'More vacations, time with kids': How 3-day weekend changed life for employees in Sharjah

When Sharjah implemented three-day weekend in government offices two years ago, employees and staff reported a boost in family bonding and improvement in their social well-being due to the reduced working hours.

Speaking to Khaleej Times on Friday – after Dubai recently announced a temporary reduced work week for select government departments this summer – Maryam Ibrahim, 38, who has been working as a senior executive in the financial affairs of Sharjah Government for 14 years, said: “The Friday holiday that will be implemented in Dubai will positively impact the staff, based on personal benefits I’ve experienced in my own life.”

“Working in the Sharjah Government for four days has improved the quality of my work, and gave me more time to spend with my children. I have become more organised in taking vacations and found better routine in my work, the Emirati mother of four children added.

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She also said the four-day work week has reduced the burden of taking vacations from her annual leave. "Employee loyalty and commitment have increased due to the moral support from the government in improving our life outside of work,” she added, noting: “The system has made short vacations abroad more accessible and has strengthened family ties.”

Mohammed Ali Al Essa, 50, who recently retired from Sharjah Municipality, also shared his personal experience. He said: “The suspension of work on Fridays positively impacted us socially and psychologically. Friday is a day for family gatherings. Usually, we go to the Friday prayer and then head straight to the home of an elder in the family.

Better balance between work and family

Sharjah government employees are grateful for the longer days off. A year after the reduced working hours were introduced, an official evaluation released in January 2023 “found a 74 per cent increase in staff attendance rate, while sick leave rates decreased by 46 per cent. There was also a 61 per cent rise in the rate of providing e-government services outside official working hours.”

As per the one-year assessment, there was a 90 per cent improvement in job performance, with 91 per cent of employees saying they felt happy after the government implemented the new system. Moreover, about 87 per cent noted the move had a positive impact on their mental health, while nearly 85 per cent said the system helped them strike a balance between work and family life.

Flexible summer work in Dubai

On Wednesday, the Dubai Government Human Resources Department (DGHR) announced ‘Our Flexible Summer’, an initiative that will see work on Fridays suspended at 15 government entities in Dubai from August 12 to September 30.

Most government employees in Dubai enjoy a two-and-half-day weekend (Friday half-day, plus Saturday and Sunday). With the new initiative, employees at participating government departments will enjoy a longer weekend this summer.

Moza Harb, who works at Dubai’s Community Development Authority (CDA), thanked the authority for its efforts to enroll in this initiative. She said: “CDA will start implementing the system next Monday, and this is a great incentive to have less working hours."

“Reducing work time to 7 hours will make a difference, as I can use the additional one hour to go to the gym. This initiative will enhance family bonding as it will allow families to have more time to gather together and enable individuals to take sufficient rest,” she added.

Fatima Al Ali, who also works at CDA, said the shorter work week is highly beneficial for someone like her who lives in Umm Al-Quwain and works in Dubai. “I now only have to go to office four times a week this summer.”

Meanwhile, 26-year old H.M. is hoping her department would be among the entities that will implement the new system. “The reduced working hours would lessen my work and exposure to heat. I will also have more time for sports activities and could even pay a quick visit to my family in Qatar on weekends.”

Challenges in some sectors

An expert from the private sector noted: "The four-day workweek has potential benefits, particularly for strategic and creative roles that are not driven by output but by thought and innovation.

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