You’d have been forgiven for thinking Christmas came early this year, at least if you’re a resident of, and working in, the United Arab Emirates.
My WhatsApp didn’t stop pinging for hours yesterday, as people began to chat about the latest announcement. I am, of course, referring to the change in the working week, at least for the government as it stands today.
From January 2022, the UAE’s weekend will no longer be Friday and Saturday. Instead, it will begin on Friday afternoon and include both Saturday and Sunday.
The initial reaction from most was gratitude on the move. And I can completely understand. We’ve had two years of pandemic, and even without the work pressures of this period, a shift has begun in terms of how we view employment.
Other countries have experimented with concepts like a three-day weekend; this decision by the UAE’s government is different, given it’s the first national effort to shorten a working week.
There’s always a but to everything. And I want to share some thoughts on how this both helps, and the issues we’re going to have to address going forward, for employees, employers and families.
Let’s begin with employees. The decision won’t initially affect many of us, given that the decision as to how this will be applied by the private sector has clearly been left on the doorstep of business leaders.
Each business will have the choice to move to the new weekend. For some, especially those that work with government or those that employ large percentages of nationals, such as the banking sector, there’ll be little reason not to change.
However, I’d have very much liked us to look at the how and not the what, and push for a wider adoption of concepts such as flexi and remote working.
The second issue for employees is working hours – many colleagues and friends are working way in excess of their contractually-obligated hours. For some of us, we enjoy what we do. For others, it may be more a case of not wanting to speak up, given that employers are sponsoring their employees’ visas.
Is it time that the country, and the region, looks at the working visa system? A decade back, Bahrain overhauled the visa system, with the ministry of labour effectively sponsoring expatriate workers and allowing for a different relationship between employer and employee. Is this an idea that the rest of the Gulf should be looking into?
For employers, there’s lots of questions. A Saturday and Sunday weekend would help align the country with much of the rest of the global economy. However, Dubai is still a regional hub. If the rest of the region doesn’t shift, that’ll be a day lost.
And then there’s the issue of Fridays, of half-a-day’s productivity taken off the calendar. If you’re in the entertainment or hospitality industry, the shift will be welcome. If you’re in another sector, how do you make up for that lost time? And will employee compensation reflect this, at least for new recruits (I’ll leave that to be answered by the lawyers).
The issue of schooling is also a fascinating one, with the possibility that children may be spending more hours in school (I’m sure I just heard a cheer from some of the parents out there). There’s much to also consider here, especially for younger children who may struggle to concentrate if they need to study for longer hours. Will longer school hours mean more focus on sports and extra-curricular activities (which will be welcomed by many), and will this be an additional cost for parents? Again, time will tell, and we will find out in January.
The final piece to think about is the sanctity of Friday in the Islamic world. It is the day when Muslims gather at the mosque at lunchtime for the weekly sermon. Some Muslim countries have adapted well to a Saturday Sunday weekend – just look at Southeast Asia for example. How will we ensure that the importance of Friday is kept, especially given the cultural identity of the country and the region?
There’s much to think about, and while I very much do hope that this shift will benefit us all, each business has to consider the full implications of shifting the weekend. As always, I look forward to hearing your views.
Alex Malouf, communications professional and the only chartered communicator, chartered marketer, and senior communication management professional in the Middle East
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