Ramadan officially started on February 18, 2026. Although strictly personal, this religious practice has a direct impact on the daily lives of millions of Muslims with regard to their work. To “facilitate” this period, is it possible to request teleworking? Here is what the law provides.
Reconciling the practice of Ramadan with your work day can sometimes be difficult. The rhythm of life is logically disrupted during this period due to the schedules to be respected for eating and drinking. For example, you have to get up earlier to be able to have a meal before moving on to a day at work. It is also a time when many Muslims are particularly keen to say their 5 prayers a day. So, to experience this month of Ramadan more easily, is it possible to telework?
In fact: no, this religious practice is obviously personal and of course does not give rise to any particular rights. Just like the practice of Lent for Catholics. “Teleworking is not a right linked to Ramadan. But temporary accommodations can be granted with the agreement of the employer (teleworking, adapted hours), in particular to manage fatigue and prayer times.“, relates Adnane Ramdani, lawyer, on LinkedIn. Because, concretely, there are several scenarios regarding the possibility of teleworking in your company in France.
Either there already exists a collective agreement (negotiated with the unions) which establishes a certain number of days per week where the employee is teleworking or face-to-face, which can be fixed or floating. Sthere is a charter drawn up by the employer (after advice from the CSE). If you already have a teleworking agreement, it will be very difficult to obtain more than what is expected… But in the absence of a collective agreement or charter, obtaining teleworking from your manager is not impossible.
Indeed, since the 2017 ordinances, the Labor Code favors what is called a “private agreement”, which can be done by e-mail or by mail – it is very important not to do it orally to keep a record somewhere – between the employee and his manager. The employer is free to accept or refuse the request but, this is what counts, he must give reasons for his refusal.
The employer cannot simply say “no” on principle. He must put forward objective reasons for refusing teleworking and this can range from the risk of manifest disorganization of the service need for a physical presence to welcome the public or use machines depending on the position occupied. Concretely, working in an office profession inevitably helps more to obtain accommodation during this Ramadan period than working in contact with people…
