Question: I resigned from my current job because I received a new offer. The company accepted my notice.
I am working my notice period of 30 days. I fell ill and was admitted to hospital. I informed my employer and the HR department and sent them a copy of my admission and discharge summary from the hospital.
There was also a letter confirming that I needed two weeks of sick leave as a result of my illness.
I have not taken much time off work due to illness over the past year. Can I be paid for my time off sick during the notice period? VA, Dubai
Answer: If someone is off work due to ill health during their notice period, this is still classed as being in employment and the notice period will be unchanged. The visa must not be cancelled until the end of the notice period.
The employee who is not at work due to ill health during a notice period should still be paid as usual and the employer can insist on the provision of a suitable medical certificate. In this case, that has been provided.
Salary is payable in accordance with Article 31 of the UAE labour law, which confirms: “... the worker may be entitled to a sick leave of not more than 90 continuous or intermittent days per year, provided that it is calculated as follows: a. the first 15 days with full pay; b. following 30 days with half pay; c. the following period unpaid.”
Assuming this period of sick leave, plus all other days of sick leave in the company year do not exceed 15 days, VA will be paid in full according to UAE law.
Q: I am planning a trip to Saudi Arabia next month to visit friends. It has been a long time since I travelled to the country.
It used to be complicated to get a visa, although I have read that the process is easier now. But I am a bit confused about the process because I have read different things.
I am French and have a residency visa for Abu Dhabi. Please advise. GD, Abu Dhabi
A: GD is correct in that there have been changes to the procedure to apply for a visit visa to Saudi Arabia and the process has become much easier for many people.
The Saudi government has introduced an eVisa to simplify the process. Anyone who has either a residency visa or a passport from most of Europe, the US and Canada, Japan, Singapore, China, Malaysia, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, plus a number of other countries, 57 in total, can use this new system.
The cost of the visa is 535 Saudi Riyals ($143) and the application is made via the Visit Saudi website.
This is a multiple-entry visa, valid for one year, for visits of up to 90 days at a time.
Anyone who is not eligible for this eVisa, or the equivalent visa on arrival, must make an application before travelling.
Q: Is it compulsory for children to have a car seat in the UAE? I see cars on the roads where children are standing up in the back seats, not strapped in, and it terrifies me.
Assuming there is a law about car seats, is there any way I can report people who don’t keep their children safe? CB, Dubai
A: There are laws regarding passenger safety in vehicles and these are set out in Ministerial Resolution No. 178 of 2017 regarding traffic control rules.
This legislation states that all passengers are required to wear a seatbelt. That applies to front and back seats of vehicles, and to passengers of any age.
In addition, it states that children up to the age of four years must be provided with a child seat.
Anyone who breaks these laws can be fined Dh400 ($108.90) and receive four black points on their licence.
Furthermore, the law says that all front-seat passengers must be at least 145 centimetres tall and not younger than 10 years of age.
Disregarding the law is not only illegal, it also puts children and other passengers at risk.
You can report offenders via the police apps in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the police website, or in person at a police station.
Dubai also has the Al Hares app, run by the Roads and Transport Authority, which is set up to allow anonymous reporting of road-related complaints.
Note that photographs can be taken by someone who is not driving, provided they are given only to the police and not shared anywhere else.
Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser and senior partner with Holborn Assets in Dubai, with more than 30 years’ experience. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com. Follow her on Twitter at @FinancialUAE
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
More coverage from the Future Forum
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Fight card
1. Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) v Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
2. Featherweight: Hussein Salim (IRQ) v Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
3. Catchweight 80kg: Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Khamza Yamadaev (RUS)
4. Lightweight: Ho Taek-oh (KOR) v Ronald Girones (CUB)
5. Lightweight: Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) v Damien Lapilus (FRA)
6. Bantamweight: Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) v Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
7. Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
8. Flyweight: Shannon Ross (TUR) v Donovon Freelow (USA)
9. Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Dan Collins (GBR)
10. Catchweight 73kg: Islam Mamedov (RUS) v Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM)
11. Bantamweight World title: Jaures Dea (CAM) v Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
12. Flyweight World title: Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
