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8/9/24, 4:55 PM Dubai's four-day week trial could revolutionise working hours | The National
Dubai's four-day week trial could revolutionise working hours

The National Editorial

Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership

09 August, 2024

An announcement by Dubai authorities that for the next seven weeks employees at 15

government entities will work a four-day week has generated a buzz among those

advocating for a rethink about society’s relationship with the workplace. The pilot scheme,
which will also see shifts reduced to seven hours, is in line with Dubai, and the UAE more

widely, consistently seeking ways to improve people’s living conditions.

For as long as almost anyone alive almost anywhere in the world can remember, work life

has followed a familiar pattern: five days on, two days off. The week, the weekend. That

model has its roots in the Europe of the Industrial Revolution. In the Gulf, this

arrangement became the norm in the mid-20th century, largely a byproduct of the global

oil industry’s role in the region’s nascent economies. But a 21st-century world

of Zoom calls, hybrid working and flexible hours is making it necessary to question long-
held assumptions.

The UAE has a well-deserved reputation for innovation. From striving to diversify its

economy to investing in renewable energy, the country takes a pro-active, long-term

approach to meeting the challenges thrown up by an age of disruption. It is unsurprising,

then, the country would serve as a stage for innovation in the area of work-life balance.

Country-wide adoption of remote working when needed is one way, in addition to

Sharjah’s successful introduction of a four-day working week in 2022.

There are pros and cons to a four-day week; proponents say it can improve employees’

mental health, increase job satisfaction, boost productivity and help organisations to retain

talent. Critics claim it can lead to scheduling difficulties and may not be suitable for every
industry. What is necessary to prove or disprove these claims is evidence, and Dubai’s

pilot scheme will give the authorities plenty of data upon which to make a policy decision.

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