Some UAE workers will be allowed to take a three-day weekend and complete a four day working week, according to a report by Arabic daily Al Bayan.
The move to a “compressed working week” is one of five work models laid out in a new Human Resources law for government employees in the UAE.
As defined by Cabinet Resolution No. 48 of 2023 there will be five work patterns for federal government employees, from July 1.
UAE 3-day weekend
The resolution defines executive regulations of Federal Decree Law No. 49 of 2022 and defines the work patterns of some public sector workers.
The five work models are:
- Office-based work: Employees will work from the employer’s headquarters or one of its defined branches or locations
- Remote work in the United Arab Emirates: An employee will perform duties from a location outside the employer’s office or headquarters. This should be within the UAE and according to the regulations set out in the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources and UAE Cabinet-approved Remote Work Law
- Remote work outside the United Arab Emirates: Employees may be asked to do their work from outside the country
- Hybrid work: This model entails a mixture of office-based work and remote work
- Compressed working week: Under certain circumstances an employee may work intensive hours that see them complete the contracted number of hours in fewer working days. In this work pattern a UAE employee will work a maximum of 10 hours per day for four days.
The UAE’s new Human Resources law is designed to develop flexible working models and make government agencies more efficient.
Article 2 of the law states employees working a ten-hour day and four-day will be classified as working a compressed working week.
In this circumstance an employee has a three-day weekend.
The Human Resources law also identifies four distinct work patterns:
- Full-time
- Part-time
- Temporary
- Flexible
