Dubai employees to get 4-day work week; Indians react: ‘We have 5 days working and 2 days WFH’

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 26, 2026 02:42 PM IST

The program, introduced by the Dubai Government Human Resources Department, will remain in place until September 10.

Thousands of Dubai government employees will have the option of shorter workweeks and more flexible schedules this summer under the return of the ‘Our Flexible Summer’ initiative.

The program, introduced by the Dubai Government Human Resources Department (DGHR), will begin on June 29 and remain in place until September 10. It allows government departments to adopt work arrangements that best suit their operational requirements while giving employees greater flexibility during the hotter months.

Departments can choose between two models. Under one option, employees work eight-hour days from Monday to Thursday and get Friday off, effectively giving them a three-day weekend. The second option shortens the workday to seven hours from Monday to Thursday, with a four-and-a-half-hour shift on Friday. Remote work and flexible timings may also be introduced where practical.

According to the DGHR, the initiative was shaped by employee feedback and evolving workplace expectations.

Dubai advances more flexible government work environments with 2026 edition of ‘Our Flexible Summer’. https://t.co/DSjxfMiRpX pic.twitter.com/gMmVNLMAaR

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) June 24, 2026

The announcement has gone viral on social media, and Indians have spent no time reacting to it. One user quipped, “We have 5 days working and 2 days WFH.” Another user commented, “Here in India we are still working 6 days.”

A third person sarcastically added, “Someone got hurt in India. 72 hour company owner.”

DGHR Director General Abdullah Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi said the programme builds on the positive results of last year’s pilot.

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“The ‘Our Flexible Summer’ initiative has demonstrated that employee wellbeing and quality of life do not come at the expense of performance.”

The announcement has also reignited conversations around whether similar policies could be adopted by private companies. However, business leaders and recruitment experts told Khaleej Times that widespread implementation across the private sector remains unlikely because of the different operational requirements across industries.

A Dubai government survey released in November 2024 also found that flexible working hours and remote work could help ease congestion during peak traffic hours on some of the city’s busiest roads, Khaleej Times reported.