United Arab Emirates cuts work week to 4.5 days to improve work-life balance and competitiveness

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is reducing its working week to four-and-half days and transferring its weekend from Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday, officers introduced on Tuesday.

The federal government mentioned it could “increase productiveness and enhance work-life stability” because the nation goals to enhance its financial competitiveness.

From January 1, 2022, the weekend will begin at 12 pm native time on Friday and run till Sunday evening. The present weekend runs from Thursday evening to Saturday evening.

The brand new working day shall be 7.30 am to three.30 pm Monday to Thursday, and seven.30 am to 12 pm Friday.

The adjustments imply the UAE will turn out to be the one Gulf state to not have a Friday-Saturday weekend, which is the case in different Muslim-majority international locations in order that Friday prayers will be noticed.

Beneath the brand new timetable, Friday prayers at mosques shall be held after 1.15pm all yr spherical.

The federal government mentioned it could "guarantee clean monetary, commerce and financial transactions with international locations that comply with a Saturday-Sunday weekend, facilitating stronger worldwide enterprise hyperlinks and alternatives for hundreds of UAE-based and multinational firms".

A trial of a four-day work week carried out in Iceland between 2015 and 2019 confirmed worker productiveness remained the identical or improved.

Trials in Japan and New Zealand additionally confirmed worker wellbeing improved in addition to productiveness.

Eire, Scotland, Spain and Sweden have introduced pilot four-day work week schemes.

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