UAE FAHR says four-day workweek rumours are ‘not true’

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UAE’s Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) has refuted rumours about changes to the federal government working hours, after media reports said employees can now apply to work a four-day workweek from July 1 2023.

The authority urged the public and social media users to verify the accuracy of the information and take such news from the UAE’s official sources and social media accounts, and state news agency WAM reported the same.

FAHR affirmed that the executive regulations of the Human Resources Law pertain to the introduction of new employment schedules and types of work, such as part-time work, temporary work, flexible work, on-site or remote work both inside and outside the country, hybrid working model and compressed working hours.

الهيئة: عدم تغيير مواعيد العمل مع بداية شهر يوليو

ما يتم تداوله مؤخراً على منصات وسائل التواصل الاجتماعية فيما يتعلق بتغيير مواعيد العمل في الحكومة الاتحادية مع بداية شهر يوليو 2023 لا صحة له. pic.twitter.com/cRulQ1Vknk

— FAHR (@FAHR_UAE) June 8, 2023

The compressed working hours system is a type of arrangement that increases the flexibility of the government work environment and facilitates efficiency. FAHR said the adoption of such a system is subject to specific and clear controls, exceptions and privacy considerations related to the duties of each federal entity and specific positions.

The authority said the system can only be implemented with the approval of the entity’s head, within a defined and short-term timeframe, and in special cases, following specified guidelines in human resources manuals.

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