The key point to note is that this change applies to the public-sector only. It is a shift away from Sun-Thu work week to Mon-Fri. The half day Friday is for religious reasons. There is nothing we’ve seen so far to suggest the 4.5 days has anything to do with worker well-being.
The feeling on the ground in the UAE is that the private sector will have to follow suit - but no one is quite sure how this will happen yet. The announcement was very sudden. While rumours of this had been circulating for a number of years, this was announced without prior communication this afternoon.
There is some expectation already that private sector companies will be allowed to ‘contract out’ of the half day Friday requirement in employment contracts.
While the work week shift creates complexities with local (key) trade partners such as KSA which will retain Sun-Thu work week, the thinking is that this will benefit the UAE economy by aligning with those countries operating on Mon-Fri.
The feeling on the ground in the UAE is that the private sector will have to follow suit - but no one is quite sure how this will happen yet. The announcement was very sudden. While rumours of this had been circulating for a number of years, this was announced without prior communication this afternoon.
There is some expectation already that private sector companies will be allowed to ‘contract out’ of the half day Friday requirement in employment contracts.
While the work week shift creates complexities with local (key) trade partners such as KSA which will retain Sun-Thu work week, the thinking is that this will benefit the UAE economy by aligning with those countries operating on Mon-Fri.