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The government said the switch applies to federal government entities, while also announcing new working hours.
In a statement on Twitter, the Arabian nation announced that there will now be eight working hours from Monday to Thursday.
Also, workers will only work for four and half hours on Friday, with possible flexible working hours and work-from-home options available too.
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This means weekends in the UAE will now include Friday afternoons as well as the usual Saturdays and Sundays.
The government believes giving longer weekends to workers will help boost their productivity and improve work-life balance.
To this end, from next year, the UAE’s new working week will run from Monday until Thursday, 7:30am to 3:30pm, and on Friday from 7:30am to 12pm.
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Weekend in UAE extended
“UAE announces today that it will transition to a four and a half-day working week, with Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday forming the new weekend.
“All Federal government departments will move to the new weekend from January 1, 2022,” a statement shared on the UAE government’s Twitter page said.
Meanwhile, the UAE is now the first country in the world to introduce a national working week shorter than the global five-day week.