UAE grants flexible work hours for working parents for new academic year

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources issued a special circular directed to all ministries and federal entities in the country regarding the “back to school” policy approved by the distinguished Council of Ministers and launched by the federal government earlier, with the aim of improving the quality of life of employees, and raising levels of job satisfaction and happiness. Achieving the required balance between social and professional life and enhancing family cohesion.

In its circular No. 10 of 2022, the authority urged all ministries and federal entities to enable their employees to benefit from the flexibility offered by the “back to school” policy.

With the aim of facilitating the parents working in the federal government at the beginning of the new school year and enabling them to accompany their children to schools and nurseries at the beginning of their academic journey without affecting the progress of work and the provision of services and in accordance with the regulations applied in each federal entity and with the approval of the direct manager.

The “back to school” policy states that parents who are federal government employees and who have children in schools are given the flexibility to take their children to and from schools, whether through a morning delay or early departure on the first school day for a maximum period of 3 hours, combined or divided in two shifts, morning or evening.

As for fathers and mothers who are federal government employees who have children in nurseries and kindergartens, they may be granted a morning delay permit or an early leave permit during the first school week to accompany their children to and from the nursery for a maximum of three hours per day.

The “back to school” policy also grants the employee the possibility of flexible work on other occasions and circumstances related to the school year where the employee may be granted permission for a period not exceeding three hours to attend parents' meetings in their children's schools.

They may also be granted permission for a period not exceeding three hours to attend graduation ceremonies and events and activities for the children, in a manner that does not prejudice the workflow in the entity and does not conflict with the Human Resources Law in the Federal Government.