Why the newly announced UAE work week is an opportunity for work-life balance

2022 already promises to be a better year. With the announcement of the two-and-a-half-day weekend, spirits are high and everyone is excited. It’s almost like a long weekend every weekend. With the increased working hours in the last two years due to the convenience of work from home, this step will be a harbinger of work:life balance. Such steps are obviously positive for the wellbeing of employees as well as the companies. Some highly productive countries in the world like Germany, Norway and the Netherlands are known to have a shorter workweek. Employees are likely to be more focused, meticulous and productive when they know they have enough time to de-stress over the weekend. In the last few decades, multiple researches have been done on employee productivity. Most of them have concluded that the four-day workweek made employees more efficient. Working continuously for longer hours everyday has shown to reduce hourly productivity due to greater fatigue, reduced job satisfaction and lowered motivation.

However, this is still a new change; the way employees and their schedules have functioned till now, have been based on a five- or six-day workweek. Hence, people and companies will still take some time to adapt to the new change. It is critical for companies to make sure that their shorter working week doesn’t become a “compressed” week. A compressed week attempts to put a full 40-hour workweek into four days. Expecting employees to work 10-11 hours each day can impact employee productivity and health negatively. In fact, in such a case, the reduced workweek will have a counter-productive effect. The plan should not lead to employee burnout. The aim should be to work smart rather than work longer.

This new change gives employees a chance to grow in other areas of their life, spend more time with their families as well as indulge in “me” time.