This major city has ditched the five-day work week — employee happiness increases

Another major city is introducing a four-day week for thousands of workers, with the shorter work week movement continuing to grow globally.

Within a matter of days, employees in Dubai’s public sector will be enjoying three-day weekends and reduced working hours as part of the city’s “Our Flexible Summer” initiative.

Kicking off on July 1 and running until September 12, the reduced summer schedule introduced by the Dubai Government Human Resources Department (DGHR) aims to allow workers more flexibility and access to greater work-life balance.

As part of the scheme, public sector employees will be divided and put onto two separate flexible working schedules.

Those in group one will work Monday to Thursday for 8 hours a day and have Fridays off.

Those in group two will also work Monday to Thursday but only for 7 hours a day and will work 4.5 hour days on Fridays.

The government decided to roll out the change to all employees following a successful pilot phase last year which was found to have improved overall employee satisfaction and happiness, along with increased productivity.

Abdullah Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi, Director-General of DGHR, said the policy reflected the government’s overall vision to create a modern workforce that prioritizes work-life balance.

“This isn’t just a shift in working hours — it’s a reflection of the government’s evolving mindset. We are prioritizing employee wellbeing alongside institutional efficiency,” he said.

“This initiative demonstrates our firm commitment to enhancing the government work environment, making it more adaptable and responsive to the needs of employees and the community.”

Al Falasi said the expanded edition of the previous four-day week trial builds on the successful outcomes seen last year.

He said the move supports Dubai’s aspirations to be a leader in delivering “flexible, sustainable, and people-centric government services.”

The change comes amid an increasing number of four-day week changes and trials other flexible working systems across the world.

Australia, Japan, the UK, Canada, Ireland, the US and Iceland are just some of the nations that have been experimenting with reduced working hours.

One of the common ways that companies implement a four-day week is by using the 100:80:100 model, in which staff keep 100% of their pay but have their work hours reduced to 80%.

However, they must maintain 100% of their productivity in order for the change to work.

Other options include allowing staff to work a shorter week but for less pay, or offering standard 40 hour weeks condensed over four days.

In April, amended laws were introduced in Japan requiring companies to offer flexible work options for employees with young children, such as reduced working hours or remote work, in a bid to reverse the country’s rapidly declining birthrate.

As a result, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, one of the country’s largest employers with over 160,000 workers, announced it would be introducing a four-day work week.

“We will continue to review work styles flexibly to ensure that women do not have to sacrifice their careers due to life events such as childbirth or child-rearing,” Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, said at the time of the announcement.

“Empowering women, a goal that has lagged far behind the rest of the world, has been a longstanding issue in our country.”

Earlier this year, it was announced that 200 companies across the United Kingdom, comprising a total of more than 5000 employees, had now changed their policies to allow staff to work four days a week, with the same pay and no requirement for longer working days.

The shortened week movement has also been gaining traction in Australia.

In the past few years there has been a sharp rise in companies adopting the new working model, with Medibank and Bunnings among the major Australian brands that have begun trialing the change.

Speaking to news.com.au earlier this year, Swinburne’s Associate Professor John Hopkins believes that this is a trend we can expect to see continue to rise throughout 2025, both here and overseas.

“Many companies who have tried it have experienced some great results – significant improvements in recruitment and retention, lower absenteeism, and even increased productivity – which will no doubt encourage other firms to try it and see if they can achieve similar gains,” he said.

This is also backed up by data, with recent research from recruiter Robert Half revealing just over a third of Australian companies surveyed expect their organization will transition to a four-day work week within the next five years.