Most people choose to spend their holidays in the area
Some UAE employees avoid taking a long annual vacation to travel abroad and opt for a shorter vacation to travel locally, fearing that they may be stranded abroad due to changing travel restrictions. constantly.
The hiring and human resources industry says employees are increasingly choosing to spend their annual vacations locally, as some companies have asked their employees to exhaust their annual vacations. But some employees have still accumulated a good number of annual vacations, as they have not been able to travel abroad during the last two years of the pandemic.
“With new regulations slowing down the spread of Covid-19 to the UAE and many countries imposing strict restrictions and blockades, employees are now rethinking their layoff plans to avoid getting stuck,” Mayank Patel said. head of country of Adecco Middle East.
He noted that there may be no change in the annual holiday policies of employees at the moment, as the increase in cases is also going back to the previous days to ensure the safety of colleagues and work from home. However, in the best interest of the organization and to ensure that employees have a work-life balance, this can lead to some of their absences being adjusted.
Waleed Anwar, CEO of Upfront HR, suggested that it is prudent for most people right now to stay in the UAE to avoid being stranded abroad. “This is the general opinion we are hearing from our customers in the UAE. Traveling will run the risk of getting stuck. In most cases, unless you have a customer-oriented role, most companies will offer employees have the flexibility to work remotely to allow a continuous workflow, wherever they are. “
Vijay Gandhi, Korn Ferry’s Regional Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, believes that if the last 18 months have meant a big change in the way many people work, the next few years will be an even bigger revolution in practice. in the United Arab Emirates.
“Neutral jobs will lead to more flexibility. More offices will change their design to allow this flexibility depending on labor demand and equipment. We will continue to see creative and different work ideas emerge and adapt to the new environment. work, “he added.
The change in the working week in the United Arab Emirates, according to Gandhi, will also bring a positive turn to the culture of work from home. “People are not rewarded with parameters from 9 to 5 or from Monday to Friday, but are linked to the results they are achieving on a regular basis. In general, the work environment will experience a significant change, and distance work is part of the norm ”.
Spend your annual vacation locally
Waleed Anwar added that now more than ever, UAE employees are spending less locally due to global travel restrictions. “Because they are afraid of being stranded abroad and not being able to return, the leaves are definitely shorter and change from the traditional long summer leaves that we are used to taking in this country.”
During the last two years of the pandemic, some employees have accumulated annual vacations due to not being able to travel due to Covid-19 restrictions, while some employees have no annual surplus because employers encouraged them to take vacations during the confinements, he added.
As of January 1, 2022, the UAE government changed the weekend from Friday to Saturday at noon from Friday to Sunday to help local businesses and also improve the reconciliation of work and family life of the UAE. residents.
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“Changing weekends should not change how many days off people are entitled to, because under UAE labor law, employees are entitled to 30 days off after completing one year of work, of which 22 days are working days, which will remain the same with the change of the weekend, “Anwar said.
People-intensive businesses can change the annual holidays
The recruitment and human resources sector says companies operating in people-intensive industries, such as tourism, retail and hospitality, are likely to hire more people with the change over the weekend. These companies can also modify employees ’annual vacations due to the Covid-19 pandemic and structure them in a way that helps them achieve their goals and also benefits employees.
“This new work week will no doubt lead to changes in many industries, such as the restaurant and hospitality business, to organize brunch and dining deals, Friday specials, etc. They may also consider hiring additional staff during the new weekend that it will generate new income, opportunities in this sector “, said Patel.
