UAE’s 4.5 Day Week has Improved Workers Efficiency

Experts discussed the benefits of a four-day work week at a panel at WEF in Davos, Switzerland, and the UAE has been an important test case.

The panel was told around 70 percent of employees in the UAE reported working more efficiently, while there was a 55 percent reduction in absenteeism.

Minister Ohood Bint Khalfan Al Roumi said on the panel that the UAE implemented the change for various reasons, including enhancing personal wellbeing and strengthening family and community relations as well as a positive economic advantage.

“When people have longer weekends, they can also spend more,” she said.

Jonas Prising, chairman and chief executive officer, of the ManpowerGroup, also tackled the subject at Davos, writing: “The last two years have accelerated new ways of working and collaborating. Before the pandemic, we couldn’t seem to get off the starting block despite increased investment in tech and a rising movement among workers.

“And since, many of us have enjoyed the camaraderie of connection from the comfort of home, while some of us, including myself, have struggled with the interim: hybrid working. But I’m convinced that the hard to define “hybrid” is what will finally pave the path to permanent flexibility. Today, the traditional 9-5, five-day work week looks more old-fashioned than a Ford Model T.

“Workers are rightly calling for more flexibility, better work-life balance, and more choice in deciding when, where and how to best do their jobs.”