Ramadan is the most holy month for Muslims all over the world who celebrate it by fasting from dawn to sunset for 30 days, giving away free food and money, and staying away from sinful activities.
Ramadan 2025 is just a few days ahead and with that, the entire UAE lifestyle and business landscape is preparing for a huge shift just like every year. Ramadan is the most holy month for Muslims all over the world who celebrate it by fasting from dawn to sunset for 30 days, giving away free food and money, and staying away from sinful activities.
As the routines and daily lives of people change during this month so does the need to come up with modified working schedules to facilitate them while ensuring smooth operations.
Keeping that in mind, the UAE government proposes reduced working hours both for the public and private sector every Ramadan. This blog delves into the latest working-hour policies that businesses in the UAE have to follow.
It also shares some useful insights into business etiquette that non-Muslims or people not observing the fast can follow in the workplace so keep on reading till the end.
Ramadan 2025 Working Hours for Public Sector
Ramadan 2025 Working Hours for Private Sector
Educational Institutions Working Hours
Public Transportation Working Hours
Salik Toll Timing and Fees During Ramadan 2025
Important Business Etiquette for Ramadan 2025 in the UAE
Ramadan 2025 Working Hours for Public Sector
The working hour adjustment is an important aspect of Ramadan in the UAE. These adjustments ensure the employees are able to work without getting exhausted and they are able to maintain a healthy work-life balance while fasting for the whole day.
The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) of the UAE are responsible for the implementation of the work-hour adjustment policies in the region.
Here are the working hour policies for the public sector this Ramadan
According to FAHR, the public sector employees will have reduced working hours during Ramadan 2025. They also state that the workday in these entities will be reduced by 2 hours for all employees during this time.
These entities will operate from 9 AM to 2:30 PM from Mondays to Thursdays.
The time for Fridays will be 9 AM to 12 PM. This will allow the employees to say their Jumma prayers which typically are observed at 1:15 PM.
Up to 70% of the staff of the public sector offices can work from home.
Ramadan 2025 Working Hours for Private Sector
Employees in the private sector will also benefit from reduced working hours in Ramadan 2025 in the UAE. This adjustment is done to give these employees more time to pray and to attend to other familial duties.
Here are the main working hour policies for this sector
According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), the private sector will reduce their timing by two working hours.
The employees will work from 9 AM to 3 PM from Mondays to Thursdays and from 9 AM to 12:30 PM on Fridays.
There will be no salary deductions for the reduced working hours in Ramadan.
Educational Institutions Working Hours
School hours will also be reduced during Ramadan according to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) of the UAE. Schools are to provide a maximum of 5 hours of instruction during this month from Mondays to Thursdays usually from 8 AM to 1 PM.
The school timing for Fridays will be 3 hours i.e., from 9 AM to 12 PM. These adjustments will ensure both the instructors and students have enough time to prepare for and say their Jumma prayers.
There will be spring break in schools from March 15 to April 5, 2025, to further facilitate the staff and the students.
Public Transportation Working Hours
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of the UAE has also announced modified working hours during Ramadan 2025.
Following is an overview of the main points of the policy
Dubai Metro will have extended service hours from 5 AM to 12 AM from Mondays to Thursdays.
The service hours for Fridays will be 5 AM to 1 AM.
On Saturdays and Sundays, the service hours will be 5 AM to 12 AM and 8 AM to 12 AM respectively.
The schedule for the Tram will be 6 AM to 1 AM on Monday to Thursday and 9 AM to 1 AM on the weekend.
The buses will operate from 4:30 AM to 12:30 AM from Monday to Friday and from 6 AM to 1 AM on the weekends.
Salik Toll Timing and Fees During Ramadan 2025
The Salik Dubai system will also undergo changes in terms of timing and toll charges in Ramadan 2025.
Here is what you need to know
Dh6 per gate will be applied for the peak hours i.e., 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays.
Dh 4 per gate will be applied for the off-peak hours i.e., 7 AM to 9 AM and 5 PM to 2 AM on weekdays.
No charge will be applied from 2 AM to 7 AM to facilitate Suhoor as well as Fajar prayer.
Important Business Etiquette for Ramadan 2025 in the UAE
While working in the UAE, it is absolutely essential for you to respect the local culture especially during Ramadan. You should not engage in activities that are in any way disrespectful to the people who are fasting.
This section lists some important workplace ethics and etiquettes that you should practices during this holy month
You need to avoid openly drinking, smoking, or eating in front of coworkers who are observing the fast.
You should opt for a more modest dress code to show respect.
Loud music, excessive celebrations and public displays of affection are also discouraged during Ramadan.
Employers should provide designated eating areas where non-fasting employees can have lunch away from the people who are fasting.
The times of meetings should be adjusted so that they don’t clash with the prayer times.
Conduct virtual meetings whenever possible with the people who are fasting.
Conclusion
Ramadan is a pretty big deal in all of the Muslim world and UAE is not an exception. This is the time when Muslims have to make extra time for praying, Iftar and Suhoor with families, and for giving something back to the community.
This can make it very hard to maintain a healthy work-life balance which affects employee productivity. To solve this issue, the UAE authorities have come up with a more relaxed 2-hour reduction working policy both for public and private sectors.
The aim of this policy is to ensure everyone has enough time to fulfill their religious obligations and to rest and rejuvenate. It also facilitates better family and community engagement thus making your Ramadan more meaningful.
Visit Premium Car Rentals today to learn more about traffic laws and policies in the UAE and to get the best rental cars to have efficient commutes this Ramadan.