Ramadan and productivity: Loss by the hour

Noted Islamic scholar Shaikh Ahmad Al Qubaisi says Ramadan was never intended to be a holiday away from the toil of daily work.

And he doesn’t like the idea of shortened workdays, noting that Ramadan is a time when followers of Islam should work harder than ever before.

"This is wrong. In fact most of the achievements in the history of Islam – be it military, civil or intellectual – happened during Ramadan. Ramadan is not an excuse to be lazy but a time to excel under difficult conditions. Struggle is the foundation of success," Al Qubaisi said, adding that "strife and hardship strengthens society and builds character".

Al Qubaisi isn’t alone in his views. Some international businesses find it more difficult to conduct business with Islamic countries during Ramadan.

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UK consultancy firm Control Risks, which has 27 branches worldwide, advises "business travellers to the Middle East and North Africa to carefully consider the necessity of travel during Ramadan because of difficulty in securing business appointments and meeting public officials".

"Productivity drops during the month, with both the public and private sector observing shorter working days, and business travellers should expect their plans to be disrupted," the firm states on its website.

Indeed, on the first day of Ramadan, the financial trading volume on the Dubai Financial Exchange dropped from 5,021 on Sunday to 3,046 on Monday, while in Abu Dhabi trades dropped from 2,330 on Sunday to 1,684 on Monday. Over the same period the Dubai index dropped by 0.38 per cent and the Abu Dhabi index fell by 1.25 per cent.

In the UAE, the law mandates employers reduce working time by two hours each day to observe Ramadan, a time when adherents fast from sunrise to sunset.

By the law

According to a Ministry of Labour official, since 1980, chapter 4, article No 65, of the Federal Labour Law, states that the ordinary hours shall be reduced by two hours during Ramadan.

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"We are keen to reduce daily working hours during Ramadan. It is not religion-related. We would like to make it easier for people who fast, especially in the tough weather and the heat in the Gulf," the official said.

Dr Eckart Woertz, Programme Manager, Economics, at Gulf Research Centre, however, said slowdowns during holidays are not exclusive to the Middle East.

"Holiday slowdowns exist elsewhere as well – during Christmas and New Year, Europe and the US are pretty much dead. Ramadan, however, runs for a whole month and its timing changes every year, which is a bit unpredictable for international business contacts," Woertz said.

Working harder

Lucille Ong, Chairwoman of the Filipino Business Council in Dubai, said some businesses in Dubai opt to work harder and maintain the same hours.

"It really doesn’t affect us because people are still working the same hours," Ong said.

"If the majority of staff is Muslim, you would be affected."

Maria Basziszta, spokesperson for Park Hyatt, Dubai, said it is a slow period in the hotel industry so workers are not as pressed to meet the demands of hotel guests.

A human resources official said people work harder during Ramadan and deliver the same amount of work in fewer hours.

"Our deliverables don’t change for the month, you still have to deliver," he said.

Al Qubaisi on the virtues of fasting

• It is a form of worship mandated by God
• Fasting exists in all religions, and each have their own method and ways of fasting
• Fasting is a way to portray the will to worship God in terms of gracing man with free will, thus separating man from animals
• Fasting is also a pure form of worship devoid of hypocrisy. Appearance and reputation don’t play a factor as it might in pilgrimage, prayer or zakat, because nobody knows if you are fasting or not. It is completely between you and God
• Every year we hear from doctors about the newly-discovered health benefits of fasting. Not just in forms of worship, since it is also practised by athletes, pilots and all those who hope to achieve physical perfection
• It also brings one closer to those less fortunate – the poor and starving around the world. It is ironic in this day and age, where we are at the peak of comfort and technology, there are countries where people are still starving to death