Kuwait announces new rules for evening work shift

KUWAIT: Kuwait authorities announced new rules for instituting evening work at some government offices beginning in January 2025, local media reported.

Kuwait’s national employment body, the Civil Service Commission, stated that the new system will go into effect on January 5 and provided details on how it will be implemented.

The employee’s period of work in the evening shift must not be less than seven months. To put it another way, unless the relevant agency gives its consent, such an employee is not allowed to return to the morning work shift before the end of this period.

Additionally, there is a six-hour limit on the number of times each month that employees may request permission to leave the office before the end of their shift.

Every government agency has the authority to decide on the evening working hours during the workdays, with four and a half hours being the real working hours. The evening shift cannot begin earlier than 3:30 p.m.

The employee must file a corresponding request in order to transition to the nighttime work shift. The administrative agency’s discretionary jurisdiction based on the public interest will determine whether to approve this request.

As long as work in the morning shift remains unaffected, the percentage of employees assigned to nighttime shifts cannot surpass 30% of the agency’s entire workforce.

The goal of the new method is to increase productivity, lessen morning traffic, and enhance the working conditions for government employees so they can perform well under pressure.

The Kuwaiti government gave the Civil Service Commission the job of implementing the evening work shift in addition to the standard morning shift earlier this month. Essam Al Rubaiaan, the head of the commission, gave a presentation during a Cabinet meeting, which was followed by government backing.

A system for evening work at 13 government agencies was discussed by the head of the Civil Service Commission during a meeting with top officials in August. There are 4.9 million people living in Kuwait city, including 3.3 million foreigners.