United Arab Emirates: 4.5-day work week takes effect
General view of a new district of Dubai with the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, December 8, 2021. REUTERS - ABDEL HADI RAMAHI
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In the United Arab Emirates, the new working week comes into effect from this Saturday, January 1.
The weekend goes from Friday-Saturday to Friday noon-Sunday.
Officially, this measure only applies to the public sector, but the UAE's Minister of Human Resources, Abdulrahman al-Awar, had urged private companies to follow suit.
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With our correspondent in Dubai,
Nicolas Keraudren
This is a first in the Arabian Peninsula.
The UAE government has admittedly granted some "flexibility" to the private sector to apply or not this new work week.
But schools and banks, for example, have already announced their alignment to this new pace.
Most companies should therefore follow suit.
"
We will not have a choice with schools, it will be too complicated for people who have families or children,
" said Julie Leblan, a French entrepreneur based in Dubai.
That's why we decided to change.
In any case, we are following the government.
It is much simpler.
"
In the public service, the new workweek lasts only four and a half days.
Companies are free to apply this change as well.
In any case, it requires some adjustments.
"
From Monday to Thursday, we will work in the office,"
continues Julie Leblan
.
And we give on Fridays at home.
For Muslims, they will have two hours to go to pray if they want.
"
Alignment with the rest of the world
This new pace of work was decided by the authorities for the sake of
economic
“
competitiveness
”.
But the market for some companies is focused on the region where the weekend is still frozen to Friday-Saturday.
As in Saudi Arabia for example.
“
The concern is that indeed Sunday is a working day in Saudi Arabia.
But on the other hand what is good is that it aligns us with the rest of the world, Europe, Australia, etc.
», Comments Julie Leblan.
When in 2006, the United Arab Emirates changed their weekend from Thursday-Friday to Friday-Saturday, Saudi Arabia waited six years before making such a change.
► See also: The United Arab Emirates launch a vast legislative reform to attract investors
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United Arab Emirates
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