An evening shift, which went into effect in Kuwait in January, will be kept until June on a trial basis, according to a Kuwaiti media report.
The system targeting government employees aims to improve the work environment, boost productivity rates, and reduce traffic congestion in the morning.
The system also seeks to give members of the public greater flexibility in accessing government services by extending working hours to suit different schedules.
“The experiment is currently being evaluated to boost its positive aspects, address any negatives, and avoid any obstacles,” Al Anba newspaper reported, citing unidentified sources.
According to the rules set by the Civil Service Commission, Kuwait’s state employment agency, for implementing the system, each government agency is authorised to set the evening working hours, with a total of four and a half hours worked per day. Evening shifts must not begin before 3:30pm.
The sources told Al Anba that an employee, who has joined the evening shift and now wishes to return to work in the morning, is required to get approval from the relevant government agency.
“If the employee does not receive this approval, he/she will continue to work for at least seven consecutive months,” the sources added.
However, these sources remarked that the number of workers wishing to return to do the morning shift is negligible because the Civil Service Commission’s rules have already stipulated that employees are free to move to work in the evening.
“There was no compulsion. All employees, who moved to work in the evening, submitted requests of their own will, in accordance with their personal circumstances,” the sources said.
