Dubai’s short work week: is it a win-win situation?

One thing these turbulent times has taught those lucky enough to have a job, is that there has to be more of a balance between work and life.

In many cases, the Covid lockdowns and “work from home” as the new normal, saw employees putting in longer hours – perhaps because they felt guilty about having the comforts of home close at hand and not having the stress of commuting.

Some workers won’t return to work and others will only go into the office for shorter periods every week.

But the stress won’t be reduced, because it is difficult to separate office hours from home hours.

Now, the United Arab Emirates has taken the bold step of cutting its working week to four-and-a-half days and moving its weekend from Friday and Saturday to Saturday and Sunday.

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The government says the aim is to improve the worklife balance of workers, something it believes will improve productivity.

It will be interesting to watch the experiment. If it is successful, it will prove that working longer is not as important as working smarter.

People who enjoy their down time will be happier workers and happy workers do a more efficient job.

It sounds like a win for everyone.