Faith, Culture, and Fairness at Work: What Ramadan and Lunar New Year Teach Us About Time Off

Workplaces are more global and diverse and cultural observances like Ramadan and Lunar New Year highlight an important truth for employers. The traditional "one-size-fits-all holiday policies' don't reflect how people live, work, or practice their faith.

In New York City, this reality is increasingly supported not just by values—but by law.

While NYC does not require employers to give specific religious or cultural holidays off, The city and state laws do require reasonable accommodation for religious observance, unless it causes undue hardship, and the law protects employees from retaliation when accommodation is requested.

Recent expansions of NYC leave laws reinforce a clear policy direction: employees (not employers) define when time off is needed.

In practice, this framework allows employees to adjust their schedule or take meaningful time off days beyond the traditional federal holidays.

Fairness at work isn’t about giving everyone the same days off—it’s about giving everyone equal ability to observe what matters to them.

For NYC employers, the message is clear: Modern holiday policies should be flexible, inclusive, and legally resilient.

The organizations that get this right won’t just stay compliant—they’ll earn trust in a workforce that expects both respect and reality from its employers.

Wishing everyone who celebrate this time, Ramadan Mubarak and Happy Lunar New Year!