Though Ramadan tends to boost morale at work, the month also tends to be a productivity killer – though many working professionals surveyed recently by Bayt.com said they wish it weren’t.

According to “Ramadan in the MENA Worplace,” Some 87 percent of the nearly 8,000 people surveyed in Qatar and the rest of Gulf, as well as several other Arab countries, said their companies have different working hours in Ramadan.

About 56 percent of people said less work gets done during this month, for a variety of reasons, including:

• People stay up too late (82 percent said this lowers productivity);
• More people go on vacation (69 percent of respondents say co-workers do this);
• Business is slower (according to 75 percent of respondents);
• People are grumpier (55 percent said employees tend to become short-tempered);
• Important decisions and vital meetings are postponed until after Ramadan ( says 56 percent); and
• There are fewer working hours (58 percent said more working hours would improve their performance, and thus boost overall company performance).

This is not to say that people are not willing to get stuff done in Ramadan – more than 80 percent of respondents said bonuses would motivate them to work harder this month.

The survey results don’t mention a lack of food and water as another reason for decreased performance, but did allude to that by recommending that people eat a healthy sahoor (early morning breakfast).

Other recommendations include mapping out a to-do list in the evening, and finishing difficult tasks first thing in the morning.

Thoughts?