Lawmakers in Kuwait and Bahrain are advocating for significant changes to the working week in a bid to enhance workers’ rights and improve the work-life balance in the two Gulf nations.
In Bahrain, the proposal focuses on extending the weekend to three days, encompassing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. MP Mohammed Al Aliwi, among the five proponents, highlighted the need to align with global advancements, acknowledging Bahrain’s Islamic customs and traditions regarding Friday as a sacred day, making it challenging to accept working on this day, even for a limited number of hours.
The extension of the weekend aims to provide employees with additional time for personal pursuits, ultimately fostering a healthier work-life balance.
In Kuwait, the emphasis is on regulating working hours in the private sector, as reported by the local daily newspaper Al-Seyassah.
MPs Badr Nashmi, Faris Al-Otaibi, Abdul Hadi Al-Ajmi, Badr Sayyar, and Osama Al-Shaheen advocate for limiting weekly working hours to 42, or seven hours per day, with specific exceptions outlined in the proposed law. During Ramadan, weekly hours would be further reduced to 36. The proposal also includes a provision that a worker cannot be employed for more than four consecutive hours per day without a rest period of at least one hour.
These proposed changes underscore the importance of recognizing the human element in economic development.
In 2022, Sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the UAE, introduced a shorter working week, with federal government employees across the UAE following suit in 2023. A study by 4 Day Week Global, a non-profit organization, indicated that 86 percent of Sharjah respondents reported higher productivity, and 90 percent experienced improved work performance. Additionally, about 90 percent noted an increase in job satisfaction.
In a move toward shorter working weeks, last year, the UAE’s telecom operator Etisalat’s e& initiated a trial of a four-day week, becoming the first company in the tech sector to do so.
