Bahrain: Rules Set for Public Employees’ Flexible Working Hours System
Civil Service Bureau President Ahmed bin Zayed Al Zayed issued Edict (1) of 2023 on CSB’s instructions regarding the employees’ attendance and departure system in government agencies. This came following the Cabinet’s approval of adopting the flexible working hours system across ministries and government agencies to provide employees with a three-hour window to begin their workday to increase productivity.
The instructions aim to set unified and fair attendance and departure rules for employees working in government agencies to improve and increase productivity, as well as create a comfortable and convenient working environment. Al Zayed indicated that the instructions clarify the procedures and measures necessary to implement the flexible working hours system in a way that contributes to organising work and providing integrated data and reports that enable decision-makers to follow up on the attendance and departure system in those entities accurately and comprehensively.
He said that government agencies should instruct employees to adhere to the specified official working hours, while maintaining the provision of government services to the public quickly and effectively, according to performance indicators. He indicated that the regular working system includes 36 hours weekly, from 07:00 am to 02:15 pm, from Sunday to Wednesday, and from 07:00 am to 02:00 on Thursday.
Regarding the official working hours for the extended working hours’ system, including 40 hours per week, work begins at 07:00 am and ends at 03:00 pm from Sunday to Thursday, he said, adding that the application of the flexible working system shall not exceed three flexible hours as a maximum.
