The first country in the world to have a 4 ½ day workweek

The UAE became the first country in the world to establish a four-and-a-half-day workweek for all its government entities, as well as its central bank.

The authorities also announced that the weekend will be from Saturday to Sunday, and not from Friday to Saturday, as is currently the case in several Arab countries.

On Friday, employees will work a little over four hours, until noon. That way, in the afternoon, they will be able to perform Muslim prayers on the most important day of the week for the religious community.

The changes, which take effect on January 1st, aim to make the Persian Gulf country more attractive to foreign investment, as it links its working days with those of many world markets.

The official WAM news agency indicated that this new workweek is aimed at “increasing productivity and improving the balance between work and personal life”.

The country, added the information service, wants to “improve its position in the global competitiveness of the economic and business sectors”.

The decision guarantees financial and commercial fluidity, as well as economic transactions with countries that follow a weekend from Saturday to Sunday, added the United Arab Emirates.

The changes will also extend to public schools.

The private sector, however, will have the option to choose their own workweek.

“Each company, depending on the sector it operates in and what suits and serves its business best, can choose the weekend for its employees,” Human Resources Minister Abdulrahman al-Awar told Reuters news agency .

According to him, a longer weekend will improve the balance between work and personal life. And several Muslim nations, such as Indonesia and Morocco, already have Saturday and Sunday as their weekend.