A trial in Iceland to introduce a four-day working week has resulted in a boost in productivity and a fall in stress levels.
The world’s second-happiest nation, according to surveys, conducted a series of experiments over a four-year period involving 2,500 people – around one per cent of the population.
Many of the people who took part in the public sector trial went from a 40-hour working week to a 35 or 36-hour week.
I can’t see it working as it doesn’t make sense for companies here
David Mackenzie,
Mackenzie Jones
The National spoke to some of the UAE’s leading employment experts to see if this most Scandinavian of models could be imported to the Gulf region.
Their answers made disappointing reading for those hoping to get an extra day off work to soak up the sun.
“I can’t see it working as it doesn’t make sense for companies here,” said David Mackenzie, group managing director at recruiters Mackenzie Jones.
“There has always been a culture of hard work and putting in reasonably long hours in the UAE.
“I can’t say that changing unless the public sector introduces it first, with the private sector following its lead.”
The Iceland trials, run by Reykjavik City Council, saw a host of workplaces taking part –including schools, hospitals, social service providers and offices.
The trials were so successful that many have adopted the four-day week as a permanent model.
Now the vast majority of Iceland’s workforce – 86 per cent – has been able to move to a 35 to 36-hour week without taking a pay cut.
Mr Mackenzie said that would not be the case with companies in the UAE.
“The first thing employers will do is say you are only working four days a week now so we are reducing your salary by a day,” he said.
“Employers will not pay people more for doing less.”
He said the economies in Iceland and the UAE were completely different and what worked for Iceland would not necessarily work in other markets.
“I can’t see the UAE being able to move to a four-day working week, because of the type of people who work here and the type of people who run companies here,” he said.
“The UAE has a 50-year-old economy while Iceland’s is more than 400 years old; you are not comparing like for like.”
He said the first hurdle to the adoption of a four-day working week in the UAE was an obvious one – people come to the region to work.
Around 50 per cent of the Gulf’s population are foreign workers. In the UAE and Qatar, that figure is even higher, at 85 per cent.
“If somebody said would you take a day’s less money but you get an extra day on the beach, would you take it?” he said.
“Some of the younger people might, but most people who are here to focus on their career and provide for their families would want to carry on working five days a week.
“The people who come here just for the lifestyle don’t tend to stay that long anyway.”
The pandemic was another factor that worked against the adoption of a four-day working week, according to Mr Mackenzie.
“It doesn’t seem logical when you consider we are coming out of such a difficult time with a huge amount of people out there who have been made redundant,” he said.
“People are more likely to be interested in working an extra day for more pay right now.”
The results of the study in Iceland were published as a study by UK-based think tank Autonomy and the research organisation Association for Sustainability and Democracy (Alda) in Iceland.
“The Icelandic shorter working journey tells us that not only is it possible to work less in modern times, but that progressive change is possible too,” said Gudmundur Haraldsson, a researcher at Alda.
Iceland is not the only country in the world to explore a four-day working week though.
Earlier this year, the Spanish government announced it would be testing out the concept of a 32-hour working week, while New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said employers should consider a four-day week to help employees obtain a healthy work/life balance.
The consumer goods firm Unilever announced in November last year it was introducing a four-day working week in New Zealand that would run until December of this year, with staff not having to take a salary reduction.
Another Dubai recruiter, Ian Jenkins, said the more successful firms would not simply be focusing on for how long somebody was working.
“The focus should be on output rather than attendance,” he said.
He also said it was unlikely the UAE could adopt a four-day working week without employees having to take a hit on their wages.
“The UAE is a service-led economy. Assuming there was no change in salaries, this would mean going to a four-day week would raise costs for service providers,” he said.
He also questioned whether the model was practical, with so many still working remotely due to the pandemic.
“The lines between work and home were blurring increasingly with employees expected to be always on regardless of working hours, this was driven by smartphones and digital working practices pre-pandemic,” he said.
“Remote working during the pandemic has increased this pressure,” said Mr Jenkins.
“A four-day week would only work when the employer has a respect for the employee’s right to disconnect outside office hours.”
The Sand Castle
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Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105
Name: Colm McLoughlin
Country: Galway, Ireland
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Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah
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How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
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BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
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The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
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Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
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