The impact of the 4.5-day work week: Business Extra

UAE's transition to shorter, more flexible work fits into a broader shift, says future of work expert Diana Wu David

With the UAE's move to a Monday-Friday working week and a reduction of hours for public sector employees to four-and-a-half days, the country is leading the charge of a milestone shift in the way we work in the 21st century.

Less than a month into the new model, the private sector is following suit. One in four companies plan to move to a four-and-a-half-day working week, a survey by management consultancy Mercer found.

To talk about the broader implications of this working culture shift, future of work expert Diana Wu David, founder of Future Proof Lab and the author of Future Proof: Reinventing Work in the Age of Acceleration joins co-hosts Kelsey Warner and Mustafa Alrawi this week.

In this episode

The transition to the new work week in the UAE (0m 53s)

Is the future of work less time at work? (6m 28s)

Future-proofing businesses and the hunt for talent (11m 51s)

How to better support working mothers (17m 10s)

Read more

UAE weekend change: One in four private sector companies to switch to 4.5-day week

Dubai private schools can extend learning day in line with new working week

What the UK can learn from the UAE's 4.5-day working week

Updated: January 14, 2022, 5:54 AM