For 2024, Ramadan starts on 11th March. If you’re wondering about workers’ rights to flexible working during Ramadan – which coincides with Easter this year – the following comment from Hamilton Nash’s Moore reminds businesses of some of the implications and practical ways they can support their team. He also has some useful tips for workers who may need some flexibility around work during Ramadan.
Sharing his insight with Ramadan just around the corner, Jim Moore, employee relations expert at HR consultants Hamilton Nash said: “Most of our public holidays centre around Christian traditions and festivals, which is not very inclusive.
“Employers need to think more about the needs of a diverse workforce with different religious observance needs.
“Leave requests may be higher during Ramadan, and with Easter falling within the same period, there may be more employees taking time off during March.
“This could cause operational problems if too many staff are out at the same time, and also disgruntled employees if holidays are refused.
“Bosses should plan ahead and encourage staff to put in leave requests early, and award them on a first come, first served basis.
“Ramadan involves fasting and can be physically and mentally challenging, so inclusive employers should be flexible with working patterns.
“This could involve letting employees adjust their hours, allowing for more flexibility around breaks during the day, or allowing some work from home.
“These don’t have to be permanent arrangements, but will send an important signal to staff from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“An employee has the right to request flexible working arrangements if they have 26 weeks’ service, and an employer has three months to respond to this request. However, from April 2024, workers will be entitled to make these requests from day one of employment, and employers will have only two months to respond.
“For any worker wishing to use a formal flexible working request for a festival like Ramadan, they will need to plan ahead to account for the allowed response time. Employers are not obliged to agree, but will need to justify any refusal.
“Unless there are substantial operational constraints on the business, an employer would be advised to make informal arrangements with workers and not to push them down this formal route.
“If someone just seeks a bit of short-term flexibility for something like Ramadan, then forcing a formal process is also non-inclusive behaviour.
“Fasting can also affect an individual’s productivity or morale, so ensure that any dip in performance isn’t related to fasting before embarking on a performance management process.”
