100% of federal government staff to return to offices from July 5

The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR), announced that staffing capacity in all ministries and federal authorities from July 5, 2020, will be 100 per cent.

In an announcement, the Authority said this represents an important step that contributes to achieving the UAE strategy for a post-COVID-19 situation, reflecting country's pursuance to be one of the fastest-growing and developing countries in the world through the resumption of various economic and social activities, even as it abides by all COVID-19 countermeasures.

The Authority has circulated the decision to all federal departments. This includes cancelling all exceptions granted to employees of the federal government. The exceptions are limited to only one category of employees with chronic diseases on the submission of a detailed medical report approved by the relevant medical committee.

The decision also stressed the importance of the federal authorities to adhere to a set of conditions, the foremost of which is strict adherence to the application of the "The Guidelines for Office and Workplace Environment during Emergency Conditions,', and the instructions related to professional safety and health with an emphasis on social distancing to the employees in federal government departments.

The decision stipulates the continuance of flexible working hours and dividing employees into groups when attending and leaving work to reduce gatherings to achieve physical distancing, and to activate the use of the remote work system approved in the federal government following the regulations and provisions contained therein, which ensures the continuity of service provision, work and production.

The decision is based on a large number of normative studies and research, especially the "safe return protocol" to the workplace set by the relevant committee in the Ministry of Health and Prevention in coordination with the Health Authority - Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Health Authority and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA).

The decision reflects the UAE Government's flexible strategy during the last stage to address efficiently the challenges that accompanied the spread of the coronavirus pandemic worldwide.

The strategy demonstrated the readiness of various federal government departments and their ability to keep pace with developing systems and work methods able to adapt to the exceptional circumstances and meet the requirements of each stage in a way that ensures business continuity as well as maintains public health and safety standards.

WAM