There were new labor laws enacted in the UAE in 2024 these laws mostly concern overtime and working hours. From these considerations, it has emerged that all of these changes are necessary to increase the productivity of workers, achieve a balance between work and personal life, and comply with international labour relations standards.
New Regulation on Working Hours
The standard working hours in the UAE have been changed to serve the employers and employees in the country with better benefits. The key changes include:
- Standard Working Hours: There is a standard working hours of 48 hours per week.
PRIVATE SECTOR WORKING HOURS: The working hours in Dubai for the private sector are the same as that of the other emirates and vary between 8 am to 4 pm or 9 am to 6 pm inclusive of breaks. However, the UAE private sector has particular provisions for the working hours on Friday, where a half-day working or the company may allow its employees to attend the Friday prayers.
PUBLIC SECTOR WORKING HOURS: The public sector in the UAE has working hours different from the working hours of the private sector. The federal government operates on a 4½ day week from Monday through Thursday and half a day on Friday, including the Friday prayer break. This new workweek structure is appropriate to the UAE at this time when the country is trying to enhance the work-life balance and productivity rates.
NEW WORKING HOURS: A new working hour in the UAE has been developed in order to meet the current generation working population. The current working week of four and half days in the public sector has brought about a debate about a possible 3 days weekend in UAE in the future as the country seeks to come up with more reforms in labor markets.
- Flexible Working Arrangements: Employers are now allowed to allow employees to work from home, come to work early, and leave early among other options. This flexibility is meant to address the diverse needs of the workforce especially the child bearing age employees.
- Mandatory Breaks: Employees are to be allowed one or more hours of rest for every five hours of work or any multiple thereof. This regulation gives protection to employees from being put through hard work during their working hours.
Overtime Policies and Changes
The new regulations also bring significant changes to overtime policies:
- Overtime Compensation: Employees who spend their time working for hours over the standard working hours are supposed to be paid for the extra hours they have spent at work. Overtime rate is one and a quarter of the normal hourly rate for working during the week, and one and half times the normal hourly rate for working on weekends and public holidays.
- Overtime Limits: The regulations have set a maximum of 12 hours to reduce overworking. This limit is put in place to avoid cases of employees getting overworked and avoiding adequate time for other numerous activities a person can engage in.
- Overtime Approval: Employers are required to seek consent from employees in writing before such employees can be required to work overtime. This lets the employees avoid situations where they are forced to accept calls, and meetings as a pressure from their managers.
Effects on the Productivity of Employees and Work-Life
The updated working hours and overtime regulations are expected to have a positive impact on employee productivity and work-life balance:
- Increased Productivity: Since employees do not work for more than the required number of hours and more so their overtime working hours are restricted, they are expected to be fresh and less fatigued. This can mean higher productivity rates and a general improvement in the quality of work on the job.
- Enhanced Work-Life Balance: Some of the advantages include free choice of working hours that will enable employees to balance their family and work commitments and require staff to take breaks. This brings in a healthy overall life and work satisfaction balance.
- Employee Retention: Any organization that cares for the staff needs as much as they give them reasonable working hours plus reasonable working extra hours will have low turnover rates. Low turnover costs and high performance result from high morale among the employees hence increasing the level of organizational loyalty.
- Adherence to International Standards: The new law is expected to bring the UAE labor laws to par with the best in the world and address the need for attracting the right talent and investment into the country.
In conclusion, the recent changes to the overtime and working hours laws implemented in 2024 mark the start of the process of finding the optimal balance for productivity. All of these changes are anticipated to benefit employers and employees in the long run in terms of staff welfare and adherence to global standards.