Starting from Jan 1st, 2022 the weekends in UAE will be every Saturday and Sunday instead of Friday and Saturday. Friday will be considered as a half working day. So in total employees will be working for four days and a half per week. This decision makes UAE the first nation in the world to introduce a national working week shorter than the global five-day week.
This decision is announced for all federal government departments and schools. Nothing announced yet for the private sector.
The move means new working hours for government staff, with Monday to Thursday workdays now starting at 7.30 am and ending at 3.30 pm and Friday working hours from 7.30 am-12.00 pm.
Friday sermons and prayers across the Emirates will be held from 1.15 pm. Government staff will have the flexibility to make arrangements to work from home on Fridays, as well as to arrange their working hours on a flexi-time basis.
This change will boost the work-life balance and enhance social well-being and increase performance to advance the country’s economic competitiveness.