Back to school in UAE: Flexible work hours announced for some employees ahead of new school term

UAE federal government employees can opt for flexible working hours to support their young children during the first week of school, according to a new circular issued to ministries.

The move, undertaken as over one million students look to return to schools next week, was announced by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) on Friday.

According to the circular, employees of federal entities with school children can go in late to work or leave early on the first day of school in order to drop off or collect their wards. The total amount of time taken to do this should not exceed three hours per day. Federal entities must take into account that different schools have different start dates and extend flexibility accordingly, it noted.

Moreover, parents with children in nurseries and kindergartens will be allowed the same type of flexibility for the first school week. The duration of flexibility will be for a maximum period of three hours per day.

However, in all cases, flexible work hours should be availed in a manner that does not impede work flow.

The circular is in line with a 2018 resolution adopted by the UAE Cabinet that gives federal employees up to three hours to be part of their children's school activities, including parent-teacher meetings, graduation ceremonies etc.

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