The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum visited a government office on Sunday morning and discovered that about nine government officials failed to show up at work at around 7:30 am.
He walked past a framed portrait of himself on the wall but couldn’t find anyone to actually talk to.
The visit should not have caught so many people out as Sheikh Mohammed is known for his early-morning inspections ‘to ensure government services are up to Dubai’s globally admired standards’.
In Dubai, public sector workers usually work from 7.30am to 2.30pm, while in the private sector usual business hours are from 8am to 1pm, resuming after the temperatures have begun to cool from 4pm.
Governments around the Gulf are trying to make their bureaucracies more efficient as low oil prices pressure state finances, and the move by Sheikh Mohammed is one of the most dramatic efforts in that direction so far.
He ordered the retirement on Monday of nine members of Dubai Municipality’s executive management, including directors and assistant director-generals in departments such as legal affairs and planning, the United Arab Emirates’ state news agency WAM reported.
