{
  "id": 3922588,
  "title": "UAE announces flexible working hours for federal employees as schools reopen",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/uae-announces-flexible-working-hours-for-federal-employees-as-schools",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-28T08:30:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-announces-flexible-working-hours-for-federal-employees-as-schools-reopen-1.500655260"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The UAE government has introduced a flexible working hours policy for federal employees to accommodate the return of children to school for the new academic year. Under this policy, employees with children in primary school and above may adjust their working hours to accommodate their children's school schedules. This flexibility allows them to arrive late or leave early on their child's first school day to take them to and from school. The total flexibility granted on the first school day cannot exceed three hours and must be approved by the employee's direct manager. The policy also extends to nurseries and kindergartens, with flexible arrival and departure times available throughout the first week of the academic year, again not exceeding three hours in total. This initiative is part of the UAE Cabinet-approved Back to School Policy, which aims to support employees in their role as parents during the school reopening. Beyond the opening days, federal entities may grant up to three hours of authorized absence for employees to attend parent-teacher meetings, graduation ceremonies, school events, or other related activities, provided it does not disrupt the operations of the federal entity and complies with the UAE's federal government human resources legislation.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}