Employers rethinking their policies on homeworking, schooling, and wellbeing
DUBAI, January 10, 2022 — As the UAE shifts to a Saturday-Sunday weekend, one in five (19%) private sector employers say that Friday will become a day where staff are guaranteed the option to ‘work from home’, and 30% are considering making it one, research by WTW revealed.
The step could offer staff more flexibility to manage their work-life balance and commitments around schooling. However, half (51%) of businesses say they will not make Friday a day where staff can automatically choose to work from home.
Overall, the changes in the UAE working week are well supported by businesses, according to a pulse survey of 120 private sector firms by WTW, a global advisory, broking and solutions company.
“This is a big change for all of us, and the organisations that will succeed need to be flexible and in touch with the diverse needs of their workforce.”
Dr Ahmad Waarie,
UAE Managing Director, WTW
Dr Ahmad Waarie, UAE Managing Director at WTW, said: “Businesses largely back the new weekend and expect it to create upsides both for individuals and the wider economy. This is a big change for all of us, and the organisations that will succeed need to be flexible and in touch with the diverse needs of their workforce.
“Working from home on a Friday will be a popular way of absorbing some of the change and covering commitments like childcare. Even if an employer does not set Friday as a work from home day, we expect many will still offer it on a flexible basis. One positive of the pandemic is that remote working has become the norm for many.”
The survey also showed that six out of ten (61%) businesses are moving to the new Saturday-Sunday weekend and only 3% will maintain the existing Friday-Saturday pattern. Of the third (36%) considering what to do, most say they will decide during Q1 of 2022.
There is far less interest in following the public sector by moving to a half day on Friday and a 4.5 day working week. 60% say they will not do so, and 30% are unsure, although 10% will. Of those that will, over half (55%) say the 40-hour week will be kept, which means an increase of daily working hours in the rest of the week. The remaining 45% plan to shorten the working week.
The survey also revealed:
The UAE Weekend Shift Report had 120 respondents from private sector businesses who operate in the United Arab Emirates. It did not cover public sector organisations. The survey was run in the second half of December 2021.
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