About 76 percent of adults were affected by the new UAE workweek, a survey has highlighted.
Beginning January 1, Saturday and Sunday formed the new weekend in the country while some employees enjoy a shorter workweek with Friday being a half-day.
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The survey by YouGov, an international research and analytics organization, has revealed that the change affected people across various age groups and a higher proportion of young adults (76 per cent), aged between 18 and 24, claimed to be more affected by the change than older adults between the ages of 35 and 44 (59 per cent) and those over 45 (49 per cent).
Majority (79 per cent) said their organizations have switched to the new workweek policy while 47 per cent said their companies have adopted the shorter workweek, while the remaining 53 per cent are following a five-day workweek from Monday to Friday.
Nearly a third (31 per cent) of the working respondents expressed difficulty in readjusting to their weekend leisure schedules and a similar percentage (30 per cent) said they experienced heavy traffic on Fridays.
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The other issues that people in the UAE currently face, or are likely to face in the future, are difficulty in adjusting to the new workweek (29 per cent), trouble planning holidays (26 per cent) and less family time (24 per cent) due to differing workweeks and the data has also shown that young adults, between the ages of 18 and 24, seem to be experiencing these challenges more so than other age groups.
A majority (61 per cent) of UAE residents said that they were happy with the new workweek policy, with those aged between 35 to 44 appearing happier than others (67 per cent).
