The "Ramadan effect" on the workplace

Despite warnings around drops in productivity due to employees fasting and disruptions in scheduling, new research has found a number of positive outcomes from the "Ramadan effect" in the workplace.

In fact, nearly half (44.5%) of the working population surveyed said employee efficiency doesn't drop during Ramadan, and 85% claim there are also higher levels of socialisation between colleagues.

Conducted by job site Bayt.com, the survey - which polled employers across the Middle East and North Africa - generally found the month of Ramadan to be "a month that lifts morale at work".

However, because nearly 90% of employees have different official working hours during Ramadan, productivity is somewhat affected, with 58% of professional saying that more working hours throughout the Holy Month would have a positive impact on their performance.

READ MORE: Managing Ramadan in the workplace

More than 70% agree that business is slower, with 69% believing this is due to colleagues taking their holidays during Ramadan. More than 80% believe this could also be due to people staying up late more often.

Other findings from the study include:

• 87.8% of professionals say their company is more charitable during Ramadan
• 55.4% said employees become "short-tempered" more often
• 44.6% say it's harder to find a job during the Holy Month
• But 31.9% actually think this is easier

"It’s a challenging month, especially for professionals balancing the pressing demands of work and the extra demands of Ramadan," said Suhail Masri, VP of sales at Bayt.com.

"The trick to staying productive though is simple... we advise that professionals take the time to set goals, in order to achieve their true Ramadan potential. Ultimately, the aim of Ramadan is giving and sharing, and that’s what should reflect in the workplace. "