65% of the UAE public is in favour of the new work week which changes the weekend to Saturday-Sunday with a half-day on Friday, according to analysis of social media comments.
A study of nearly 11,000 posts and comments across multiple social media platforms by UAE-based social analytics and research consultancy Anavizio showed that nearly two-thirds (65%) of opinions expressed by social media users in the UAE were positive regarding the new work week.
Religious concerns
Where concerns were raised, the primary issue was the status of Friday as a holy day. The new guidelines will see federal employees working a half-day on Fridays until noon. Social media users expressed concern that the new work week will disrupt religious traditions and norms. Some users also objected to the Friday prayer being fixed at 1:15 pm, rather than shifting according to the solar noon.
Overall, 11% of the posts reviewed expressed concerns about the changes based on religious grounds.
Confusion and clarification
A similar number of comments, 11%, raised questions about how the new work week will impact the private sector and for schools and universities. Following the announcement, it was clarified that educational institutions would follow the new working week guidelines, although, according to the analysis, individuals working in the private sector continued to wonder what impact the changes will have on them.
Users expect the private sector to follow the government’s lead in switching to a Saturday-Sunday weekend, although some expressed fears that Friday will become a full, rather than a half, working day for private-sector employees and that companies do not respect their staff’s work-life balance. For many, achieving a good work-life balance has become challenging to manage due to the added pressures of the pandemic.
Regional responses
The changes to the UAE’s working week also drew reactions from social media users in neighbouring countries.
Just over a quarter (27%) of comments by regional users expressed praise for the UAE, seeing the Federation as a role model for the Middle East. A further 3% of comments from regional users expressed hope that their countries would implement similar changes.
However, the majority of social media posts (68%) from regional users were negative toward the UAE’s new work week, with accusations that the country is Westernizing too fast and forgetting its traditions, or that making Friday a working day goes against religious practice.
Comments from users beyond the Middle East were similarly divided, with some expressing support for the UAE as a modernizing force in the region, while others expressed sarcasm about the country or stated that the new measures go against religious norms.
The report can be downloaded here.
