Will I be required to work extra hours from time to time? Will I be compensated for it? These are some questions a candidate is likely to ask the HR department or his reporting manager before joining a company. Thankfully, the UAE government has laid out well defined rules for working hours and overtime payment.
According to the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, the maximum normal working hours for workers are eight hours per day or 48 hours a week.
This translates to a six-day working week with one off day. However, several companies instead follow a five-day week with nine hours of work each day, thereby totaling 45 hours of work every week.
Read: UAE issues new labor law to regulate employment
Flexibility in working hours
The Federal Decree-Law No. (33) of 2021 regarding the regulation of employment relationships and its amendments adds that the daily working hours may be increased or reduced in some sectors or for some categories of workers based on the minister’s proposal and in coordination with concerned authorities.
The labor law also states that the time spent by the worker during the commute between home and office is not included in the working hours.
Working hours during Ramadan
During the holy month of Ramadan working hours are reduced by two hours every day in the private sector. In certain cases, the working hours may be cut short further, depending on workload.
Read | UAE amends domestic workers’ law: Enhanced employment rights, dispute resolution procedures
Non-regular working hours
Working hours are defined for workers who work irregular hours, such as shifts, or workers who are required to work for longer than eight hours a day depending on the nature of the work. According to the law, the employer may not ask the worker to work for more hours than what was agreed in the employment contract, except with the written consent of the worker.
Mandatory breaks
According to law, a worker may not work for more than five hours straight without a break or breaks of not less than one hour. Moreover, these break periods are not included in the working hours.
The law states that the company must arrange the working hours and breaks in such a way that they align with shift timings and the nature of the job.
Overtime
According to the labor law, an employer may ask an employee to work overtime. However, these should not exceed two hours a day. The law also stipulates that total working hours shall not exceed 144 hours every three weeks.
If working conditions require an employee to work for longer than the usual hours, the extra hours worked will represent overtime, for which the worker is entitled to receive pay. The pay that a worker will receive in this case will correspond to the normal working hours, calculated according to the basic wage plus an increase of not less than 25 percent of that wage.
The law also states that in case the employee is working overtime between 10pm and 4am, the worker shall be entitled to receive the wage prescribed for the normal working hours calculated according to the basic wage plus an increase of not less than 50 percent of that wage.
However, workers working in shifts are not included in this criterion.
Working on weekends
An employee required to work on a weekend shall be compensated with another day off. Otherwise, he shall be paid the wage of that day according to the wage established for normal working days, plus an increase of not less than 50 percent of the basic wage for that day.
Moreover, a worker shall not be instructed to work for more than two consecutive weekend days, except for day workers, the law adds.
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