UAE makes history with first working Friday, prayers at 1:15pm except Sharjah

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Employees of the federal government sector and local governments, with the exception of Sharjah in the UAE, for the first time in the history of the country, will work on Friday, for a period of 4 and a half hours, from 7.30 in the morning until 12:00 in the afternoon, according to the implementation of the application of the new system of weekly work announced by the UAE government and entered into force.

Implementation with the beginning of the new year 2022 to be 4 working days, from Monday to Thursday, half working days on Friday, and the weekly holiday on Saturday and Sunday, in addition to Friday in Sharjah.

Mosques in the country will begin, as of tomorrow, Friday, to unify the date of holding the Friday sermon and prayer, to be at 1:15 in the afternoon throughout the year, and in Sharjah, the date of the Friday sermon, prayer and residence will remain on their dates according to the Hijri calendar.

The new work system will include the possibility of applying flexible working hours and the remote work system on Friday in the federal authorities, provided that the federal authorities approve the implementation mechanisms, as required by the interest of the workflow in these authorities.

The new weekly work system will enhance the UAE’s position on the business map as a global economic center, as it will contribute to strengthening the integration of the national economy with various global economies and markets, and enhance its important and effective strategic position in the global economy, especially that the new weekly work system ensures the matching of exchanges and commercial transactions and economic and financial with countries that adopt the weekly holiday on Saturday and Sunday.

The adoption of the new system of working days and weekly holidays will support the financial sector, as it will harmonize with working days in international stock exchanges and financial markets, in addition to international banks, and thus the new system will enhance the performance of the stock markets, banks, insurance companies, and foreign trade of the UAE.

The new system of weekly work in the UAE is expected to support improving performance and productivity in government work, enhancing the country’s competitiveness and consolidating its position among the most attractive countries for work and life in the world.

The new system will also establish the flexibility of government work and its ability to quickly adapt to any changes and developments around the world. It will enhance performance and productivity levels, and enhance the quality of life in the work environment.

The new system of working days and the weekly holiday in the UAE will contribute to enhancing family cohesion and societal cohesion, and enhancing the quality of life for employees, especially with the extension of the weekend to two and a half days, which works to achieve a balance between personal life and work requirements, and enhances the interdependence between employees and their families and allows them to have the opportunity to enjoy a longer weekend (from noon on Friday to Sunday evening), which will reflect positively on family relations, and contribute to raising productivity and performance at work.

The Federal Authority for Governmental Human Resources had submitted a proposal for the new system of weekly work and included it with standard studies at the level of countries in the region and a comprehensive feasibility study to monitor the expected results in terms of raising labor productivity in the government sector, stimulating the economic movement in the country by increasing local consumption as well as strengthening the bonds of relations family and community.