What Should You Do if your Colleague is Fasting at Work?

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is among the Five pillars that form the foundation of the Islamic faith. This year, Muslims around the world started observing the holy month of Ramadan on March 23rd. This means that it’s more than likely your Muslim co-workers will be spending their daylight hours abstaining from eating, drinking, and smoking for a period of 30 days. They might also be spending their evening time engaged in acts of prayer and worship.

However, Muslims carry out their routine activities by going to work or attending school during this time. Therefore, for those who are thinking of ways to support their Muslim colleagues, friends, or families during Ramadan here are a few useful tips.

Find out Key Dates

The first thing you can do is ask your Muslim coworkers when Ramadan and Eid are approaching. Since each year Ramadan falls on a different date, it’s useful to not get caught off guard. Muslims will be more than happy to let you know about the traditions and customs they observe during the holy month.
You should also take this opportunity to respectfully ask whether your colleagues will be fasting or not. The best way to approach this question is to be indirect since there could be personal reasons why they aren’t fasting.

Educate Other About Ramadan

This tip is especially useful for managers since it helps the rest of the workforce understand the cause behind any temporary arrangements being made for Muslims during Ramadan. For example, awareness about key events can be raised by having them marked on the company intranet.
The truth is, going without food and drink for as long as 17 hours is not easy by any means (not to mention caffeine withdrawal)! It’s important that the staff working with Muslims appreciates how the challenges of fasting might translate into behaviors and work performance.

Encourage Employees to Voice their Needs

Employees who fast will take care of their work responsibilities as usual. By checking in on them every now and then will not only allow you to be familiar with any of their specific needs, but it will also boost their morale.
It might not be possible for the employer to approach their employees individually, and in some cases, it might even seem like prying. So what managers can do is place notifications on company platforms regarding fasting hours and encourage fasting employees to make their needs known.

Workload Flexibility

Another useful tip for managers with fasting Muslims on their teams is to understand that their employees might not be able to remain on top of everything while fasting. Hunger, thirst, and exhaustion may impact the concentration levels of your employees.
If possible, it’s a great help to consider having an extra pair of hands for your fasting employee to help around with complex tasks. Otherwise, making minor adjustments to deadlines is also a great help. It might also help if, during fasting days, tasks that require higher attention to detail are temporarily not assigned to your fasting employee. However, if this isn’t practical it’s best to have their tasks reviewed either yourself or by another employee. But it’s crucial that you make any such suggestions in a friendly and considerate manner. If your workplace requires a lot of physical effort, try not to assign such demanding tasks to your fasting colleagues.
Regardlessly, some people find work to be a welcome distraction from the hardships of not eating or drinking throughout the day. If this is the case, then work might be a good thing for your employee.

Working Hours and Breaks

Reducing working hours for individuals counts as an unethical practice and might reduce your team’s morale. But, there’s no harm in making temporary arrangements. You can allow your fasting employees to either start early when they are fresh or allow them to work through lunch breaks so that they may finish early. However, if it isn’t possible to allow your employees to leave early you can try to make special allowances for them. For example, allowing them to take their lunch break at the time of sunset so that they may be able to have their meals properly, and allowing short prayer breaks. Since evenings are reserved for eating and offering prayers you should also consider not asking them to work overtime.
In case your employees are working in shifts consider switching their shifts to times that are more convenient for them. For example, if someone works an evening shift it might help them if you switch it to an afternoon shift to ensure they aren’t working when it’s time to break their fast. If making such changes isn’t possible try to adjust break times for them such that their breaks coincide with the time for iftar. The breaks should also be adequate to have a proper meal so that your employees can fully replenish their energy before continuing work.
However, it’s best to ask your employees what suits them best. This way they’ll be able to contribute to your company just as best as your other employees.

Remote Work and Leaves

Following COVID many companies switched to remote or hybrid working models. If you have people in your workforce who are fasting, consider if it’s possible for them to complete their tasks and attend meetings from home. It’s also useful to schedule meetings at appropriate times. For example, try to avoid scheduling meetings at the time for iftar, this applies especially to teams working in different time zones.
You should also try to be mentally prepared for granting 1-5 days of paid or unpaid leaves at the end of Ramadan. Eid is the equivalent of Christmas for Muslims and is the only time of the year families and friends can celebrate together. It’s important for your employees to be with their loved ones for the festivities. And since like Ramadan, Eid doesn’t fall on the same date every year, as a manager it’s better to be prepared rather than get caught off guard.

Meetings and Work Events

While scheduling work events and meetings it’s important to keep your fasting coworkers in mind. Try to schedule meetings where high concentration levels are required in the morning when your employees are at their highest energy levels.
As a manager, also consider saving work lunches for after Ramadan. If that isn’t possible you can consider switching the event times to after sunset. Basically, for occasions that require serving food try to schedule them after sunset. This way those employees who are fasting will also be included and can participate in work events.
However, there’s also a very likely chance that they might decline your invitation. If that happens it’s important to not feel offended since it’s a tradition for families to break their fast together. It could be that they have a prior engagement, or they might want to spend their evening to take rest or engaged in prayer.
Furthermore, if your workplace serves lunch you can make sure that there’s enough food saved for your fasting employees in the evening. This way they won’t remain choiceless and don’t have to worry about having to make special arrangements for themselves.

Be Understanding

As a coworker, it’s important to understand that your colleagues are going through a period of hardship. Try not to take it to heart if your normally chatty coworker doesn’t want to engage in light conversation. They’re probably tired or cranky, it’s pretty normal for anyone who’s hungry or thirsty to behave differently. However, this should not be an excuse for them to be rude toward their peers.
Make sure your Muslim colleagues are still included in group activities. For example, if you’re headed out for lunch ask your coworker if they’re fasting or not and can accompany you. Feeling left out isn’t good for morale as well as productivity.

No Need to Walk on Eggshells

The final piece of advice on this front is to not alter your behavior towards your colleagues during Ramadan. Feel free to ask questions, Islam is a welcoming faith and your friend will be more than happy to answer your questions.
You don’t need to change your routine at work as well. For example, there’s no need to hide while having your lunch or your coffee. It’s important to understand that it doesn’t mean you need to give your fasting colleagues special treatment. Fasting is a choice, it’s meant to be uncomfortable and to humble Muslims in the process. Remember, the essence of Ramadan is to feel the hunger of those less fortunate and strengthen spirituality.
So, don’t feel guilty about having your lunch in front of your Muslim colleagues. Just don’t offer them food or drink repeatedly if you know they’re fasting.

Conclusion

Ramadan is a very important time for Muslims. They highly appreciate it when their colleagues and managers try to keep their needs in consideration. Enjoy and celebrate this time with your Muslim colleagues, and wish them ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ and ‘Eid Mubarak’ (Mubarak translates to ‘blessed’). In fact, if you want, take a shot at fasting with your colleagues.
But, be warned! If you get invited to iftar, it’s best to starve yourself during the day. Otherwise, you won’t be able to enjoy the elaborate and delicious meals you’ll be served.
If you want to know more about Ramadan this year feel free to have a look at our article specially dedicated to Ramadan FAQs.