The New Year has brought in a significant shift in the professional landscape of UAE as Federal Government Departments have changed their working week from January 1, 2022, with Dubai and other cities and states expected to follow the same. Their new policy invited a lot of appreciation throughout the Middle East and on a global level as they are one of the first counties to consider work-life balance as their priority.
Prior to this announcement, offices were closed on Fridays and Saturdays.
The authorities have now announced that from Jan 2022 an ordinary workweek for a public sector employee will be reduced to four and a half days (4.5 days) with the weekend running from Friday afternoon to Sunday night. Friday remains a half-day of working, to allow Muslims to continue to attend & practice their prayers from 1:15 PM onward.
In the Middle East, the Dubai and the Abu Dhabi government have already adopted these working hours and all schools, colleges and other Federal institutions are expected to follow suit. This policy doesn’t extend to private sector employees at the moment as there has been no official announcement for it. Moreover, private companies do not require any special government permissions to set their working hours for the week.
According to the new schedule, the work timings would entail Monday to Thursday from 07.30 AM to 03.30 PM and on Fridays, 07.30 AM until Noon 12:00 PM. Further to this, employees in all public sector offices will be offered flexible working hours and work-from-home options on Friday.
The new policy makes UAE the world’s first country to transition into an employee-friendly professional culture as a part of their efforts to improve productivity, enhance well-being and work-life balance among employees. More time to spend on social and family commitments leave employees rejuvenated during the workweek, thereby bringing a renewed spirit of enthusiasm to work each week.
Moreover, it also aims to increase performance to advance the country’s economic competitiveness. It also aligns the Emirates with global markets and is closer to the timings of the US, Europe and the UK ensuring seamless economic and financial transactions.
Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, mentioned to ‘The National News’ that this decision will allow the UAE economy to be more competitive and eliminate the weekend gap. The media office also mentioned that this would encourage stronger business links and opportunities for UAE-based and multinational companies. UAE’s financial sector will be benefitted by conducting transactions & trading in real-time to boost revenues from the stock market, and various financial deals.
UAE Announces New Weekend Policy: Conclusion
This move is not only designed to boost trading opportunities and international transactions but also provide a more flexible and enjoyable lifestyle to the employees in UAE and in the Middle East. In today’s ever-changing global scenario it is a priority for the Government to look after their working sector and make sure the new policies are not only employee friendly but are also strategic in ensuring better morale and productivity.
