In the UAE, the shift to a new work week has been most pronounced among young adults. There is a higher proportion of young adults aged 18-24 who claim to be affected by this change (76 percent) compared with older adults aged 35-44 (59 percent) or 45+ (49 percent). The survey was conducted online by YouGov’s Omnibus between January 26th and 31st, 2022, among 1026 respondents in the UAE.
Currently, 79 percent of UAE companies claim they have implemented the new workday policy. There is little difference between the proportion of those following a four-and-a-half-day workweek (Monday through Friday afternoon) and those claiming to pursue a new five-day workweek (Monday through Friday). In contrast, the first type of transition is more common in the public sector, while the second is more prevalent among private-sector employees.
A third (31%) of working respondents expressed difficulty adjusting their weekend leisure schedules due to the shift, and a similar proportion (30%) reported experiencing traffic delays on Fridays as a result. The survey shared some other challenges the respondents also identified as challenges that people in the UAE face or are likely to face in the future. The difficulty in adjusting to a new work week (29 percent), the difficulty in planning holidays (26 percent), and a reduced amount of family time (24 percent) due to differing work weeks.
Despite these challenges, the majority (61 percent) of UAE residents are satisfied with the new workweek policy, with respondents aged 35-44 years more confident with this development (67 percent).
Nearly half (48%) of those surveyed indicated that shorter workweeks contribute to greater work-life balance or higher productivity due to the new policy. Over half of 18-24-year-olds (54 percent) believe the transition has been an advantage, despite claiming to be most affected by it.
A majority (47 percent) of respondents believe that the new policy will boost the economy by eliminating the weekend gap, thus making the UAE more attractive to foreign talent and investment. In terms of a personal perspective, two in five respondents (42 percent) see that it will enable them to better align their schedules with their international colleagues, and nearly the same number (43 percent) believe that it will make it easier for them to organize trips to see friends and family living abroad.