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Ramadan in the workplace: how to support your observing employees

The holy month of Ramadan is one of the most important times of year for Muslims.

Expected to begin on the evening of 28 February 2025 and lasting until the end of March, Ramadan is typically observed by fasting between sunrise and sunset, increased spiritual study of the Quran, and further time for prayer.

It is essential that employers are sensitive to the needs of their observing employees during this time.

Amanda Hyam, Head of Dispute Resolution and Employment, explores how you can accommodate and support your employees without adversely affecting your business operations.

Discuss individual needs

The needs of your employees who observe Ramadan are likely to be unique to each individual.

For example, some may be fasting, while some may be exempt. Other employees may have increased religious and voluntary responsibilities. It is important not to assume who will be observing Ramadan, and in what way.

Send communications to the whole team encouraging employees who will be observing Ramadan to come forward and discuss individual needs with their line manager.

It is also important to communicate with non-observing employees who may be affected. Sharing workloads and allocating tasks to other employees must be discussed carefully and the needs of affected employees must be listened to.

Careful planning and constructive dialogue will help ensure that no employee risks being overburdened with work.

Flexible working

During meetings with your observing employees, you should discuss individual support needs and work to find a solution that is agreeable to everyone.

Flexible working is a day one right.

While you do not have to agree to requests for flexible working, you can only refuse if there are business reasons for doing so, and you should accommodate requests where possible to maintain trust with your employees, show that you respect their faith, and avoid allegations of discrimination on religious grounds.

Although employees no longer have a statutory right to an appeal if a request for flexible working is refused, they do have the option of complaining to an employment tribunal, within three months, if the employer:

Did not handle the request in a “reasonable manner.”
Wrongly treated the request as withdrawn.
Dismissed or treated an employee poorly because of the request.
Rejected a request on the basis of incorrect information.

It is essential, therefore, that you consider and work towards accommodating flexible working arrangements as far as possible.

Altering an employee’s start and finish time or changing shift patterns are flexible working options that can enable employees to work at times when they have more energy and are likely to be more productive – beneficial both for them and for you.

Reduced working hours and embracing a hybrid working policy are other possible options. Commuting to work can be a significant drain on energy, so working from home can be an effective way to help your employees avoid burnout and focus on completing their work.

Accommodate annual leave requests

It is likely that a number of your observing employees will want to take time off work, particularly doing the last ten days of Ramadan, which are the most sacred of the month.

Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, your observing employees will not know exactly when Eid-al-Fitr – the celebration that marks the end of Ramadan – will fall. This means that employees may ask for a certain amount of leave but not want to fix on the days, or may make last-minute requests for leave.

This can be tricky for employers, since not knowing when your employees will be off can make it difficult to organise their work schedules and delegate work to other staff without overburdening them.

While you are not legally obliged to allow every request for leave, or to grant leave on religious grounds, it is best to accommodate them as far as you can to respect your employees’ wishes and avoid allegations of religious discrimination.

Individual discussions with observing employees should include their intentions for taking leave and how they would like to do so.

“Religion and belief” are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, so you must be able to provide a good business reason for denying leave.

Communicating with your employees and discussing arrangements is the best way to make decisions and ensure that your employees feel listened to and respected even when you cannot accommodate all their requests.

Be mindful at work

There are many ways in which you can support your Ramadan-observing employees in the workplace.

Scheduling important meetings and work deadlines earlier in the day can help employees to perform at their best. You should also avoid placing extra burdens on observing staff – such as working overtime – during this time.

While staff may love meetings and work events where lots of food and drink is provided, it may be more considerate to avoid this during Ramadan out of respect for observing employees.

Additionally, providing a dedicated prayer room for observing staff will help them to carry out their religious practices during the day.

Expect that observing employees may need to take more breaks during the day to preserve their energy levels. Scolding or punishing employees for taking breaks is not only unethical, it could also lead to them being less productive, experiencing burnout, and even falling ill.

Helping you meet your legal obligations

Ramadan is an important time for Muslim workers and employers should be understanding of the needs of their observing employees.

Trying to balance the needs of your business with the needs of your employees can be difficult.

At Mander Hadley, our team of helpful and knowledgeable employment law experts can help you understand your legal obligations and support you with implementing inclusive working and leave policies, so you can ensure that meeting your employees’ needs does not compromise on the qualify of your business performance.

Contact us today to find out how we can take care of your employment law issues during Ramadan.

Amanda Hyam

Head of Dispute Resolution and Employment

I have specialised in Dispute Resolution, Civil Litigation and Employment law for more than 15 years. I understand how daunting the prospect of litigation can be and because of this I am always available to discuss concerns.