According to human resources experts, some UAE employees are asking their employers to pay for the additional electricity costs – and even coffee – that they consume when working from home.
“One of our clients recently raised a point where employees are asking extra allowance because they are working from home and there are greater expenses.”
Thenji Moyo, Legal Director & Co-Head of Employment, DWF Middle East.
DWF is a global legal business, renowned for excellence in customer support, efficient operational management and innovation.
Recently, while speaking at a webinar, she said firms are looking at rewarding those employees or to cover their extra expenses.
Furthermore, Moyo has disclosed that a number of businesses are imposing leaves because they were accumulated by employees during the lock down period necessitated by corona virus.
“A lot of companies have contacted us to say that they are looking to introduce policies to make sure all employees are aware that they should utilize their leaves before the end of the year,” she added.
Moyo pointed out that freelancing is also coming up a lot as businesses are becoming increasingly cost-conscious when it comes to sponsoring the individual and the statutory and compulsory obligations that come with an employee.
Hayley Wilkins, HR and legal manager at Michael Page, said there’s an increase in the junior-level job market, for jobs such as transactional and operational divisions of human resources, finance, fast-moving consumer products, technology, telecom, financial services and supply chain. There is also an increase in the demand for Arabic speakers in all roles at the junior-to-mid level.
Shiraz Sethi, DWF Middle East’s managing partner and co-head of employment, sees job claims and disputes rising, and says that it will continue to do so for the next six to nine months.
Some businesses are also inquiring about turning travel allowances into cash allowances, particularly because nobody is traveling anywhere.
