The SPaRC (Spiritual and Pastoral Care) team at BTHFT, together with Organisational Development (OD) are holding a “Reflect and Connect Celebration” for colleagues on Tuesday 18 July between 12-2pm.
This is an awards ceremony to honour those individuals and wards/departments that went over and above to create a Ramadan friendly ethos in the workplace, together with an opportunity to connect with all the BTHFT family to celebrate Eid.
Image: BTHFT
The Ramadan Allies project, ‘the Ramadan Experience @ BTHFT’ funded by Bradford Hospitals’ Charity, provided Fast Packs and Prop Packs to support Muslim colleagues during Ramadan. It proved to be a huge success with over 120 staff members signing up to become Ramadan Allies and has now been shortlisted out of hundreds of entries, for a national HSJ award under the category of “Staff Wellbeing of the Year”.
The SPaRC team at Bradford Teaching Hospitals took a proactive approach to supporting their Muslim colleagues during the period of Ramadan by providing managers with resources to ensure that their teams embrace the month of Ramadan in full understanding of the requirements to fast and pray.
With some minor adjustments to the working environment, it is possible to accommodate these needs hereby normalising this annual event in the workplace.
With 21% of staff describing themselves as Muslim at Bradford Teaching Hospitals, a proactive and inclusive approach was needed that promoted Ramadan in a positive experience for everyone, and one that could be managed within the normal working day.
This is the first time; an initiative has been taken to honour colleagues who helped out their Muslim counterparts.
Image: BTHFT
In the past, the Ramadan period has been a time of regular enquiries to SPaRC from Muslim staff not feeling supported in their religious observance. This may be about inflexibility to take time to pray, difficulty in getting to the prayer room or colleagues’ reluctance to make allowances.
The evaluation of the 2023 scheme hopes to demonstrate that these difficulties are less frequently reported. Evidence shows (Muslim Census Survey 2021) that where employees feel supported in their observance of Ramadan, they are twice as likely to stay for another 5 years.
SPaRC Team Leader and Imam Mohammed Arshad said, “We have been bowled over by the success of this project and how it has been received, not only in the hospital but on a national level. By taking a proactive approach and making some minor adjustments in the workplace, it has been possible to accommodate the needs of staff who are fasting whilst maintaining optimum service delivery. It has empowered staff and managers with increased knowledge and resources to create a culture of acceptance and respect.”
At the Reflect and Connect celebration, there will be a short awards ceremony from 12-12.30 followed by food and drinks from 12.30-2pm.
