FAHR Introduces 'Back to School' Flexibility Policy for UAE Federal Employees

The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) has issued a circular to all federal ministries and entities in the UAE regarding the "Back to School" policy 2024-2025.

The policy allows parents working in the federal government to accompany their children to schools and nurseries at the beginning of the new academic year.

The circular is designed to support federal government employees by offering flexibility in the work environment, in line with current directives and legislation, while ensuring that workflow and service delivery remain unaffected. This flexibility is subject to the systems in place within each federal entity and requires the approval of the direct manager.

The policy provides federal government employees who have children in schools the flexibility to take their children to and from school on their first day. The flexibility allows for either a morning late leave or early dismissal for a maximum of 3 hours combined or divided between morning or evening periods.

For federal government employees with children in nurseries and kindergartens, the policy allows for either a late arrival in the morning or an early departure during the first week of school. This flexibility is granted for a maximum of three hours per day, with consideration given to the varying start dates of schools based on the curriculum set by the relevant authorities.

The policy also provides flexible working hours on other occasions and circumstances related to the academic year, provided that this does not disrupt the entity's workflow and does not conflict with the Federal Government Human Resources Law and its executive regulations.

An employee may be granted permission not exceeding three hours to attend parent-teacher meetings as well as graduation ceremonies, events and activities for their children.

News Source: Emirates News Agency