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Dubai: Work-from-home, flexible hours offered at some firms to help employees beat traffic

Studies conducted by authorities showed that implementing such work models can help reduce morning peak travel time by 30 per cent

Published: Wed 13 Nov 2024, 6:00 AM

Updated: Wed 13 Nov 2024, 6:46 PM

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Many companies in Dubai are offering flexible hours and allow their employees to work from home to beat traffic during peak hours.

Some private firms allow staff to work for eight-hour shifts at any time during the day to save time and avoid the rush-hour hassle. Carpooling is also encouraged.

These initiatives come as the emirate aims to expand its flexible working hours programme and remote work policies to ease traffic. Studies conducted by the authorities showed that implementing flexible hours and remote work can help reduce morning peak travel time across Dubai by 30 per cent.

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“Working in the IT sector offers me the flexibility of working from home, a privilege that is especially valuable since my employer is based in the US. This setup means that I have to adjust my schedule to align with US time zones, which often results in long work hours extending into the night. While this can be challenging, the flexibility it offers also provides a unique opportunity to be present for my family,” said Mainak Sengupta.

Oliver Kowalski, managing director of Hays Middle East, said they are also implementing similar arrangements.

“We offer the option of working flexibly from home. The start and end times in the office are also flexible so that employees can also travel outside of peak times,” he said.

Kowalski added that if the traffic situation becomes even worse due to heavy rain, the company will extend its offer of flexible work to employees.

Vivek Arora, managing director of SHRM Mena, said they have adopted various measures to help employees avoid traffic. They can work anytime from 8am to 6.30pm as long as they complete eight hours, and follow a hybrid setup of four-day on-site duty and one-day remote work for all non-essential roles.

He added that they encourage staff to carpool within the legal boundaries.

Work-life balance

As traffic has increased dramatically due to the population growth in Dubai and the UAE over the past few years, Arora said that on average, employees are spending nearly double the time on roads as compared to figures in 2021-22. “This is negatively affecting their work-life balance and mental health.”

Kowalski agreed that spending hours stuck in traffic affects employees' well-being.

“Spending time on crowded trains or travelling in traffic jams, in particular, has a high potential for stress and can lead to more frequent illnesses in the long term. It also leaves less time for family and hobbies,” he said, adding that they make sure that all employees have the opportunity to park near the office. “When selecting the office, we also took into account that there is a train station nearby so that our employees can also use public transport.”

Sengupta added that one of the biggest upsides of flexible working hours is that he gets to spend quality time with his daughter.

“My wife is also a busy professional, so my ability to be home during the day is a big help. For instance, when my daughter returns from school, I can be there to pick her up from the bus stop. This small but meaningful moment allows us to connect and spend time together before I dive back into work. In addition to this, I can keep an eye on the house, handle small tasks, and ensure everything is running smoothly, which is a relief for my wife, who has a hectic work schedule,” he said.

How to ease traffic

Arora suggested subsidising school transport, which will have a significant reduction in traffic. Putting a cap on vehicle ownership ratio to a family, imposing higher registration and insurance charges for more cars in a family, as well as encouraging odd-even number plate plying on the roads, and improving public transport frequency and connectivity for transport could also help, he added.

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