Last Updated on March 24, 2023 by user

Tips for maintaining productivity at work during Ramadan

The best time of the year is here; Ramadan 2023. Ramadan is the month of spirituality, self-reflection, and spending cherished moments with loved ones. But the month creates unique conditions at work, and employers need to be considerate of the effects of fasting. Both Muslims and non-Muslims take part in Ramadan traditions, and productivity at work can be under strain. So what are the best tips to maintain your productivity at work during Ramadan in the UAE?

Human Resource specialists can rejoice that technology can help a great deal when it comes to knowing how to stay productive during Ramadan. Together with technology, you can help employees stay productive and true to their religious beliefs. Let’s examine the different ways you can increase productivity during Ramadan. 

How to be productive in Ramadan

Fasting can take a toll on your body, especially during the warmer months of the year. The lack of nutrition isn’t the only thing that can impact your productivity. According to studies, Muslims also get less sleep during this holy month, and this can leave you feeling lethargic and unmotivated at work. 

The good news is that the advancement of technology can help you stay productive at work during Ramadan. Here’s how:

1. Create opportunities to exercise

Employees should consider short bursts of exercise during the day when fasting. It might seem like the last thing you want to do when you’re tired and hungry. But exercising can actually boost your mood and productivity. It improves your metabolism, which might feel sluggish due to fasting. 

Employers can encourage movement by creating notifications to get people away from their desks every hour. You can even use health apps to track steps and send short office exercise videos to employees to help them stay moving. 

2. Prioritize morning work

Most people will feel the most energy early in the morning during Ramadan. Take advantage of this feeling and get your employees to prioritize morning work. The most difficult tasks should be finished first thing in the morning, allowing people to unwind as the day progresses slowly. 

Meetings can be organized in the afternoon if they aren’t going to require a lot of work. Use different scheduling and to-do-list tools to help prioritize and plan work accordingly. A good tip is to start your day off by listing your goals at work and defining your high-priority to low-priority tasks. Tackle the ones which are important early during the day when your energy levels are higher to ensure you meet your deadlines.

3. Use your breaks efficiently

Since you won’t be running to make a cup of Joe every few hours, and your lunch hour is free of things to do, you want to use break time efficiently. You should definitely use some of your breaks as usual, but instead of slouching at your desk or daydreaming, try to ensure you stay active. 

Go to a quiet space and reflect on Ramadan. Reminding yourself of the meaning and purpose can invigorate your body and mind. You could also go and splash your face with some cold water or have a friendly chitchat with your colleagues. Stay active and focus on the tasks ahead. 

4. Plan your sleeping and eating

Technology is very good at helping you plan your day. These days we have smartphone apps that calculate the timings of sunrise and sunset to the second and notify you of times to start and break the fast. Use these to plan your week to maximize the time you get to sleep and spend time with loved ones. 

According to research, around 45% of people in the UAE spend more time on their mobile phones during Ramadan to order food and groceries instead of going in-store. This is a clever thing – you can get your shopping done during a work break, for example! 

You want to spend as much of your time sleeping as possible to ensure you don’t get fatigued. So make sure to create a schedule that makes it easy to go through your day and lets you avoid spending too much time planning your meals. 

How to work during Ramadan

The above tips will help you maintain productivity during Ramadan. You can use technology to make those tips more effective and work together with your colleagues to create an effective workday. 

If you want a few more tips on how to work during Ramadan without losing all of your productivity, take note of these ideas. You should: 

• Hydrate – Drink as much water as you can during non-fasting hours. You should eat fruits like watermelon to increase your water intake. Dehydration can be a big reason why you feel sluggish during the day. 
• Eat a balanced diet – Ramadan is most known for fasting, but the Iftar and Suhoor meals are delicious. The problem is that people can often overdo these meals and fill their stomachs with unhealthy foods. Make sure you stick to a balanced diet and avoid anything too fatty and sugary. 
• Ask for help – Each day of fasting can be a bit different. If you’re really feeling it one day at work, don’t be afraid to reach out. If you work with other Muslims, they will understand, and your non-Muslim colleagues are more than happy to help as well!

With these little tips and tricks, you can make the fasting period seem a much smoother experience. 

What you need to know about working hours during Ramadan in UAE

The fasting hours in the UAE will reach approximately 14 hours, varying from about 40 minutes from the beginning to the end. As a Muslim nation, the UAE also changes how things stay open during the month of Ramadan. 

Sharjah’s human resources authority recently announced the working hours for employees at the emirate’s government entities are between 9 am and 2.30 pm during 2023. Other institutions can operate in different ways, but private institutions are directed to reduce office hours by two hours without a change in pay. 

The technological transformation of Ramadan in the UAE

Decades ago, Ramadan was the month when the echo of the sounds of drumbeats filled the streets across Abu Dhabi and other villages. A “Butbayla”, literally meaning a man with a drum, would shout across the streets to announce the onset of Suhoor, which would wake people up, marking the beginning of the preparations for the pre-dawn meal. 

People would visit each other’s houses more often and learn about different styles and tasks to perform during Ramadan. Women would exchange recipes for food as well as wooden perfumed chips and dive into learning special designs for clothes and embroidery. There was always a personal connection where people would meet and talk about their families and lives and participate in great conversations.

Iftar was traditionally a custom to bring friends and families together and enjoy time together without worrying about work or other everyday tasks. The meals were simple and humble, even when guests were invited. It was more about the connection with people rather than the size of the meals.  

In the ever-evolving, globalizing world, and with the advancement of technology, Ramadan has evolved, and so have our lives. You can eat foods from all over the world, make donations via websites and apps, shop online on your phones, and even work remotely if you can!

We don’t often realize the magnitude of impact that technology has on us. Technology advances by the day, if not by the hour.  Even pious festivals like Ramadan cannot escape technological colonization. As humans, we want to progress and advance in everything that we involve ourselves in. Keeping this in mind, Bayzat was also created for the sole purpose of using technology to simplify work for every employee. With the advancements of digitization, we use technology and artificial intelligence to automate repetitive administrative tasks. We want to create a better work-life experience for employees and change the dynamics of ‘how work is supposed to be done.’