That Sunday Morning Feeling

It is surprising how few people back in England realise that the Arabic world operates to a different working week than the Western world. While you are tucking into your Sunday dinner, here in Abu Dhabi we are just coming to the end of our first working day of the week.

The holy day for Islam falls on Friday. Until fairly recently, the working week in most Islamic countries was Saturday to Wednesday. This is still the case in Saudi Arabia, for example. It was only a couple of years ago that the United Arab Emirates moved to a working week of Sunday to Thursday in order to maximise trading and business opportunities with the rest of the world.

The most obvious effect is that there are only four days in each week when offices in the UAE and the UK are both open for business. In the mobile and blackberry age this may not seem a big issue. However, Friday morning prayers are a very important part of a Muslim's life and people may have plans for their weekend. It may be difficult to reach contacts here at short notice.

Government and civil service functions are completely shut down on Friday and Saturday. Many shops do not open for business until after 4pm on a Friday - if they open at all. Until then the streets are eerily quiet.
It impacts on other areas, such as banking transactions. Money transferred out of the UK on a Thursday or Friday isn't likely to hit a UAE account until the following Monday at the very earliest.

Sunday working isn't actually as bad as it sounds. Because Eversheds headquarters are in the UK, and virtually all of our international offices work Monday to Friday, there is very little incoming email traffic or phone calls on a Sunday. It is a chance to catch up on things.

I am currently in the middle of my first Ramadan out in Abu Dhabi. This is also something which affects working hours in Muslim countries. For those who don't know, Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and is the holy month.

It is a month of fasting, abstinence and meditation during which Muslims are expected to follow the teachings of Islam and their religious duties with even more diligence. Muslims do not eat or drink during the hours of daylight and it is unlawful for anyone to eat or drink in public during these hours. Just this week two people in Dubai were fined 1,000 dirhams (approximately £150) each for drinking juice in public during daylight hours. People travelling to the UAE during Ramadan need to be mindful of this.

UAE law requires that all employees work reduced hours during Ramadan. This applies to both Muslims and non-Muslims in contrast with some other Gulf states where it only applies to Muslims. In practice some employees continue to work normal hours, however many do not. The majority of organisations close early afternoon. Prayer timings also affect business hours and the availability of people.

The upshot is that generally business and the pace at which business is done slows down during the holy month. Ramadan is then immediately followed by Eid-al-Fitr (the festival of fast breaking), which sees a three day public holiday.

In the same way as things slow down during Ramadan, the pace of business and trade slows down visibly over the summer months. The summer heat in the Middle East is ferocious. Its impact on business in Abu Dhabi, and across the Gulf, is significant.

Many locals and expatriates escape the heat for more temperate climes, particularly during school holidays in July and August. As a result less decision makers are around and business transactions are progressed far more slowly.

Now that both summer and Ramadan are drawing to a close, and we establish our office in Abu Dhabi, it looks like the real work is about to begin...

• Post to:
•  del.icio.us
•  Digg
•  Newsvine
•  Nowpublic
•  Reddit