The entire world has undergone some sort of
a work culture revolution due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with companies across
the world opting for remote working and hybrid working, and working from home
now commonplace.

On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
announced that the country will embrace 4.5 days a week work culture effective
from January 1, 2022. In doing so, the UAE will become the first country to adopt
the four-day working policy.

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All federal government departments of the
UAE will see employees enjoying half-day on Fridays. From Monday to Thursday,
it is 8 hours a day. On Fridays, it will be 4.5 working hours. Saturday and
Sunday will be the new weekend for government workers.

WFH on Friday

There is also the possibility
of flexible working and work-from-home options on Fridays, officials said.
Friday sermons and prayers will be held at 1.15 PM throughout the year.

The Dubai and Abu Dhabi governments said
their employees would adopt the same hours. According to The National, all
schools will move to the same working week on the first day of term, with hours
expected to be announced soon.

Four-day work boost productivity: UAE government

The UAE government said the decision
“will better align the Emirates with global markets, reflecting the
country’s strategic status on the global economic map”. It also believes
the new long weekend will “boost productivity and improve work-life
balance”.

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“The move is expected to boost not
only trading opportunities but also add to the flexible, secure and enjoyable
lifestyle the Emirates offers its citizens and residents,” the government
added further in the media release.

Will the government rule be effective for
private companies?

However, the government has not issued any
specific order for private companies. In the UAE, companies do not require the
government’s permission to set their working week. Public holidays that were
set out recently for 2022 will not change, officials said.

‘Four-day week will yield more jobs’

In an interview with Arabian Business,
Nancy W Gleason (pictured below), an associate professor of Practice, Political
Science, and director of the Hilary Ballon Centre for Excellence in Teaching
and Learning at New York University Abu Dhabi, said such a move would be a success,
particularly in the UAE.

“There is a very strong business case for a
four-day, 35-hour working week. Studies have demonstrated productivity rises,
while the mass adoption of a four-day week would mean companies hiring
additional workers to fill vacated time-slots. This could plug the gaps
resulting from Covid-19 related job losses, and in the coming years it could
help counter a dramatic rise in job losses resulting from automation in
multiple sectors,” she stated.

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“There would also be business gains from
internationally homogenised Monday-Thursday working weeks, with efficiencies
gained across time zones – especially in a global hub such as the UAE,” Nancy
added.

When did the UAE last change the working
week?

The UAE’s working week last changed in 2006,
when it was moved from Thursday-Friday to the current Friday-Saturday pattern.
The move brought the Emirates in line with global markets at a time when the
economy was growing rapidly.

The private sector, and public and private
schools, shifted their working pattern on the same day in September 2006.

Four-day work trials hailed in Iceland

Iceland conducted trials of a four-day
working week, over a four-year period between 2015 and 2019. The culture has
been hailed as an “overwhelming success” earlier this year. The four-day
work-week revealed that productivity remained the same or improved among the
majority of the 2,500+ workers taking part.

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Four-day weeks have also been piloted
further across countries in Europe, the US and New Zealand.