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6/16/25, 9:36 AM Dubai announces four-day working week for government employees over summer | The National
Dubai announces four-day working week for government

employees over summer

Plan designed to improve work-life balance

The National
June 15, 2025

The Dubai Government has announced a four-day working week with shorter daily hours for many government staff this
summer.

Employees will be divided into two groups. The first will work eight hours from Monday to Thursday with Friday as a full holiday,
while the second will work seven hours from Monday to Thursday and work a half-day on Fridays. The initiative will run from July
1 to September 12.

It follows a pilot plan last summer, launched by the Dubai Government Human Resources Department, called Our Summer is
Flexible.

Why the four-day working week is an idea whose time has come
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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.

The human resources department monitored observations and feedback, concluding that the pilot was successful enough to run
for another year.

Abdullah Al Falasi, director general of the Dubai Government Human Resources Department, said of the pilot: “We aim to
improve the quality of life of employees and enhance the sustainability of government resources, which ultimately contributes to
consolidating Dubai’s global position as a preferred city for living and working by providing a new model experience that
integrates the elements of quality of life.”

A growing trend?
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.

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