Ramadan Fasting and Work Performance: A Conceptual Framework

This paper develops a conceptual framework that explains how Ramadan fasting affects work performance, an underexplored relationship in management and organizational research. Based on a synthesis of multidisciplinary studies, the framework proposes that Ramadan fasting influences employees’ work performance through physiological, socio-psychological, spiritual, and social dynamics. This relationship is mediated by employee wellbeing and moderated by several contextual factors that are related to employees’ individual characteristics, job characteristics, organizational environment, and geoclimatic factors. The framework predicts that fasting employees may exhibit a temporary decline in task performance due to fasting’s physical challenges in the short-run. However, fasting may foster self-discipline, motivation, adaptation, and spiritual satisfaction, which can improve work performance in the long-run. This research contributes to the organizational literature by integrating psychological, social, and spiritual processes in a framework that attempts to explain work outcomes. It also offers insights for organizations seeking to support fasting employees during Ramadan.