Ramadan 2024: What are your employment rights?

Home » News & Knowledge » Ramadan 2024: What are your employment rights?

Ramadan is here, which means millions of Muslims across the globe are set to undertake a month of fasting to observe the holy month.

During Ramadan, Muslims take the time to reflect and focus on their faith by refraining from eating and drinking during daylight hours as well as dedicating their time to prayer.

Ramadan 2024

Fasting is also there to remind Muslims of their dependence on Allah for sustenance, as well as to encourage empathy and compassion for those less fortunate than them.

Sajad Mahmood, CEO of a Muslim charity, told Metro.co.uk:

“Observing the fast during the holy month is extremely important as it is a time for improving one’s connection to God and is a time for self-reflection, and self-control.

‘Ramadan is a month which should act as a month of spiritual training for the rest of the year. The aim of Ramadan is to help set you up with good habits for the rest of the year so you are stronger spiritually and mentally than you were before.”

But during Ramadan, as Muslims refrain from eating during daylight hours, this could affect some people’s working life, mental and physical energy levels and productivity.

If you are fasting during Ramadan, you might be wondering what your employment rights are, and if any changes can be made at work to accommodate for this time.

Ramadan 2024: Employment rights

Although there is no legal right to a variation in hours due to religious belief employment experts say employers should be ‘flexible’ and open to discussion with their staff.

This could be by authorising annual leave during this period to allow employees to take time off, or by offering flexible working hours if possible. However, employees should aim to give as much notice as possible to their boss, in writing, if they plan on using a holiday or want to make alternative working arrangements during Ramadan.

Legally, workers are entitled to one 20-minute break every six hours under the Working Time Regulations 1998. However, employers could suggest allowing break times to be split into smaller ones to allow workers observing Ramadan time to pray.

Meanwhile, Rhys Wyborn, an employment expert pointed out that religion is one of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. He explained this means employees must not be treated less favourably because they are fasting.

Flexible working – What are the rules

At present, an employee has the right to request flexible working arrangements if they have 26 weeks’ service, however from April, the Government is proposing to make it a right from day one.

At present, the employer has three months to respond to the request, and while they are not obliged to agree to the request, they will need to justify a refusal.

What is flexible working?

Flexible working could include the following:

Part-time working – Employees are contracted to work less than standard, basic, full-time hours.
Working from home – Employees will spend all or part of the week working from home or somewhere else away from the working premises.
Job sharing – A full-time job can be split between two employees who agree the hours between them.
Compressed hours – Employees cover their standard working hours in fewer working days.
Flexi-time – Employees have the freedom to work in any way they choose outside a set of core hours determined by the employer.
Phased retirement – Since the phase out of the default retirement age in April 2012, mature workers can now decide what age they wish to stop working. This means they can reduce their hours and work part time.

When will Ramadan 2024 start and end?

Ramadan starts with the sighting of the crescent moon, which usually appears one night after a new moon. This year, Ramadan began on Sunday 10 March and is expected to conclude on Tuesday 9 April 2024.

Ramadan fasting times

During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating during daylight hours. This means Muslims will often eat late at night and through to the early hours of the morning. Fasting times will vary as the month goes on, as sunset and sunrise times will change the further we get into spring.

What is Eid al-Fitr?

When Ramadan ends, Eid al-Fitr will commence, to celebrate the “festival of the breaking of the fast”. This is expected to occur on Wednesday, April 10. This festival can last up to three days.