Dubai: Working hours for the government sector employees have been announced on Thursday.
The official working hours for federal government employees during Ramadan, will be from 9am to 2pm (from Monday to Thursday) and from 9am to 12pm on Fridays, according to the government resolution issued on Thursday.
Ramadan is likely to begin on Saturday, April 2, and will end on Sunday, May 1, according to Arabian weather, the first and largest Arabic site that provides information on weather forecasts.
The resolution also allows federal authorities to implement flexible working and remote work systems on Fridays during the Holy Month, in line with government decisions that regulate flexible and remote work for federal government employees, including on Friday. Moreover, the resolution offers the option to work from home on Fridays for 40 per cent of the total number of government employees.
The rules for working from home stipulate that both employees and their work should meet related requirements, and federal authorities should identify suitable jobs that can be done from home and organise appropriate tasks and duties for employees on Fridays approved by direct supervisors, in coordination with heads of departments and human resources departments.
The weekly work system for the federal government will prioritise employees who live far from their workplaces or have specific conditions that make it hard for them to travel.
Meanwhile, the crescent of the Islamic month of Shaban has been sighted in Abu Dhabi on Thursday day marking the last day of Islamic month of Rajab.
Accordingly, Friday is the first day of Shaban, which means that Ramadan may fall on April 2 if Shaban is only 29, or on April 3 if it completes 30 days as per the Hijri Islamic calendar.
The Shaban crescent was sighted by Al Khatm Astronomy, an affiliate of the International Astronomical Centre.
Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, is a time when Muslims across the world fast from sunrise to sunset.
On the first day of Ramadan, the people of Dubai will fast about 13 hours and 47 minutes, gradually increasing to about 14 and a half hours towards the end of the holy month.
The end of Ramadan, when the new moon is sighted, marks Eid Al Fitr, which is the start of the Shawwal month.
In the UAE, the moon-sighting committee will confirm the official starting dates for Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr.
