[Jumeirah Jim]

It seems that the craziness continues yet again about holidays..

A couple of weeks ago the private sector "holiday" was rumoured to be moving forward to this Saturday. That seems to have gone quiet ....

Today Sheikh Mohammed has announced "we" will get 1st and 2nd as holidays :fingerscrossed: but on his twitter post (and in the national's report) it doesn't explain who this will apply to. Seems to suggest for all but surely it's just going to be the public sector who get both days off?

Anyone heard from their employer yet?

 

[Leendert]

Gulf News only mentioned the holidays for government employees. It seems unlikely that they would give two holidays for the private sector.

Either way, I am taking both days off to explore the region, knowing there could be an added bonus that it would cost me only one vacation day. Not counting on that though.

Leonard

 

[vantage]

It seems that the craziness continues yet again about holidays.. A couple of weeks ago the private sector "holiday" was rumoured to be moving forward to this Saturday. That seems to have gone quiet .... Today Sheikh Mohammed has announced "we" will get 1st and 2nd as holidays :fingerscrossed: but on his twitter post (and in the national's report) it doesn't explain who this will apply to. Seems to suggest for all but surely it's just going to be the public sector who get both days off? Anyone heard from their employer yet?

We have certainty in our office.
Certainty that we will have no idea until about 3 hrs before the fact, to ensure no chance to make plans!

 

[Jumeirah Jim]

National now saying 1st and 2nd is just public sector

UAE National Day holiday announced | The National

 

[Canuck_Sens]

National now saying 1st and 2nd is just public sector

UAE National Day holiday announced | The National

Yupeeee!!

 

[Jumeirah Jim]

how nice 4u

is your annual leave allowance quite generous too???

 

[Canuck_Sens]

how nice 4u

is your annual leave allowance quite generous too???

30 businesss days and I went beyond this year...for which I took no paid leave.

 

[Jumeirah Jim]

ok I think you have said more than enough on this thread my friend

do go away before the rest of us slit our wrists

 

[Canuck_Sens]

hmmmm not everything is a bed of roses...I do suffer believe it or not. I am against excessive days off and so many holidays. I find that the productivity of the country goes down. GDP levels could be improved if public and private sector worked more.

Well having said that, I feel you don't feel like slitting your wrists...perhaps in this very moment you feel like strangling me....because I am promoting more work and apparently I am not grateful for what I have...indeed it is a strange world the one we live in!! lol

 

[Jumeirah Jim]

First paragraph of your post: my heart bleeds for you. How do you cope with all these days off? (this is sarcasm for the slower people here and (surprisingly the last poster) )

Second paragraph: please refer to the wording in brackets above. I thought as you have posted here a while you were less "straight North American" eyed about his stuff?

Just makes be realise how many MILLION miles away the average Brit is from the average Yank on this thinking. Haha

 

[Canuck_Sens]

That certainly is not the last post and I knew it was a sarcasm.....most of us would like to have more days off...maximize welfare is Bi!h...that stuff....but you showed signs of sulkiness

I do not favour a welfare system where there is abuse. Productive people not working because there is a welfare system allowing them to get by. However, the public sector is a drag here in this sense. Welfare is good if you have the right mix there.

During recession though, I believe people would happily work without having any holidays. So yeah we are privileged we have jobs and a lot of holidays to gloat about.

somehow I dont feel happy about it.

 

[Jager]

When I negotiated my package here, I was able to link my public holidays to those observed by the Australian Embassy. That way, I get the best of both worlds - key holidays from home when no one is around in head office like Christmas, New Year Easter & Australia Day, plus the main UAE holidays as well.

So, 2nd of December is a holiday for me (according to the Australian Embassy website).

I appreciate this system wouldn't work for everyone, but if your seconded here from an overseas company its a mechanism worth thinking about.

 

[Gavtek]

2 days holiday for private sector, Saturday and Sunday, so only Sunday really. A bit strange that we'll be working on National Day seeing that's the holiday is for National Day but I'd rather have the Sunday off than the Monday.

 

[Chocoholic]

Well actually 'some' of the private sector get 2 days. If you only get Friday's off, then you take Saturday as the holida. If you get Fri/Sat off, then you get Sunday as well - stupid, but hey ho.

UAE National Day private sector holiday announced | GulfNews.com

 

[desiboy89]

Thursday will likely be a holiday as well if they get the Expo

 

[Tropicana]

hmmmm not everything is a bed of roses...I do suffer believe it or not. I am against excessive days off and so many holidays. I find that the productivity of the country goes down. GDP levels could be improved if public and private sector worked more.

Productivity =/ sitting in an office for long hours without holidays

Going by that line of logic, weekends and 8 hour days affect productivity as well.

On one end you have the French 35 hour week and on the other you have the partly American/ partly Asian Tiger mindset of feeling guilty about taking vacation, always "catching up" with work while on holiday, and people taking 3 week vacations being worried for their jobs.
This is one of the things in which the UK and other First World Commonwealth countries have kept a good balance

 

[Tropicana]

Thursday will likely be a holiday as well if they get the Expo

The rumors on the web were a whole week off for the Expo which is absurd to say the least

The decision, which is 99% known, will be declared after 8pm on Wednesday, isn't that a bit too late to declare a holiday for the next day ?

 

[Chocoholic]

The rumors on the web were a whole week off for the Expo which is absurd to say the least

The decision, which is 99% known, will be declared after 8pm on Wednesday, isn't that a bit too late to declare a holiday for the next day ?

That will be for Public sector i.e. the majority of Nationals. Not Private sector.

 

[jk_1337]

When I negotiated my package here, I was able to link my public holidays to those observed by the Australian Embassy. That way, I get the best of both worlds - key holidays from home when no one is around in head office like Christmas, New Year Easter & Australia Day, plus the main UAE holidays as well.

So, 2nd of December is a holiday for me (according to the Australian Embassy website).

I appreciate this system wouldn't work for everyone, but if your seconded here from an overseas company its a mechanism worth thinking about.

Smart man! I didn't think about that when I moved though for me Christmas and Easter are of no consequence. Australia Day on the other hand... that's reserved for a barbie and the Triple J Hottest 100 - certainly a cause for celebration and to take the bloody day off! It falls on a Sunday in 2014 so will most definitely be making it a long weekend!

 

[nidserz]

From what I read...
If you have Friday only off, you get Saturday as your holiday... but work Sunday?
And if you have Friday Saturday off, you get Sunday as your holiday.

Doesn't make sense, but never really does.