Removing labels at Ramadan

Did you know that it takes just seven seconds to build a prejudice based on someone's appearance? This year at Ramadan, Coke invited six strangers to meet in the dark. See what they discovered and how it changed the way they see the world. And while we are reflecting on this year’s Ramadan, how well did you support your staff?

For many Muslims, Ramadan is a period of religious observance, which includes fasting from sunrise to sunset. In 2017, the Islamic holy month of Ramadan began on 26 May and ended on 24 June.

This year at Ramadan, Coke invited six strangers to meet in the dark. See what they discovered and how it changed the way they see the world.

You can watch the short DVD clip here

Although the following advice is too late to implement for this year’s Ramadan, it’s not too late to reflect on how you supported your staff and to put in place actions to improve for next year.

1. Have a policy on religious observance

Having a policy on religious observance during working hours can provide helpful guidelines to managers and staff. On the other hand, an absence of such a policy can lead to confusion, inconsistency in practice and may ultimately lead to accusations of religious discrimination.

2. Show tolerance on reduced productivity levels

Productivity can be affected when staff fast and managers should be aware of this and not unduly penalise or criticise an employee whose productivity has suffered because he or she is fasting during a period of religious observance.

In Bhatti and another v Pontiac Coils Europe Ltd, the employment tribunal held that comments made to an employee that criticised her for reduced work productivity levels because of fasting amounted to direct religious discrimination and harassment.

3. Find a way to accommodate annual leave requests

Employers may experience requests for annual leave for a certain religious festivals, such as the Islamic holiday of Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan.

It may be impractical for an employer to grant all of the requests. However, employers should be supportive towards employees who observe religions other than Christianity, particularly because the majority of Christian holidays are provided for in the UK as bank holidays.

The employment tribunal judgment in Mohammed Khan v NIC Hygiene, although not a recent case, serves as a reminder that a refusal to allow time off work for religious reasons may be discriminatory, even if the refusal is made in accordance with normal procedures.

4. Consider the effect of training events, conferences and offsite meetings

Employers may find that some employees who are in a period of religious observance may find attendance at training events, conferences or offsite meetings difficult.

During Ramadan, for example, many Muslims abstain from all food and drink between dawn and sunset. Managers should arrange to meet with the employee concerned to explore fully his or her reservations about attending an event and determine whether or not a compromise can be reached. For example, the presence of food and drink at the event might be one of the concerns for the employee.

According to 2017 research by ComRes for Belief At Work, some employers have good intentions about making allowances for religious observance during Ramadan, but it can end up inadvertently discriminating against an employee.

Katie Harrison, director of ComRes’ Faith Research Centre, said ‘Each person will express their faith differently, and our research found that the most important thing is to create a culture where it’s OK to talk about these things, and to listen well.’

Ethos and culture feature significantly in the Ofsted 2015 inspection framework. What’s your culture like? How have you used the views of staff who hold a faith to improve practice?