Flexibility is key for staff during holy month, business owners say

Private companies across the UAE said being flexible was important as they introduced new working hours for employees during Ramadan.

Last week, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation confirmed a reduction of two hours a day across all industries in the private sector is mandatory throughout the holy month.

This followed confirmation that public-sector hours will also be shorter, with ministries and federal agencies working from 9am to 2.30pm, Monday to Thursday, and 9am to noon on Fridays.

How private companies put their hours in place can vary from business to business. “In accordance with the requirements and nature of their work, companies may apply flexible or remote work patterns within the limits of the daily working hours during Ramadan,” the authority said.

This flexibility was key when introducing the new working hours, human resources teams told The National.

Technology company Acer Middle East and Africa, which has 25 employees in its Jebel Ali offices, is introducing sixhour working days without exception and those fasting can schedule these hours to best suit their requirements.

“This flexibility allows fasting employees to manage their workload and schedule their tasks in a way that accommodates their fasting requirements and ensures they can observe Ramadan rituals without undue stress or difficulty,” said HR manager Darshika Lewis.

This element of flexibility extends to non-fasting workers, Ms Lewis added, with Acer allowing work hours to be adjusted to accommodate tea, coffee and lunch breaks without disturbing Muslim colleagues.

TishTash, a specialist marketing and public relations agency in Dubai with 64 employees, has a similar policy this year, with two shift options to accommodate differing lifestyles and school hours.

Founder and chief executive Natasha Hatherall said staff could choose to work 8am to 2.30pm or 9am to 3.30pm across the company’s fourand-a-half-day week, but other hours may be accommodated.

“A lot of our team are working mums and many schools have different hours, so we want to ensure they have flexibility around this as they need, as no one solution suits all,” said Ms Hatherall. “The key thing for us is that all work is delivered and clients are happy.”

As a policy, TishTash encourages employees not to work

A lot of our team are working mums and many schools have different hours, so we want to ensure flexibility

NATASHA HATHERALL

TishTash founder and chief executive

outside of core hours “and to have life balance”, but for some industries this is not possible.

At SLS Dubai, a five-star, 75-storey hotel in Downtown Dubai, several adjustments have been made to accommodate the new working hours.

While non-fasting employees have hours reduced by two across the board, it varies for anyone who is fasting.

“For fasting colleagues working morning shifts prior to iftar, we reduce working hours by three, inclusive of their break time,” a representative told The National. “After iftar, the reduction is by two hours for fasting colleagues.”

Service at the hotel runs 24 hours a day, so there are some instances in which employees may need to work overtime, the representative added. It is legal for employees to be compensated for extra time worked but none should ever be forced to complete full hours during Ramadan, said financial adviser Keren Bobker, a columnist for The National with experience addressing common employment concerns in the UAE.

“Sadly, I have come across too many companies who ignore this law and tell their staff that it doesn’t apply to them. That is unfair,” she said.

Ms Bobker said if a company does not respect the two-hour reduction, employees should take the first step of reminding their employer of the law.

“If the employer still fails to adhere to the law, any individual can report them to the Ministry for Human Resources and Emiratisation and companies can be fined for rule breaches.”