Page 193 - DGHR PR REPORT - AUGUST 2024

8/8/24, 11:46 AM Dubai to trial four-day working week for government employees over summer | The National
Dubai to trial four-day working week for government employees over summer

Pilot scheme aims to improve work-life balance for workforce

Tom Evans
07 August, 2024

Dubai will trial a four-day working week with shorter daily hours for many government

staff this summer.

Work will be suspended on Fridays and the working day will be reduced to seven hours

for 15 government organisations from August 12 to September 30.

It is part of a pilot scheme launched by the Dubai Government Human Resources

Department, called Our Summer is Flexible, which aims to enhance performance and

quality of life for employees.

Staff were asked to fill out a survey on summer working hours, and proposals to cut office

time in August and September received great support, state news agency Wam reported.

The human resources department will monitor observations and feedback to submit final

recommendations on whether the pilot scheme should become a long-term policy for

future summers.

Sharjah introduced a four-day working week in 2022, after the UAE government switched

to a four-and-half day week in January that year.

The biggest trial of a four-day working week took place in the UK in 2022. Afterwards,

most of the 61 companies involved pledged to continue with the policy, while a third said

they had switched to the new model permanently.

None of the 2,900 trial participants wanted to return to a five-day week and all the

companies involved reported lower stress and better health among employees.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2024/08/07/dubai-to-trial-four-day-working-week-for-government-employees-over-summer/ 1/2