While commuting from the a place of residence to work is not counted as part of office hours. However, there are some exceptions to the rule.
In accordance with the new UAE labour law, employees’ commute time will only be counted as part of their working hours in some circumstances.
Although the Article 17 of the new law also attested that commuting from employee’s house shall not be counted as part of office hours, unless it is under the regulations of few exceptions.
Workers’ travel time will be included as part of their working hours if:
1. The worker is delayed due to inclement weather and in response to National Centre of Meteorology warnings of probable weather variations.
2. If the employee is commuting in an employer-provided vehicle that breaks down or is involved in an accident.
3. If both the employer and the employee expressly agree to incorporate commuting time into working hours.
According to Imran Khan, a legal adviser at Bin Eid Advocates and Legal Consultants, calculating commuting inside working hours is especially advantageous for low-skilled workers.
Employees are not permitted to work more than two hours of overtime every day unless it is required to avert major damage or an accident.
