Al-Riyadh One of the obstacles that hinders the employment of Saudi men and women is the unlimited work hours in the private sector. There is no limit to the number of hours you can work. What can stop a business or a company from working seven days a week or making employees work longer? Nothing can stop them. Some work even on Saturdays and some shops open their doors on Fridays and Saturdays, a time when nobody should be working. We need to set work hours for businesses and malls and have two days off for companies. More importantly, businesses should, based on the nature of their activities, close their doors one day a week. For example, restaurants, pharmacies and entertainment places should work throughout the week. We need to cut down on the use of electricity, reduce traffic jams and give workers two days off a week. Private sector workers need to take two days off. It has become an inevitable thing. How can we create a healthy work environment in the private sector if there is no equilibrium? Unfortunately, some shops open their doors 14 hours a day and exhaust their employees. I am not talking about restaurants but certain shops. I believe a Saudi who works every day of the week and more than eight hours a day does it because he has no other choice. If we had a law specifying the limit of work hours and gave workers two days off a week, the situation would be different. Such a law must set penalties and be strictly enforced. Only then will we see Saudi men and women who are serious about work and who want to work. Such a law would conserve energy and stop all forms of waste. We need to create a social equilibrium. It is never too late. We should seize the opportunity today and make a law that sets the official working hours in the private sector. Our work environment should be balanced and attractive to Saudi men and women.
