Understanding Ramadan
Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide and is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a month of prayer, fasting, reflection, and community. Ramadan is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and lasts between 29-30 days from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next.
Fasting is an obligatory practice for all healthy adult Muslims from dawn to sunset. The exceptions are given to those individuals that are traveling, breastfeeding, chronically ill, elderly, menstruating, or diabetic. Children who have not reached puberty are also exempted to fast but some families introduce the practice to the children so them to understand the importance of it as part of their culture, belief, and religion.
The act of fasting is meant to remind Muslims of the less fortunate and to reinforce the need to be thankful. Fasting during Ramadan means abstaining from food and drinks from dawn to sunset, including water and chewing gum. Before sunrise, many Muslims eat a pre-fast meal known as suhur. Muslims break their fast with iftar after sundown and this usually starts with dates and water or milk, followed by dinner. The fasting period usually lasts 16-17 hours a day, which is particularly arduous in warmer weather.
Build a respective, supportive, and inclusive workplace
Religion is one of the many topics that is a usual cause for debate and many companies are having issues with how to create an “open” workspace that will not trigger any religious debates or issues. It is found to be very challenging to implement an office practice of acceptance in all regards as all people have different opinions and views.
It has been observed worldwide that great companies and organizations openly respect, support, and create that freedom to let the entire world know that whatever your background is or your religion, you’ll be able to practice or celebrate it at the workplace without judgment and you will be treated fairly, respected, and supported.
Building a respective, supportive, and inclusive workplace is not that easy. Most companies are diverse and all of the staff including the management are coming from different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs which can be a source of different views, opinions and perspectives. But this should not be a hindrance to creating a healthier workplace for everyone. To build a workplace culture that is open and respectful, it will need an amount of time making the entire staff including the management understand why it is important and what’s going to be the benefit of making sure these practices are in place. Nobody needs to agree with anyone regarding what they believe in or practice, what you will try to set in place is the practice of respect and acceptance that we are all different yet at the end of the day we are all human beings. The practice of tolerance is very important in building a successful team relationship. Tolerance doesn’t mean you need to change anyone’s opinion about certain things, it is the willingness to endure the existence of opinions or behavior you dislike or disagree with. So in a world like what we have where we all are different, tolerance is a must in order to co-exist. Yes, some might not agree with this but that’s actually a fact. Of course, some people in the workplace might not adjust or will never want to adjust and tolerate what they don’t want to but making them understand that if they can’t tolerate the practices of others, how do they expect others to tolerate what they do?
The world has many highways and avenues, it was never a one-way street, so we can’t expect that our standard of practice will be the same for others.
Supporting Your Employees
Prevention
By having a corporate wellness program that involves a health screening, an early indication of any unknown health issues will be then addressed which will, in turn, save future costs for the company and the employee if the insurance will not cover any of the expenses depending on the type of the insurance policy.
Improve Employee Performance
Boosting your employees’ morale by providing corporate wellness is not just beneficial to them but mostly to the company. In return, by them feeling appreciated and being taken care of, the performance improves and impacts all sides of the business.
Establishes Strong Corporate Culture
Corporate culture isn’t something that is spelled out in a document, but it influences everything an organization does. It affects everything from employee retention to your bottom line. By providing a tool such as wellness, it establishes what kind of company you would like to be and it sets the tone of how you want your employees to feel being a part of the company.
When done right, corporate wellness offers both near and long-term financial and competitive returns and it provides aid to the long-standing problem of insurance costs. Wellness is not a one-way street, the management and its employees will need to work together in order to achieve it.
If you are looking for a company that will be able to provide you with guidance on how wellness offering works and how it can reduce your insurance premiums, Beneple and Safe Hands can provide you with these services.