As I sat down one evening to plan my agenda for the next few months, it occurred to me that Ramadan has crept up sooner than I had envisaged – it starts in less than two weeks!

As a Senior Associate who has been working in the legal profession for the last 10 years, I knew this meant that I would have to make some adjustments and plan ahead in order to fulfil my religious obligations alongside my professional and ethical ones.

As I began to plan how best to navigate the fasting period, it occurred to me that others in the profession may benefit from my own experiences of managing Ramadan at work – either as a practising Muslim or as a colleague or manager trying to understand our experiences.

It’s encouraging to see so many law firms committing to improving diversity in the sector.

However, in order to retain and develop diverse talent it’s important that employers promote an open culture where employees are encouraged to understand the identities, experiences and cultural differences of their colleagues - only then will we be able to achieve true inclusion.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the holy month of fasting, introspection, charity, and prayers for Muslims. It runs for a period of 29 or 30 days each year and is based on the lunar calendar. The commencement is announced the night before depending on when the moon is sighted.  It will start on the 2^nd or 3^rd of April this year. The fasts last between dawn and sunset each day.

My top 10 tips for those fasting:

• If you’re a self-confessed caffeine addict like me, now is a good time to start gradually reducing your intake off it so you can better manage the headaches and cravings.
• If you have days out or work events make sure you consider how you are going to build in the 10-15 minute breaks you will need to take for prayers.
• Manage your deadlines – be aware that your concentration may not be what it normally is and think about scheduling soft deadlines to help you ensure you meet the real ones.
• Work out your optimal working hours - If you tend to stay awake until dawn to have your suhoor (last meal before fasting commences), then it’s likely you won’t have had an optimal night’s sleep until you need to wake up for work.  If your role permits, speak to your manager about making a temporary adjustment to your hours to allow you to start and finish later.
• I find that establishing a good bedtime routine helps me better manage the changes to my body clock during Ramadan.
• Stock up and plan your meals – high complex carbohydrates and protein-rich foods work best at keeping you full for longer. High sugar and processed foods do the opposite, so whilst unavoidable at some dinner gatherings, try to have these in moderation.
• Stay hydrated – you will have a 5-8 hour window period to eat so spread out your water intake to ensure you are getting your recommended 2 litres per day.
• Walks are recommended after iftar (the evening meal after fasting) as that is when your energy will be restored.  It is fine to exercise whilst fasting but be aware of your limits and do a level of exercise that still allows you to preserve energy for work and other activities.
• Think about the type of activities you are doing during Ramadan – I try to limit mindless activities and replace them with introspective ones, for example, charitable work, helping others, and practicing gratitude.
• Final take-home – be aware that your first week is the hardest whilst your body adjusts. Each year presents itself with a fresh opportunity to learn new things, whether it be ways to manage productivity, get into healthier eating habits, and building a stronger faith. Enjoy it and make it better than the last!

My top  tips for employers:

• It’s business as usual but be aware that employees may experience reduced productivity during fasting hours. An understanding of this will make them feel supported.
• Be flexible and try to give fasting colleagues more time than usual or to complete tasks during those hours.
• Your employee will know how best to maximize their productivity during fasting so try to consider reasonable requests to changes in working hours or other adjustments in working hours.
• Don’t be afraid to eat or drink in front of those fasting around the office - they will be used to this.
• Be considerate and try to avoid arranging work dinners/social events during Ramadan. If this is unavoidable, be understanding if your employee is unable to attend any work dinners or social events that fall within their fasting hours.
• Eid (celebration at the end of the fasting month) is always announced the night before which means leave requests may occur at short notice.
• Take an interest – ask questions or invite your employees to run an information session about their culture and beliefs.
• For the adventurous managers, feel free to experience a day of fasting with employees - it’ll take team building to a new level!

If you would like more information regarding Ramadan, please get in touch with Amna Ashraf.

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