Ramadan: How Businesses Adapt
11 September 2007
Read by 6475 persons
• White-collar workers switch to a 7-hour workday
• Factories maintain their pace
The time when Ramadan was associated with decreased activity is over. A small survey of several companies confirms this. Even though the days are shorter, productivity is not affected. Many companies allow a reduction of half an hour to an hour in "normal" working hours. But it all depends on the activity. On production sites, shifts are maintained with adjustments during the ftour (breaking of the fast), with a break ranging from half an hour to three quarters of an hour. Most often, employees exceed the break time but quickly catch up on lost time.
Ramadan therefore changes nothing in terms of "working hours". Commitments to clients and competition do not allow for any slackening. In the majority of companies surveyed, the workday will start at 8:30 am for administrative staff and half an hour earlier for production personnel (factories). Some companies used to continuous hours will not introduce any changes to their habits. Others, due to the nature of their activity, will not be able to impose a "Ramadan" rhythm. This is the case, for example, for the hotel industry, where the front office will continue its work normally.
At Nexans, the workday is 7 hours for administrative staff. Those in production will maintain the 3x8 teams. "We have a restaurant, but we don't serve the ftour since everyone has their own habits; we maintain the meal allowance. Our employees have a 30-minute break to break their fast," emphasizes Abdellah Chenguiti, its HR director.
At Air Liquide, employees have 7-hour and 15-minute workdays. Teams on production sites benefit from a three-quarter hour break. "Administrative hours are adapted. The system is well-established and we have no productivity concerns," says Moncef El Harim, its HR director. ST Microelectronics also reorganizes administrative hours, while on production sites, teams keep their normal working hours, working in shifts every 8 hours. In all companies, delays recorded during the day are often made up in the evening.
During this period, Samir also shortens its working days to 6.5 hours per day. The refiner maintains 3x8 shifts on its site. The "extra" hours compared to those applied to administrative staff are counted as overtime. Here again, no drop in productivity is observed. But in terms of safety, the refiner encourages its employees to be more vigilant. Exceptional measures are always put in place during this month.
Otis also reduces its employees' working hours. Its employees only work 6.5 hours per day. Here too, management notes that there is no significant drop in productivity. Regarding maintenance, on-call services will be provided normally, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Published on 09/09/2007
Leconomiste.com
• Factories maintain their pace
The time when Ramadan was associated with decreased activity is over. A small survey of several companies confirms this. Even though the days are shorter, productivity is not affected. Many companies allow a reduction of half an hour to an hour in "normal" working hours. But it all depends on the activity. On production sites, shifts are maintained with adjustments during the ftour (breaking of the fast), with a break ranging from half an hour to three quarters of an hour. Most often, employees exceed the break time but quickly catch up on lost time.
Ramadan therefore changes nothing in terms of "working hours". Commitments to clients and competition do not allow for any slackening. In the majority of companies surveyed, the workday will start at 8:30 am for administrative staff and half an hour earlier for production personnel (factories). Some companies used to continuous hours will not introduce any changes to their habits. Others, due to the nature of their activity, will not be able to impose a "Ramadan" rhythm. This is the case, for example, for the hotel industry, where the front office will continue its work normally.
At Nexans, the workday is 7 hours for administrative staff. Those in production will maintain the 3x8 teams. "We have a restaurant, but we don't serve the ftour since everyone has their own habits; we maintain the meal allowance. Our employees have a 30-minute break to break their fast," emphasizes Abdellah Chenguiti, its HR director.
At Air Liquide, employees have 7-hour and 15-minute workdays. Teams on production sites benefit from a three-quarter hour break. "Administrative hours are adapted. The system is well-established and we have no productivity concerns," says Moncef El Harim, its HR director. ST Microelectronics also reorganizes administrative hours, while on production sites, teams keep their normal working hours, working in shifts every 8 hours. In all companies, delays recorded during the day are often made up in the evening.
During this period, Samir also shortens its working days to 6.5 hours per day. The refiner maintains 3x8 shifts on its site. The "extra" hours compared to those applied to administrative staff are counted as overtime. Here again, no drop in productivity is observed. But in terms of safety, the refiner encourages its employees to be more vigilant. Exceptional measures are always put in place during this month.
Otis also reduces its employees' working hours. Its employees only work 6.5 hours per day. Here too, management notes that there is no significant drop in productivity. Regarding maintenance, on-call services will be provided normally, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Published on 09/09/2007
Leconomiste.com
