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Manager’s guide: supporting your employees during Ramadan
Ramadan is a time of spiritual renewal and self-discipline and is often associated with a sense of community and shared purpose. But for many Muslims, whilst Ramadan is immensely rewarding, it can also be quite difficult from a physical and mental health perspective in the workplace.
Fasting can affect energy levels, focus, and concentration, making it more challenging to complete their day-to-day duties. Managers play an important part in supporting their Muslim team members during this time, both in terms of practical support and emotional understanding.
Understanding the significance of Ramadan
The first step in supporting your Muslim colleagues during Ramadan is to understand the significance of this month. Ramadan is not just about fasting, but also about spiritual reflection, increased devotion, and a sense of community. By understanding the deeper meaning of Ramadan, you can better appreciate the challenges your Muslim employees may be facing and offer meaningful support.
What can managers do to support their team members?
1. Amend work schedules, where possible
One of the biggest challenges for Muslims during Ramadan is balancing work and religious obligations. Where possible, managers should aim to be flexible with work schedules, allowing their employees to attend evening prayers or adjust their work hours to accommodate their fast. You could also consider allowing your team members to work from home or take time off if needed.
2. Provide support in the workplace
In addition to flexing work schedules, managers can also provide practical support in the workplace. This might include providing a quiet space for prayer, allowing employees to take short breaks to rest during the day, giving those who work in the evening time to break their fast and pray, and avoiding late afternoon meetings that require high concentration. The most impactful thing you can do is to ask them if they need any support and if so, what? It will likely vary from person to person, so you should take an open-minded and consultative approach.
3. Encourage communication
It's important for managers to encourage open communication with their Muslim employees during Ramadan. Encourage your team to share how they're feeling, what their needs are, and how you can support them. This can help build a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture and ensure that everyone is comfortable and able to perform at their best.
While encouraging communication is key, if you see someone fasting some days and not others (or not at all), avoid asking them why they are not fasting. There are many reasons why Muslims do not fast during the month of Ramadan, some examples include those with chronic health conditions or disabilities, age, travellers, and pregnant/breastfeeding mothers.
4. Recognise cultural difference
It's important to recognise and respect cultural differences during Ramadan. This might involve understanding that some Muslim employees may be more reserved or quiet during this time. Ramadan is a time for self-reflection and spiritual development, so you may find that some may decide not to partake in team recreational activities outside of work to allow them to focus on prayer, recitation of the Quran, giving to charity and spending time with family and friends to end the daily fast.
5. Promote team unity
Ramadan is often associated with a sense of community and shared purpose, and we all can help promote this sense of unity in the workplace. This might involve organising or amending team-building activities that support the fasting period or to engage in other communal activities.
Celebrating the end of Ramadan
The end of Ramadan is marked by celebrating Eid Ul Fitr (festival of breaking the fast), where Muslims around the world will come together and celebrate. This is the first day in 30 days where Muslims will eat and drink in the daytime. It is a time to celebrate, exchange gifts and get together with members of extended families and friends. Managers can support their team members by having discissions around annual leave dates so that they can partake in the Eid celebrations, if they wish.
And even better - celebrate the end of Ramadan with your colleagues. This could involve organising a special meal or celebration, or simply acknowledging the end of the fasting period. By celebrating the end of Ramadan, you can show your appreciation for their efforts by saying “Eid Mubarak” (have a blessed Eid).
In conclusion
Managers play a critical role in their employee’s experience of Ramadan in the workplace. By understanding the significance of the holy month, accommodating work schedules, providing practical support, encouraging communication, showing empathy and understanding, recognising cultural differences, promoting team unity, offering resources and support, and celebrating the end of Ramadan, you can help to create a more inclusive and supportive workplace environment.
If you are looking for a talented professional to join your team, or seeking a new employment opportunity yourself, get in touch with one of our specialist consultants today.
Interview question generator - New Reed AI tool
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Our tool uses advanced AI algorithms to generate a list of interview questions to ask candidates that are tailored to the specific requirements of the role and your company. Using the tool ensures that the questions you ask at an interview are relevant, effective, and comprehensive, allowing you to gain a deeper understanding of each interviewee’s strengths and weaknesses. Our interview question generator will save you time and effort, while ensuring that you are asking the right questions to identify the best candidates for your open positions.
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A four-day work week: the pros and cons
It is no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has transformed the way we work in the UK, with many businesses having to abandon the office to work from home almost overnight. As well as this, over the last year we have seen the introduction of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the challenge of juggling home schooling, leaving many employers no choice but to allow for flexible working arrangements.
With this sudden shift to working from home and an increase in hybrid working, we have seen more and more conversations around work-life balance and businesses questioning their ‘typical working week’.
The five-day work week has become a cultural norm, especially in the UK, but after more than a year of change, is it time to rethink this approach and, if we do, would businesses continue to succeed? Or would productivity take a hit?
We asked our LinkedIn followers: “Would you consider changing your company’s working hours to a four-day working week?”. With 919 votes, 50% said yes, but with the same hours, 33% said yes but with reduced hours, 12% said no, and 6% said they would consider it, but not at this time.
With 83% of those surveyed in favour of a four-day week, there are many considerations companies must make when deciding if this is a course of action they would be willing to take.
What is the case for a four-day work week?
A four-day work week can be defined in two ways; the first is when an employee compresses their full-time hours (typically 35 hours) over a four-day period. And the second is reducing an employee’s hours (typically to 28 hours) over four days, so they are then able to have a three-day weekend.
Many argue that, while the five-day work week used to be effective in the 19th century, it no longer suits the needs of the modern-day professional.
With the evolution of technology, some day-to-day tasks are significantly more time-efficient, and with an uplift in office-based roles, we are seeing an argument that longer work hours do not necessarily mean staff are more productive.
Notably, over the last couple of years, many countries across the globe including Japan, New Zealand, Spain - and most recently Iceland - have trialled the four-day work week to research the effect it has on its employees.
Microsoft trialled four-day weeks in its Japanese offices and found the shortened work week led to more efficient meetings, happier workers and boosted productivity by a staggering 40%. Similarly, Iceland undertook a trial which monitored employees working reduced hours over a variety of public sector workplaces and found it to be an overall success, with 86% of the country's workforce now on a shorter work week for the same pay.
In an article for the BBC, Will Stronge, Director of Research at four-day week consultancy Autonomy, said: “It shows that the public sector is ripe for being a pioneer of shorter working weeks - and lessons can be learned for other governments.”
In the UK, many businesses have also trialled the four-day work week, and some have even made the permanent switch. Gloucestershire-based PR agency Radioactive Public Relations trialled a four-day week for six months and found the business was even more profitable and employees’ sickness days were halved.
What are the advantages of a four-day working week?
Large and small-sized companies trialling the concept have created an evidence-base of the benefits a four-day working week could bring to your organisation.
An increase in productivity levels
Research has shown that working fewer hours boosts productivity levels. With employees spending less time at work, they can feel happier and more fulfilled, leading to them focusing on their job when in the workplace.
A large New Zealand business, Perpetual Guardian, trialled a four-day work week and found not only a 20% rise in productivity, but work-life balance scores increased from 54% to 78%.
Environmental and cost-saving benefits
Shortening your working week means that employees do not need to commute as much, reducing their carbon footprint.
As we have seen throughout the pandemic, those businesses with employees working on the same four days can save on overheads and in some cases even be eligible for tax relief.
Happier employees and fewer absences
According to mental health charity Mind, one in six people report experiencing a common mental health problem in any given week in England, and one in five agreed that they have called in sick to avoid work.
Four-day work weeks leave employees more time to focus on personal development or spend time with loved ones. This will not only increase employees’ happiness, but can contribute to fewer burnouts, leaving them to be more focused and happier in their role.
Better recruitment and retention
The increase of hybrid working and remote working during the pandemic has led to employees wanting greater flexibility from their employers.
The CIPD reported that the majority of people think flexible working is positive for their quality of life, and 30% of people think it positively affects their mental health. So, offering potential new and existing employees a flexible working pattern is a fantastic way of attracting and retaining talented professionals.
What are the disadvantages of a four-day working week?
Whilst there are benefits to a four-day work week, there are disadvantages too:
"A four-day work week wouldn’t work practically because of the need to cover more shifts during a time where we are already facing staff shortages."
Not all industries can participate
Unfortunately, the four-day working week model does not suit every sector. Some businesses or professions require a 24/7 presence which would make a shortened work week unpractical and, in some cases, delay work - creating longer lead times.
A nurse who wanted to remain anonymous expressed her reservations about a four-day week in the healthcare sector, saying: “As an A&E nurse a four-day working week wouldn’t work practically for us. Currently, we work long 12+ hour shifts in order to have four days off, which I prefer as it provides more of a work-life balance. However, while I know a four-day working week would be better for some of my colleagues due to childcare, the shorter, more regular shifts we would have to do on a four-day week wouldn’t work. It would mean the need to cover more shifts during a time where we are already facing staff shortages.”
Unutilised labour
A four-day week is not for everyone; some employees prefer the structure of a five-day working week or would prefer to put in more hours than a four-day working week offers.
Likewise, some professions have tasks which simply take more time than others, which would lead to paying more in overtime or drafting in further staff to make up the shortfall (as happened in healthcare for the Icelandic study), which can ultimately become expensive.
Final thoughts: should your business adopt the four-day work week?
Although the shortened work week has taken off in many European countries and been successful for many UK businesses, it is an extreme approach for a company to take and requires a shift in mindset from the employer and employees for it to work effectively, so it may not be for everyone.
While a more flexible approach on working hours is now expected from employees, a less disruptive, more gradual process would be adopting a hybrid or flexible working policy instead.
Likewise, as mentioned above, the four-day model may not work for all sectors. What studies and data have proven is that organisations who are putting more focus on maintaining staff wellbeing, engagement, morale, and productivity are reaping the benefits.