Understanding the Ramadan Productivity Challenge: 3 Surprising Insights Every HR Manager Needs to Know for this Upcoming Ramadan

In less than 2 months from now, the holy month of Ramadan would begin, and over 20% of the world's population (1.6 billion Muslims) will commence fasting for 30-days. They'll abstain from food and water from dawn till sunset (in some countries, that's more than 12 hours of fast!). This ritual has an impact on the productivity and performance of Muslim Professionals and HR managers and line managers need to pay attention to it.

Traditionally, the topic of Ramadan and Productivity rarely comes up in a corporate discussion for 2 reasons:

1. Muslim Professionals themselves don't like to bring it up as an issue with their employers (either for fear of discrimination, or not wanting special treatment, or simply because they sincerely believe that work shouldn't be affected by Ramadan activities).
2. HR managers and line managers are not sure how to bring this topic up with their fasting employees to help them make the most of this spiritual month whilst keeping up with the performance and productivity required to get the work done (especially compared with their non-fasting colleagues).

In this article, I'll tackle the topic of Ramadan and Productivity from 3 angles:

1. Why Ramadan is a challenging time for the Muslim Professional (Hint: It's not only about the fasting)
2. How Ramadan can be a positive force for company culture 
3. What Companies can do to help their fasting employees cope with the Ramadan challenges & make the most of this month

For the past 5 years, I've worked with hundreds of Muslim Professionals either on a one-to-one basis or through my online training programs to help them overcome their productivity challenges and ensure they commit to optimal performance during the month. Along the way, I discovered three key insights that I believe HR managers and line managers need to be aware of to truly tackle this challenge effectively.

INSIGHT #1: Why Ramadan is a Challenging Time for Muslim Professionals (Hint: It's not only the fasting!)

Imagine waking up at 4am to have a very big breakfast (which you really don't feel like at 4am) and staying up for dawn prayers before getting ready for work.

You get to work and can't have your morning coffee or tea, and you are supposed to perform at your optimal level without food or water for the majority of the working hours.

By the time you get home, it's sunset and you can finally break your fast, and now it's time for you to go for the special night prayers that are quite long and means that you'll sleep very late at night, and somehow have to wake up at 4am next morning and repeat your day again.

Replay the above for 30 days and you'll get a taste of what Muslim Professionals go through every year.

From the sound of it, it sounds impossible. Yet millions of Muslim Professionals every year commit to such regiment for 30 days during the month of Ramadan. Some of them are better than others in masking this challenge and not bringing it up as an issue. In fact, in 2011, I partnered with a New York Research & Advisory firm called DinarStandard to conduct the first online survey on Productivity during Ramadan (you can download the full report here) and we found an interesting insight:

77% of fasting Professional Muslims in the survey said that they would like to keep their work productivity the same. However, the reality is that they undertake added spiritual activities during Ramadan and physical energy levels are low.

If we were to dig deeper, we can break down the Ramadan productivity challenge into 3 parts:

1. An Energy Management Challenge: If you think about the pillars of physical energy (sleep, nutrition, and fitness), all three of them get challenged during the month of Ramadan. A lot of Muslim Professionals are sleep deprived during Ramadan because of the late night spiritual/social activities and waking up early for breakfast before dawn, they also face a serious nutrition challenge by not eating well or eating unhealthy "Ramadan foods", and of course, fitness is the last thing on a fasting person's mind. All three of these combined - repeated over 30 days - has a huge impact on the person's energy levels and hence their productivity at work.
2. Focus Management Challenge: When physical energy is low, it is difficult to engage in energy-hungry activities such as deep focus. The brain is one the largest consumers of energy in the body, and if it's hungry and dehydrated, it cannot function at optimal performance and this affects focus and of course overall productivity. 
3. Time Management Challenge: The 'normal' routine of a Muslim professional is completely turned upside down during the month of Ramadan. Between waking up before dawn and staying late, as well as getting involved in extra community/spiritual activities, Muslim Professionals face the challenge of managing their time appropriately to balance between their work commitments and spiritual commitments during the month.

The above 3 challenges are compounded by a number of social/cultural pressures that come with Ramadan (especially in Muslim majority countries), these pressures include:

• Social expectations to attend "Iftar parties" (Breaking fast parties) that last till late at night.
• Late night meetings with partners, friends, investors, and even clients.
• An attitude of "nothing gets done in Ramadan" that's contagious among professionals.

Reading the above, you might conclude that there's no way for Muslim Professionals to be productive during Ramadan and they should just take the month off and focus on spiritual activities (which some of them do). However, the next insight will explain how Ramadan can actually boost productivity and performance of the individual as well as the company.

INSIGHT #2: How Ramadan can boost productivity and performance at your company

It might sound counter-intuitive that Ramadan can boost productivity and performance at your company. However, if we look into some of the common rituals associated with Ramadan, we'd notice the important impact that Ramadan has on improving health, willpower, discipline, and positive emotions. Let's explore these below one by one:

Improving Health & Well-Being

Research on the positive effects of fasting on health and well-being are well documented. The following are a list of healthy benefits associated with fasting along with the research papers associated with each benefit (You can click on any of the hyperlinked words below to take you to the original research paper - Special thanks to Benjamin Hardy who compiled all these research as part of an amazing article about fasting in the Observer titled "The Number One Secret to Superhuman Willpower"):

• Fasting can reverse binge eating disorders, and help those who find it difficult to establish a correct eating pattern due to work and other priorities.
• Fasting can clear your skin from acne, allowing you to have a healthy vibrant glow.
• Prolonged Fasting “reboots” your immune system from free radical damage, regulating inflammatory conditions in the body and killing off cancer cell formation.
• Fasting improves blood pressure levels.
• Fasting improves cholesterol levels.
• Fasting has been shown to strongly support insulin resistance and lead to an impressive reduction in blood sugar levels thus fighting type 2 diabetes.
• Fasting increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that interacts with neurons in the hippocampus, cortex, and basal forebrain (the parts of the brain that regulate memory, learning, and higher cognitive function — uniquely human stuff). BDNF helps existing neurons survive while stimulating the growth of new neurons and the development of neuro-synaptic connectivity. Low levels of BDNF are linked to Alzheimer’s,memory loss, and cognitive impairment.
• Fasting reduces the likelihood of having a stroke.
• Fasting reduces your risk of cancer.
• Fasting increases your longevity and lifespan.
• Fasting enhances learning and memory.
• Fasting elevates your ability to focus and concentrate.

Boosting WillPower

The Holy Quran describes the purpose for prescribing fasting is for Muslims to attain righteousness.

"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous" (Holy Quran - Chapter 2 - Verse 183)

And essentially righteousness is about self-discipline and being conscious of your actions and words and ensuring they align with your belief and value system. This constant/inward self-discipline and self-accountability boosts willpower.

On that note, fasting is the one ritual that has a proven track record to boost willpower. The simple act of putting off physical desires in order to achieve a higher meaning is a natural willpower workout. Imagine what 30-days of willpower workout means for the professional: better decisions, controlling negative emotions, staying away from unhealthy habits, etc.

Moreover, one of the by-products of an increase in willpower is boosting the fasting person's self-confidence. The fasting person realises their potential "If I can keep up my Ramadan fast AND go to work, take care of my family, and do extra social/charitable activities, all in the same month.. what else can I do?".

Breaking Bad Habits

Ramadan helps the Muslim Professional break bad habits. According to Charles Duhigg, author of "The Power of Habits" it takes 21 days for the brain to "like" a new habit or change a bad habit. Ramadan is 29/30 days long and hence provides the best training ground to start new healthier habits or destroy old bad habits.

Another point to note is that because Ramadan completely changes someone's routine (from sleep time to meal times), it breaks the bad habits associated with the old "normal" routine. For example, if I normally drive by Krispy Kreme to grab coffee with cream and a couple of doughnuts on my way to work, when Ramadan starts, for 30-days this routine will be broken and perhaps after Ramadan, I might not have the same craving for a high calorie "breakfast" during my morning routine.

Encouraging Positive Risk Taking

Surprisingly, Ramadan also encourages behaviours that might benefit the bottom line of a company or economy at large. Consider the following insight from the Global Risk Advisor article "The Economics of Ramadan": 

A 2011 report by the University of Leicester economists revealed that on average, stock market returns in Muslim-majority countries during Ramadan were almost nine times higher and far less volatile than they were during other times of the year. The economists attributed this so-called “Ramadan effect” to the rituals associated with the holiday, which tend to incite positive emotions and thus, encourage investors to take more risks and buy more stocks. 

Also, when fasting employees remove themselves from the noise of distractions that come with food breaks, bathroom breaks, and watercooler chats, it helps to enhance clearer thinking hence leading to clarity and better decisions.

Improving Emotional Agility

Ramadan is not just about enduring physical hardships for hardships' sake, instead, the holy month has a deeply spiritual dimension which helps improve positive emotions and suppress negative emotions. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

"Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)"

Such sayings of the Prophet encourage the fasting to be cognizant of not just staying away from food and drink but also of negative emotions that might lead him/her to getting angry, or backbiting, or simply be more conscious of managing their negative emotions.

Improving Civility

With all the negative media surrounding Muslims these days, Ramadan is a great ice-breaker topic between Muslim and non-Muslim employees. It's such a distinct commitment that many non-Muslim employees can't help but admire or sometimes join Muslims in their fasting in a show of solidarity. This improves civility in the workplace and respect in the workplace, which has been linked to better performance on the bottom line (Source: The price of Incivility: Lack of Respect Hurts Morale - and the Bottom Line - HBR February 2013).

INSIGHT #3: What Companies Can Do To Help Their Fasting Employees Manage the Ramadan Challenges

So far I've presented to you the productivity challenges Muslim Professionals face during Ramadan as well as some of the positive aspects of Ramadan that helps improve performance and productivity. How do we reconcile between the two? How can we make sure that fasting employees manage their productivity challenges during Ramadan whilst benefitting from the positive aspects of the month?

The answer comes down to awareness and training. Muslim Professionals must prepare for Ramadan spiritually, physically, and socially to ensure that they can balance between the spiritual commitments of Ramadan and their productivity and work performance. 

The good news - is that this knowledge is out there and can be taught and trained. The bad news - no one is sure how to deliver this training in a way that balances between the sensitivities of "faith/religion" in the workplace as well as the corporate need to balance performance and productivity. HR managers and line managers would feel uncomfortable to conduct such training as it might seem intrusive or "discriminatory". So to help with this challenge - here are some practical ways around it:

• Focus on Productivity/Performance: When wanting to conduct a pre-Ramadan training, HR Managers and line managers should focus on the productivity aspect of the Ramadan challenge and not on the spiritual elements of Ramadan. This way, the discussion can be positive and practical and not intrusive into people's belief system. Specifically, the training should focus on how fasting professionals can manage their energy, focus, and time during Ramadan to optimize their performance and productivity.
• Involve Everybody: This training should not just be for Muslim Professionals. Depending on the size of Muslim professionals in the company, HR managers/line managers should consider providing practical training to non-fasting management and staff as well so they are aware of the challenges that Muslim Professionals face during Ramadan and create that positive and open atmosphere where employees understand each other and how their personal/spiritual side might impact their work life.
• Make it Anonymous: If HR Managers/Line managers find it difficult to single out Ramadan as a "productivity issue" or it might cause Muslim Professionals to feel uncomfortable about it, consider offering access to online courses that teach practical tips to fasting professionals on how they can manage their energy, focus and time during Ramadan. This can be done anonymously to guarantee the privacy of the fasting individual. 

Useful Resources for Employers/Employees to Tackle the Ramadan Challenge

• The ProductiveRamadan Online Course
• The Working Muslim in Ramadan - Employer Guide by WorkingMuslim.com
• Article: Work Ethics for Muslims Fasting During Ramadan

Our Ramadan Training Offer

If you're interested in boosting the productivity and performance of fasting professionals at your company. Leading Productive Lives - a faith-driven professional training company - is happy to offer the following training which might be of interest to you:

Contact Us for our Ramadan Training Offers

For more information about our training and offers, e-mail us at: [email protected] or call 214 530 0023. 

Leading Productive Lives is a productivity training and consulting company that is dedicated to sharing a holistic version of productivity to corporates worldwide in order for workers to lead more healthier, productive lives (at the workplace and outside the workplace).

At the core of our offering are faith-driven professional solutions that inspire, educate, and teach individuals and organizations how to boost individual as well as corporate performance and productivity.

“Spirituality leads to three core benefits for employees that in turn support an organization’s performance: enhances quality of life and well-being; provides a sense of meaning and purpose at work; provides a sense of community and being connected.” ~ Study published in the Journal of Business Ethics, 2009, by Dr. Fahri Karakas