The UAE government has confirmed reduced working hours for federal public sector employees during the holy month of Ramadan, with staff expected to work shorter shifts throughout the week.
Under the announced schedule, working hours from Monday to Thursday will run from 9am to 2.30pm. On Fridays, employees will work from 9am to 12 noon. The adjusted timings will not apply to workers whose duties require a different arrangement.
The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources said on Wednesday that federal ministries and government entities may also implement flexible working arrangements during Ramadan’s weekdays. Agencies may also allow remote work on Fridays, provided it does not exceed 70 per cent of the entity’s total workforce, and remains aligned with approved regulations and controls.
Ramadan is expected to begin on February 19 in the UAE, based on projections from the Abu Dhabi-based International Astronomical Centre. The centre said the crescent moon on February 17 is “either impossible or highly improbable from all regions of the Arab and Islamic world”, according to Engineer Muhammad Shawkat Odeh, Director of IAC.
Islamic months last either 29 or 30 days depending on moon sighting, and Wednesday is expected to be the 30th and final day of Shaban, which would make Ramadan likely to begin on Thursday. However, the final confirmation will be made by official moon-sighting committees, which are set to meet on the 29th day of Shaban to determine the official start of the holy month.
Outside Ramadan, the UAE federal government follows a four-and-a-half-day working week, with employees working eight hours from Monday to Thursday and four and a half hours on Friday. The federal sector officially adopted Saturdays and Sundays as weekend days starting January 2022.
