Young Muslims call for more flexible holiday policies

New research reveals that many Muslims believe employers should offer time off work for Eid. An employee reveals how a flexible holiday plan benefits them.

Muslims worldwide just observed Ramadan and celebrated Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of it, including many Muslims in the workforce.

New research from Hyphen revealed that nine in 10 young Muslims believe employers should offer additional time off work for Eid.

Of the more than 1,000 Muslims surveyed, 87% would like an extra holiday to observe the religious festival. Just 7% said employers should not have to give Muslims more time off, while 6% were unsure where they stand on the issue.

While Eid is celebrated by almost four million Muslims in the UK, it isn’t a national holiday, and Muslim workers must take a day off to celebrate the holiday.

There have been attempts to make Eid a national holiday in the UK but to no success.

To cater to their diverse workforce, digital bank Monzo offers a bank-holiday opt-out policy, where employees can opt out of their bank holiday entitlement and take leave at a time that best suits them.

Monzo’s data reveals that 19% of its workforce uses the bank-holiday opt-out policy.

‘I know a lot of Muslims utilise their annual leave days during Ramadan, something I’ve also done in previous role,’ says Falah Ahmad, a Financial Health Team Manager at Monzo. ‘Fasting while working can really be a struggle due to the lack of energy and dehydration, so it’s great to have the option to take time out using our Public Holiday days instead.’