The United Arab Emirates has announced that it is officially changing its workweek, which will now coincide with the rest of the world.
Official sources said that the country will, from January 1, “transition to a four and a half day working week.”
As a result, every Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday will form the new weekend, it added.
The typical workweek in the UAE currently begins on Sunday and goes on till Thursday, with Friday and Saturday being non-working off days.
“All Federal government departments will move to the new weekend from January 1, 2022,” according to the sources.
The new system is expected to apply to all federal government entities.
Once the new workweek comes into effect, these entities may have eight working hours a day from Monday to Thursday, with the timings being from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Fridays will apparently have 4.5 working hours: from 7:30 am to noon.
This makes the UAE the first nation in the world to introduce a national working week shorter than the global five-day week.
The official sources said Friday sermons and prayers are to be held after 1:15 pm all year long all across the UAE.
The official sources said there is also a possibility of flexible working hours and work-from-home options on Fridays.
The longer weekends are expected to boost productivity and improve work-life balance, said the sources.
Shorter workweeks have already seen an increase in productivity in countries like the Iceland and the UK.
According to the UAE official news agency WAM, the new workweek would better align the UAE with global markets.
It is also expected to ensure smooth financial, trade and economic transactions with countries that follow a Saturday-Sunday weekend, facilitating stronger international business links and opportunities for UAE-based and multinational companies.
The new workweek is also expected to also bring the UAE’s financial sector into closer alignment with global real-time trading and communications-based transactions, such as those driving global stock markets, banks and financial institutions.
The move is expected to boost not only trading opportunities but also add to the lifestyle the UAE offers to its citizens and residents.
