UAE: Flexible hours and work-from-home for parents
Many parents in the UAE were offered flexible work hours or the choice to work remotely as numerous students return to school this week. Some parents were able to create valuable memories with their children.
Dubai resident Luis Carreno was a parent who accompanied his daughters to school in the morning. He said that his oldest daughter, Jamilah, began Year 1 and his youngest daughter, Halime, started Foundation Stage 2 today.
The FAHR stated that government employees can have flexible working hours to take their kids to school on Monday and the whole week if their children are in nursery or kindergarten.
Relaxed period of time
Abu Dhabi resident Salam A, employed at a federal government entity, had the opportunity to work from home for the entire week. He stated that our company has afforded employees with kindergarten-age children the option to work remotely in order to manage school drop-off schedules.
Salam mentioned that he had a good time bringing his 3-year-old daughter Ilham to school on Monday. He said she began her first week with a staggered start. This implies that she only attends school for an hour on Monday and Tuesday, while the rest of the week she spends three hours at school. During the initial week, there won't be any bus transportation due to the adjustment period.
The FAHR program will also be used for significant occasions during the academic calendar, such as parent-teacher conferences and commencement ceremonies. The flexibility period will not exceed three hours and can be utilized in one single block or split between morning and evening.
Umm Saad, an executive admin at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, stated that her department saw a positive impact from the policy. They were granted a 'Happy 2 Hours Leave' that they can take advantage of at any point during the current week. She mentioned that she managed to take her 11-year-old son Saad to school on Monday without the hassle of navigating through the typical back to school traffic and accompanying rush. "Those couple of hours had a significant impact and I appreciated it greatly."
On Monday, her coworker Eijaz Hussain utilized it to take his three kids to school. He mentioned that he had the opportunity to have different conversations with them while in the car. Throughout the journey, the children displayed high levels of enthusiasm and curiosity, with my 8-year-old daughter Rehab being particularly inquisitive. Following every summer break, the initial day of the school year is brimming with enthusiasm. Having two hours allowed me to relax, knowing I didn't have to hurry back to work and could spend quality time with my kids.
Challenging week
In addition to government entities, various private companies also offered their employees flexible work arrangements.
For Manjula Manoj, an Indian mother of two, this is a challenging week as both her kids will begin school on Monday. I needed to get ready in advance to take my daughter to school. Despite my office having flexible hours, I chose to forgo the gym in order to guarantee I could drop off my child and arrive at work promptly.
She mentioned that she and her husband worked together to make the morning routine easier for the school. "We had a challenging week, but with proper preparation, we managed to make it easy."
Emirati mother M.K. is another individual preparing for a challenging week. She mentioned that it was necessary to plan ahead because her three kids started on different days. Her plan was to take one hour off from work on Monday and Wednesday. "Today, a work email was received granting parents a two-hour delay for the first week back to school," she expressed with gratitude.
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