Authorities in Dubai have announced the launch of a pilot initiative ‘Our Flexible Summer’ which will be implemented from August 12 to September 30. The main objective of this initiative is to reduce the working hours of participating government entities during the summer. As per Dubai Government Human Resources Department (DGHR) it will see work on Fridays suspended.
As a part of this initiative work hours will be reduced to seven at 15 government entities in Dubai.
Many of the government employees in Dubai enjoy a two-and-half-day weekend (Friday half-day, Saturday and Sunday). With the implementation of this initiative, employees at participating government departments will enjoy a longer weekend for seven weeks.
The survey conducted by the department will assess the willingness of government agencies to reduce working hours during the summer. The initiative will also help reduce energy consumption within government departments. The impact of this initiative on the employees and their productivity will be studied by the department.
Studies conducted across the work and The UAE have shown a direct correlation between lesser number of hours worked and the productivity and impact of this initiative too will be evaluated by The DGHR.
In Emirate of Sharjah where 3 day weekend has been implemented reported that the employees had reported an 88 per cent increase in productivity and a 90 per cent rise in job satisfaction thanks to its shorter work week. The move also left customers happier, with a service satisfaction rate of 94 per cent.
