Saturday and Sunday the new weekend in the UAE

Work weeks are reduced to four and half days.

The UAE will adopt Saturday and Sunday as the new weekend effective from 1 January 2022 it has been announced.

The move applies to Federal government entities and comes alongside new working hours that will see the adoption of a new four and a half day working work.

 

 

Monday to Thursday workdays will now start at 7.30am and end at 3.30pm with Friday work hours scheduled between 7.30am to midday.

Friday prayers and prayers across the UAE will be held from 1.15pm and staff will have the flexibility to work from home on Fridays.

The extended weekend is a part of the UAE government’s efforts to boost work-life balance and enhance social wellbeing among residents as well as aligning the country to global stock markets which follow a Saturday/Sunday weekend.

The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources proposed the new workweek following comprehensive benchmarking and feasibility studies reflecting potential impacts of the move on the economy, social and family ties and the overall wellbeing of people in the UAE.

 

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Matt Cassidy

When he is not hunting for the latest piece of Abu Dhabi news, Matt is ticking off his UAE bucket-list experiences (although he does love to take a break to test out the fine restaurants and bars of the capital). An armchair sports lover, he is on a personal mission to attend every sporting event in the UAE to make out for most likely missing the big one in Doha in November.