The UAE is expected to become very hot and therefore, Dubai has reintroduced its ‘Our Flexible Summer’ initiative allowing workers in the public sector in Dubai to work on more flexible work schedule between July 1st and September 12th, 2025. Initiated by the Dubai Government Human Resources Department (DGHR), the program seeks to promote employee wellbeing, work-life balance and effectiveness during the most severe months of the year.
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What Is the ‘Our Flexible Summer’ Initiative?
First introduced in 2024, in 21 government bodies, ‘Our Flexible Summer’ had an outstanding employee satisfaction level of 98 per cent, so in 2025 Dubai plans to make it a long-term measure. With this program, the government departments will now be able to provide flexibility of schedules to their employees but with the freedom of adopting the changes depending on the requirement of their operations. According to the DGHR, the initiative will help make summer a bit cooler to employees because it will have flexibility in the workplace to meet their personal and professional needs.
Two Flexible Work Options for Government Employees
There are two options of flexible working hours that the government employees will be able to choose from as per their comfort:
- Flexible Start and End Hours – The staff can start and finish their work day earlier or later than usual to ensure that they do not commute at mid-day and due to the hot conditions.
- Condensed Workweek Choice – This is where employees get an extended workday but less workdays as an option and have a complete three-day weekend depending on the requirements.
The options are compulsory and departmental-based, allowing keeping the continuity of public services besides accommodating the staff comfort.
Proven Results From the 2024 Trial
The campaign of the Our Flexible Summer is not new after all. A comparable trial took place in 2024 across 21 government entities between August 12 and September 30. The outcome?
- 98 percent employee satisfaction
- Increased performance in workplaces
- Recognizable improvements on morale and employee retention
- High support of repeat implementation and implementation expansion
The results encouraged the DGHR to launch the program city-wide in 2025 not doubting that the model would have a positive impact on the performance of the department and employee wellbeing.
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More Than Flexibility: Worker Welfare in the UAE Summer
The flexible can go hand in hand with a wider effort to take care of the workers under the scorching summers in Dubai. In this regard, the current government employees are using a 2.5 day weekend [half day Fridays and full weekends]. With this new model they might have the advantage of having a complete three day weekend based on their work group and chosen schedule.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has adhered to strong summer labor protection policies particularly to outdoor workers:
- Midday Break Law: Between June 15th and September 15th, all outdoor work must be stopped between 12.30 PM and 3.00 PM.
- Fines: Companies will pay Dh5,000 per worker in case of violation with a maximum of Dh50,000 in case of repeated offenses.
- Cooling Stations: More than 10,000 air-conditioned rest points have established across UAE to the delivery personals and field workers.
Final Thoughts
The program in Dubai called Our Flexible Summer is an indication of the transformation of culture in the public sector towards empathetic and progressive culture. The city is going a long way in protecting and ensuring that the workforce, especially the government employees in Dubai are productive and get special work schedules by empowering departments to provide new work schedules. Actions such as this one have made Dubai an example of what pursuing excellent worker wellness is capable of. The company has found a solid balance between being operationally excellent and being employee-friendly.