The World Doesn't Agree on Work Weeks
Table of Contents
TL;DR: The “standard” Monday-Friday work week is far from universal. Israel works Sunday-Thursday, much of the Middle East takes Friday-Saturday off, and Poland only got all Saturdays off in 1981. France mandates 35-hour weeks by law. When working with global teams, someone is always on their weekend.
The Weekend Isn’t When You Think It Is #
If you’ve ever tried to schedule a meeting with colleagues across continents, you’ve probably discovered that “Monday morning” doesn’t mean the same thing everywhere.
The Sunday-Thursday Club: Israel #
Israel operates on a Sunday-Thursday work week, with Friday and Saturday as the weekend. This accommodates the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat), which runs from sunset Friday to nightfall Saturday.
Some Israelis work a half-day on Friday (until noon), making it effectively a 5.5-day week. The standard work week is 42 hours.
The catch for global teams: When your Israeli colleague logs off Thursday evening, they’re done until Sunday. Your “quick Friday sync” is their Shabbat.
The Friday-Saturday Weekend: Saudi Arabia & The Gulf #
Most Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar - observe Friday-Saturday weekends with a Sunday-Thursday work week.
This wasn’t always the case:
- Before 2013, Saudi Arabia had a Thursday-Friday weekend
- The UAE used Thursday-Friday until 2006, then Friday-Saturday until 2022
- In January 2022, the UAE shifted government employees to a Saturday-Sunday weekend with a 4.5-day work week (half-day Friday)
The UAE’s move was explicitly about aligning with Western markets. But it created a new problem: UAE companies now share only one overlapping day (Saturday) with neighboring Saudi Arabia.
Poland’s Long Road to Free Saturdays #
The path to a five-day work week isn’t ancient history everywhere. In Poland:
- 1918: Eight-hour workday introduced (but six days a week = 48 hours)
- 1973: Workers gained two Saturdays off per year
- 1975: Increased to twelve Saturdays off (one per month)
- 1981: The Solidarity movement demanded - and won - all Saturdays off
For over 60 years after establishing the eight-hour day, Poles still worked six-day weeks. The current 40-hour, Monday-Friday standard has only existed since 1981.
France: Legislating Work-Life Balance #
France took a different approach entirely. In 2000, the Aubry laws established a 35-hour legal work week - down from 39 hours.
Key details:
- Hours 36-43 trigger 25% overtime pay
- Hours 44+ trigger 50% overtime pay
- Maximum 48 hours in any single week
- Maximum 220 overtime hours per year
The law aimed to reduce unemployment through work-sharing. It’s controversial - many employees work 39+ hours anyway, and managers (“cadres”) are often exempt. But France remains uniquely interventionist: most European countries reduced work hours through collective bargaining, not legislation.
The Global Picture #
| Region | Work Days | Weekend | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Europe, Americas | Mon-Fri | Sat-Sun | The “default” most assume |
| Israel | Sun-Thu | Fri-Sat | Half-day Friday common |
| GCC (Saudi, Kuwait, etc.) | Sun-Thu | Fri-Sat | Friday for Jumu’ah prayers |
| UAE (government) | Mon-Fri | Sat-Sun | Changed 2022, half-day Friday |
| Netherlands | Mon-Fri | Sat-Sun | Avg 26.7 hrs/week - shortest globally |
Hours Worked Also Vary Wildly #
Even among Monday-Friday countries, actual hours differ dramatically:
- Netherlands: 26.7 hours average (legal right to request part-time)
- Germany: 34 hours average
- United States: 36.4 hours average
- Mexico: 46.7 hours average
- Colombia: 47.3 hours average
Why This Matters #
Understanding global work weeks isn’t just trivia - it’s essential for:
- Scheduling meetings: That “quick Monday check-in” excludes your Israeli team
- Setting deadlines: “End of week” means Thursday for half the Middle East
- Estimating response times: Friday emails to Gulf colleagues won’t get replies until Sunday
- Respecting boundaries: Just because someone can respond during their weekend doesn’t mean they should
The four-day work week movement (Belgium, Iceland, Tokyo’s 2025 pilot) will make this more complex. In a few years, “what day is it?” might become as internationally varied as “what time is it?”
Sources: