Paternity leave as per UAE labour law Dubai

Paternity leave in UAE is currently a labor right for all fathers who want to be present in the care and upbringing of their children. Specifically, those newborn children. Since 2020, there has been an amendment to the labor law so that private sector employees have paternity leave. In the UAE, this leave lasts for five working days with full pay. You can start taking these days from the day your child is born until he or she is six months old. Furthermore, it is interesting to know that the UAE is the first Arab country to know this permit.

In this article, we will analyze the benefits, requirements, and challenges of paternity leave in UAE. The first thing you are going to see is what is paternity leave depending on each sector of the employees. You will see a comparison of the different ways of obtaining and sectors of paternity leave. In addition, we will show you the benefits of offering this permission to new parents. Finally, you will see what the best practices are for applying for paternity leave.

What is Paternity Leave?

Paternity leave in UAE are working day that the father can take after the birth of the child. On the other hand, you have to know that these operational days can be salaried or unpaid. In addition, it is special for parents who can vigorously participate in the care and upbringing of their newborn child.

Another important fact that you need to know is that paternity leave in UAE has positive impacts on companies. Specifically, these impacts can be simplified as follows:

• ·      Retention of male talent in companies.
• ·      Improvement and increase in the satisfaction of employees.
• ·      Promotion of an inclusive and family business culture.

You have to know that paternity leave in UAE is mandatory; But there are many countries in which this does not happen this way. Some nation-states indeed see it as irreproachable, while others do not include it in their laws. In summary, not all parents get this benefit in all parts of the world.

Generally, the days start from the day of the birth of the child and some following calendar days from the birth of the baby. The number of business days available varies depending on each nation-state's legislation.

However, it is interesting to know that more and more countries incorporate paternity leave into their legislation. The reason is that this is a fundamental tool to reduce the gender gap. Specifically, in home care tasks. Additionally, these are business days for parents to spend time with their children.

In summary, offer the father the opportunity to establish a bond with the child. That is, it allows you to participate more in the domestic sphere. The role of parents in the days following the birth of their children has positive effects on the development and health of the baby.

UAE Paternity Leave: Best Practices to be followed

All fathers in the UAE can avail of paternity leave in UAE. However, it is important to note that, if you wait more than six months to request it, you lose the right.

On the other hand, male employees in the UAE are not required to provide employees with documentation. That is, they do not have to show any documentation such as medical certificates. However, companies can do their own due diligence to ensure eligibility.

The employee indeed has to meet the minimum requirements according to the labor laws in UAE. However, employers with competent team members in the UAE can take into account the following best practices:

Consider Offering Longer Paternity Leave

You probably have in your thoughts that five days is not a lot of time for new families to join together. It is not enough time to establish new routines nor does it give you the opportunity to get to know each other well enough.

Furthermore, since it is such a short time, working parents cannot support new mothers with the new job. As a result, it is problematic to achieve a vigorous equilibrium between work and family life.

That is why a good business practice is to consider offering employees more days of paternity leave in UAE. With this, you will not only be a more eye-catching employer, but you will also increase member of staff well-being.

Other reimbursements of this practice include enlightening productivity and increasing employee retention rates.

Communicate Your Paternity Leave Policy

It is vital that all organizations state their policy on paternity leave in UAE to their employees in advance. The idea of ​​this is to let them know what their rights are from the beginning and avoid future conflicts. A good idea is to include this in the organization's employee handbook.

Offer Additional Support

Organizations can offer additional support to employees who are on paternity leave in UAE. For example, provide them with resources or tools for new parents or offer them flexible work arrangements. It is best to have the option to work from home when your leave runs out.

Ensure compliance with UAE Paternity Leave and other Employment Laws

The first thing you need to know is that you have the option of offering paternity leave in UAE with better benefits than the legal ones. However, it is vital for any organization to know the standards and requirements to ensure compliance.

In order to guarantee this, a good idea is to hire a legal services company. One of the best is Connect Legal in all possible legal matters. Thus, you can simplify the administration and hiring of employees in the UAE.

Paternity Leave Benefits in the UAE

Recently, only public sector workers could enjoy 3 days of paid UAE paternity leave after their child was born. However, there were companies that voluntarily offered these benefits to private-sector employees.

Currently in the UAE, a paternity leave system for fathers has been implemented in all industries. All this is thanks to a recent revision of the UAE labor law. These new standards are an important step towards greater gender equality and employee empowerment.

In order to ensure that fathers receive their UAE paternity leave, it is important that employers are aware of their employee's rights. However, there is an inquiry that arises from this and that is how many days of paternity leave in UAE.

How Long Is Paternity Leave in the UAE?

Knowing how many of days paternity leave in UAE you will be capable of appreciating is important. For this motive, following the new law that was recently correct in the UAE, employees will be able to enjoy their salaried paternity leave in Dubai for 5 days.

Furthermore, this 5-day leave must be busy in the initial 6 months subsequently the child is native. On the other hand, weekends off are usually not counted in this paternity leave.

It is vital to remind you that female employees are not suitable for this consent. However, they have fully salaried maternity leave for 45 days in the UAE. Therefore, you must know how to avail paternity leave.

Paternity Leave in UAE for Private Sector

Thanks to the recently approved decree, paternity leave in UAE for private sector employees will be 5 paid work days. Furthermore, these 5 days must be taken in the first 6 months after the birth of the child.

On the other hand, it is important that you know how to get paternity leave to be able to enjoy these 5 paid days. Additionally, you must take into account if your UAE employment contract contains additional benefits to these 5 paid days.

Paternity Leave in UAE for Public Sector

UAE Federal Government employees are allowed leave for 3 days during the month of childbirth. Furthermore, only fathers of babies who were born in the UAE can obtain paternity leave.

Final Thoughts

Paternity leave recognizes the ultimate protagonist that fathers have in the care and upbringing of their newborn children. For this reason, the new labor law allows private sector employees to have 5 salaried days.

Thanks to this permission, the bond between father and son can be strengthened. In addition, it can help improve the mother's physical and mental health and strengthen family ties. In this way, gender equality and the couple's responsibility for household chores are promoted.

Therefore, if you want to know more about this paternity leave, you can contact us. Thus, you can consult with lawyers who are experts in these issues. In addition, you will be able to learn about paternity leave in UAE during the probation period and many more details of this important license.