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It's business as usual at govt offices

They assert that work levels and output remain unaffected by fasting, countering criticism about how almost no work is done during the month.

Lubna Al Shamshi of the Media and Public Relations Section of Sharjah Municipality, says: "There is no change in the way we function. It's just like any other time of the year as far as our work schedule is concerned. We continue to receive suggestions, enquiries and publish bulletins regularly," she said, adding that municipality employees try to support the public unfailingly throughout the year.

Abdulrahman Al Salman, Head of Media and Communication at the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, feels the same. "The workload during the month remains unchanged. I think it is important to get enough sleep so that one does not come to work tired. But generally performance at work remains the same during Ramadan as that at any other time of the year," Al Salman said.

According to Dietician Adalat Nakkash, Head of the Catering/ Dietetics Department at Al Zahra Hospital, fasting should not affect work.

"If a person has sahoor (light meal taken during the early hours before fasting begins) and drinks a proper quantity of liquid, dehydration won't occur," she said.

Nakkash added that those who have to work outside in the sun will of course be more affected than employees with desk jobs.

She pointed out that fasting has its own benefits. "We know that a diabetic's blood sugar levels are more stabilised during Ramadan, if they follow a proper food pattern," she said.

Nakkash further said that a person's faith also determines how they approach their job responsibilities and how efficient they intend to be during the month of Ramadan.

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