to create factsheets and other resources to raise awareness and understanding amongst the wider workforce.
- You have a legal obligation to protect the health and safety of your workforce. For employees in safety-critical roles, those undertaking physically demanding work, or those carrying-out shift work or night work there may be additional risk assessments required. Employers should consider whether temporary adjustments are appropriate to manage fatigue or dehydration risk.
- More widely, you should be aiming to support the wellbeing of your employees. Consider what adjustments you might be able to put in place to help with the impact of fasting. For example, you could:
- Replace a lunch hour with several smaller breaks;
- Avoid scheduling long meetings where concentration might be an issue;
- As employees observing Ramadan will eat before sunrise and then fast until sunset, it might be a good idea to schedule important meetings or tasks in the morning rather than the afternoon, as this will be closest to the time where the employee will have had something to eat and drink.
- If it’s possible, it may be worth employers offering temporary flexible working patterns to those who are fasting. For example, temporarily flexing start times to allow employees to start work nearer to sunrise (so that they will have eaten close to the time when they start work) and having an earlier finish time (when they may be flagging owing to not having recently had food or drink).
- Away from fasting, those observing Ramadan may engage in more prayer throughout the day. Employers should consider whether they have adequate quiet areas dedicated to contemplation or prayer.
- Do not assume that all Muslim employees will need adjustments or, indeed, that they will be observing Ramadan. There are specific exceptions for menstruation, travel, pregnancy and ill health. Muslim employees who are not observing Ramadan for one of these reasons may not wish to discuss such personal issues or have attention brought to them.
- You should consider the appropriateness of holding social events focused on eating or drinking. You want to make sure that employees do not feel excluded.
- It is a good idea to plan ahead for Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of Ramadan. As the date depends on the sighting of the moon, some flexibility around annual leave requests at short notice if possible would support employee engagement and goodwill.
Key takeaway
Ultimately, small, thoughtful steps can help employers demonstrate cultural competence, reduce legal risk, and strengthen employee trust during Ramadan.
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