Big news for government employees here, they will have to work only four days a week

Employees of 15 departments of the Dubai Government will have to work only four days in the office from August 12 to August 30. This is a pilot project launched by the Human Resources Department of the Dubai Government. It has been named 'Our Summer is Flexible'. During the trial period, the working hours will be seven hours and Fridays will be a holiday.

This is being done to meet the requirements of various government organisations, improve the performance of employees as well as their quality of life. Along with this, the aim is to promote a flexible working environment. According to a report by state news agency WAM, employees were asked to participate in a survey about working hours in the summer. Proposals to reduce office hours in August and September received overwhelming support.

A large trial was conducted in Britain.
The largest trial of 4-day work a week was launched in the UK in 2022. After that, most of the 61 companies involved agreed to continue the policy. While one-third said they had adopted the new model permanently.

The results were very positive as none of the 2900 employees wanted to return to a five-day working week. All participating companies reported a reduction in stress levels and an improvement in the health of employees. The announcement made on Wednesday (7 August) is part of an order issued by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, aimed at making Dubai the best city in the world to live in.

What does the Crown Prince of Dubai want?
Earlier in May, Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed approved a quality of life strategy. These include increasing the length of cycling tracks on beaches by 300 percent, increasing the length of beaches for night swimming by 60 percent and selecting new beaches for women.

Abdullah Al Falasi, head of Dubai's human resources department, said the pilot programme aims to create a better work-life balance for employees, streamline government operations and reinforce Dubai's popularity as a top destination for both residents and professionals.