‘Make flexible work hours mandatory on foggy days’

Private sector companies must allow their employees to work flexible hours on foggy and rainy days as is the practice in government departments, a Federal National Council (FNC) member suggested on Tuesday.

Hamad Al Rahoumi, FNC member from Dubai, said road fatalities in thick fog can be averted by a law regulating flexible work hours in the private sector. “Flexible work hours during bad weather must not be left to managers. It must rather be mandatory to allow employees to be late for work by two or three hours early in the morning … so, instead of going to work at 7am, employees should be allowed to start at 10am,” Al Rahoumi said.

He pointed out that driving in dense fog has proven to be a major cause of serious road mishaps, adding that adopting flexible work hours for employees of private businesses in such conditions could prevent such accidents and save precious lives.

Nasser Bin Thani Al Hameli, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, said the labour law stipulates work hours, but does not impose when the work shall start or end. “Employers have a free hand to fix their timings,” he said.

Al Hameli, however, suggested that his ministry can issue a circular encouraging private businesses to allow flexible work hours during foggy days.

In 2016, the Federal Human Resources Authority asked federal departments to allow flexible work hours on foggy and rainy days. This arrangement is part of the health and safety guide issued to federal departments in 2015.