4.5 Day Work week in UAE

Over the past few years, there has been a couple of changes being made for the corporate sector in the United Arab Emirates. From having its weekly holidays on Friday and Saturday, the government has announced that the official weekly holidays to be on Saturday and Sunday. And the government and semi-government sectors would work until noon on Friday and resume work on Monday morning. So that makes it a 4.5-days work week for many in the Middle East.

While the rest of the United Arab Emirates follow this weekly holiday, Sharjah has a 4-day work week - making Friday, Saturday and Sunday the weekly holidays for the government sectors. The private corporations have the flexibility to follow suite.

Though it is too early and many private sector organizations are yet deciding on their weekly holidays, Saturday and Sunday still continue to be the weekly holidays for many in the country. While there are some, that are yet to transition and are back to work on Sunday morning.

Does a 4-day work week or a 4.5-day work week change what we do without time and how we manage our work - life balance? To some extent yes. There is more time to socialize, go on that staycation, travel places, or simply do chores and organize for the week ahead without being exhausted by the time the weekend ends. (Yes, you will need a weekly holiday to get over this exhaustion).

Would you manage your time any different if you had a 4-day or a 4.5-day work week?

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