UAE | Employment

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah at 2

Gulf News explores three emirates to find out their work culture.

  • Staff Report
  • Published: 00:00 April 15, 2007
  • Gulf News

Gulf News explores three emirates to find out their work culture.

Dubai at 2:00pm

It is the middle of the day and the city of Dubai is buzzing with life. The streets of Shaikh Zayed, Jumeirah, Al Ittihad, Al Garhoud and Al Maktoum are full of cars.

Government employees are driving home after the end of their working day, while others working in the private sector are rushing to catch a meeting or are on their way to lunch.

Some commuters are also driving back home — not because they have finished their working day, but because they have a four-hour midday break, as they are working on a split-shift basis.

School buses are also on the roads transporting children back home after a school day. Labourers on constructions sites are slowly starting to go back to work after a short lunch break.

Abu Dhabi at 2:00pm

Abu Dhabi businesses are diverse in their timings: some have adopted the straight shift, others the split shift. It is 2pm in the capital and the streets are bustling.

The city's main arteries are congested; cars line the streets, tempers flare and horns are honked. Some are escaping
the office to enjoy a lunch hour, while others are heading home for siesta.

However, by 2:30pm, the city is calm once again; after all, this is not Dubai.

The rush hour in the main streets of the capital usually starts after 1:30pm, and continues for around an hour. Shops, mainly retailers, close at two and open again at five, while restaurants, malls, and big businesses remain open all day.

Fujairah at 2:00pm

At two in the afternoon there is less energy in the city of Fujairah, with the traffic flow signaling the end of a working day for some, and the end of the a half day for others.

Most cafes and entertainment facilities are empty, but a noticeable number of cars are parked around restaurants and other fast food outlets.

School buses are seen dropping off pupils and there are visibly less taxis on the streets. At the usually bustling Al Muhait Road, very few people are seen around as rows of closed-up shops line up on both sides of the tracks.

On a number of construction sites, a mixed picture develops as some labourers can be seen taking a nap while others toil in the afternoon heat.

A few tourists can be spotted braving the sun as they walk around the city, and at the sparsely populated beaches, some use the time on their hands to catch some sea, while others fly a kite.

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