Khaleej Times, 7 August 2024: Government Authorities in Dubai have announced the launch of a pilot to reduce the working hours in participating government entities during the summer.

The Dubai Government Human Resources Department (DGHR) has stated it will also see work on Fridays suspended.

The ‘Our Flexible Summer’ initiative will see work hours reduced to seven hours at 15 government entities in Dubai from 12 August to 30 September 2024.

Most government employees in Dubai have a two-and-half-day weekend (Friday half-day, Saturday and Sunday) at present this initiative, will see employees at participating government departments having a longer weekend for a period of seven weeks.

The DGHR has not specified which entities will be part of the pilot scheme, but explained it aims to “enhance workplace flexibility”.

The DGHR will then gauge the impact of the initiative on employees and overall productivity.

Sharjah, which already has a three-day weekend, has previously stated its employees reported an 88 per cent increase in productivity.

The DGMR will produce a final report summarising the initiative’s outcomes, recommendations, and adaptability to various government entities.

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