Job Discussion Forums

stabnkill · Joined: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 62 Location: the land of dreams

Has anybody heard a rumor that the weekend is going to change to Fri./Sat. starting in July 2008?

Head off: Yes, last year there was a lot of talk of changing the weekend to Fri./Sat. in Oman, and no it never happened, and yes it did happen in the UAE, and yes it is for this reason and that reason and blah blah blah.

Does anyone know if this rumor is true or not?

camelman · Joined: 18 Jul 2006 Posts: 38 Location: Oman

From July 1st. It will only be the banks working Sunday to Thursday. I am sure in the future "we" will make the big switch but for now only the banks.

If you head to www.timesofoman.com you can read all about it. You may have to search, it was there a while ago.

lotsa · Joined: 21 Mar 2007 Posts: 68 Location: Oman

There was a big write-up about this topic in the H! weekly last week. My feeling is that it will happen country-wide albeit gradually.

There was talk of having only certain parts of industry having Fri-Sat as a weekend, with the remainder of the country with the status quo, simply to reduce road traffic so that people could travel to the villages in order to be refreshed from less traffic!

The assertion on that basis is rather curious given that if you have one member of the family working in a bank and his/her partner working in a different industry, they would only get one day per week together with the family members!

desertrat · Joined: 23 Mar 2008 Posts: 25

Well looks like its going to happen sooner rather than later. The current proposal is that all companies/ govt offices will change over to a 5 day week possibly on or before national day

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Yes, but which 5 days? Will it be the usual Thurs/Fri weekend or switch over to Fri/Sat as some other countries are doing?

VS

Duffy · Joined: 29 Oct 2005 Posts: 449 Location: Oman

As we now have Fri/Sat banking weekends, my guess that it will be the same for working week. Especially as other Gulf states moved to those days.
Duffy Laughing

desertrat · Joined: 23 Mar 2008 Posts: 25

VS thurs/fri is considered a 5 1/2 day week. Fri/Sat is a 5 day week. sorry i just assumed you knew that already

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Not in education - not in Oman Kuwait or the Emirates. It has always been a 5 day week with Thurs/Fri weekend. As a teacher - and since this is a teacher's board - the schedule of other fields has always been irrelevant to me. Laughing

I've never heard of your definition... at least not in the last 20 years. Is this some new idea?

VS

Duffy · Joined: 29 Oct 2005 Posts: 449 Location: Oman

Need to correct this.

Banking hours in Oman now are from Sunday to Thursday. (Fri/Sat closed)

This may apply to all private and government bodies at a later date but no official confirmation has been published.

As we all know over here, if it isn't in the newspapers, it isn't going to happen!!

So watch this space. Shocked