By Majd Othman

KUWAIT: A four-day workweek will be difficult to adopt in Kuwait unless the lack of commitment among employees in the public sector is addressed, said a human resources expert. Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates was the first city to implement the four-day work week in the Gulf region. Since January 2022, employees have been working for four days instead of five or six days as in most Arab countries.

Kuwait Times spoke with Aref Al-Ajmi, an HR expert, about the possibility of implementing this system in Kuwait and whether the country's regulations are flexible enough to make it happen. "This working system is going to trend in the coming years, due to its contribution to a good work-life balance, which is a good thing if we think about it from a human perspective," he said. Ajmi added the entire working system should be changed if Kuwait was to switch to a four-day workweek.

He added the country should address the poor work ethic among government employees before thinking of adopting a shorter workweek. "In the meantime, there are several options that can bring us closer to implementing this system, such as splitting the workday into two shifts or reducing annual leaves, so the employees can enjoy working only four days a week," he explained.

Ajmi stressed this system will not be compatible with the private sector due to several reasons. "Let's be honest - the private sector does not prefer to give leaves to the employees most of time due to the huge amount of work they have." Another obstacle, said Ajmi, is that if the public sector implemented this system, there would be a great migration among Kuwaitis from the private to the public sector to reap the benefits of a shorter week.

"That will add a huge burden on the government sector to provide opportunities for all Kuwaitis, except those who have their own business," he said. "Currently, the government sector is competing with the private sector in terms of privileges, but if this system is put in place, the private sector will lose its competitive edge and will no longer be attractive for Kuwaitis."

The private and public sectors are interdependent, Ajmi added. So, the private sector will not benefit from shortening the workweek if the public sector doesn't do the same. "I totally agree with this system, which will give employees an opportunity for a balanced life, but other aspects should be taken into consideration, especially that the work system in both public and private sectors is based on governmental rules and regulations. It is not a free market where everybody can do whatever they want," he said.

There's also the labor law in Kuwait, which is "not prepared to deal with this", Ajmi said. "(This) is normal, because every major change must start with changing the law and regulations. There should be stronger government laws to maintain productivity among employees and ensure they don't abuse this new system."