On the Ramadan work ethic

We’re all hungry and tired. We all want to forget about working until we get some sustenance. But Ramadan is not about rest and relaxation—it is not a vacation.

Ramadan is a month of worship that involves sacrificing worldly pleasures during the day, and spending time with family and friends during the evenings. That, however, does not give people license to be absent or late for work because they stayed up until the wee hours of the night chewing Qat or watching television.

While employers should take the Ramadan schedule into account, observing the Holy month should not be an issue brought into the workplace and used as an excuse for poor performance. The working hours of most companies and institutions are modified to allow for more sleep during the day. Employees should enjoy that benefit and keep their hunger and fatigue to themselves. They should not act as though they were forced against international human rights laws to come to work and perform as well as they can.

Ramadan is not meant to encourage laziness and nocturnalism, but rather to encourage people to go without physical sustenance while still maintaining their adult responsibilities. Only then can Ramadan be a month of benefits gained through endurance, patience, and determination. Otherwise, Ramadan is nothing more than a month of sleeping, complaining about hunger and fatigue, and eating all night. 

Ramadan kareem to all of our readers (even the lazy employees among you).

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