Nanny Ramadan Working Hours UAE | Dubai Eye 103.8 | Yaya

Georgia Tolley 01:38 I'm not doing Ramadan hours; I don't deserve Ramadan hours, to be honest. I'm not fasting, I'm not getting up early in the morning or staying up late at night. But it is tricky with the children finishing school early, and that is where my nanny really comes into her own. She's been with us for 11 years; I literally wouldn't be able to get my work done if I didn't have help at home during this period.

Georgia 01:58 But it's got us thinking: what about the hours of home help? Should they be working the same hours during Ramadan, or do they also need to have a bit of a break? I'm joined now by Marilena Hadgianni, Co-Founder & CMO of Yaya — an app that helps families hire verified nannies and home help in the UAE. Morning, how are you?

Marilena 02:34 Good morning, Georgia. Thank you very much, I'm good, thanks.

Georgia 02:37 During Ramadan, do the same reduced working hour rules apply to domestic workers as they do in the wider private sector?

Marilena 02:51 The UAE law stipulates that the reduction of working hours applies to private sector employees. Domestic helpers are governed under a separate law, and that law doesn't mandate the reduced two hours as it does for the private sector. So for domestic helpers, there's no automatic reduction in hours.

Georgia 03:17 Are there any other key regulations families should be aware of when it comes to rest breaks or overtime during Ramadan?

Marilena 03:30 That same law has very strict rules about rest times. Domestic helpers are entitled to 12 hours of rest per day, including a proper overnight sleep of eight consecutive hours. They are also entitled to one paid day off every single week. That's the law and the standard, and it doesn't change for Ramadan — it's the same all year round.

Georgia 04:00 That doesn't feel very fair, to be really honest. If you are fasting and working hard in the house, it feels like employers should give you a bit of leeway.

Marilena 04:18 The law is one thing, and then there's the human element. That's what we always speak about at Yaya because we get a lot of these inquiries every year. It's very important to have open communication with your domestic helper. If they are fasting, the right thing to do is to allow them more flexibility and proper rest.

Marilena 04:49 We know they break their fast around 6pm. For anyone with children, that's the busiest time of the day, and that will also be the time your nanny is breaking her fast. Making sure she has the right space to break her fast and reducing some of her duties during Ramadan is really important.

Georgia 05:15 My nanny is not fasting — she's not Muslim. But it was interesting, we had to have the conversation about the changing hours because my hours are staying the same while my children's hours are changing. It was a slightly tricky conversation because I'm always trying to do it at the last minute, but we managed to figure it out together.

Georgia 05:40 Would you recommend having a formal conversation? I think some people find it really difficult to talk to people who are living in their home about awkward questions around money, hours, and timing — because these ladies see everything, right? They know you better than your husband does!

Marilena 06:03 Absolutely have that conversation. It doesn't need to be formal — it can just be a very casual conversation. The most important thing is transparency. Make sure they are aware of what your expectations are, but also ask them if they are fasting and understand that things might be different for them.

Marilena 06:23 They also need to know if your family is fasting. If you are fasting, they might have to work longer hours because of more events and gatherings. Having that transparent conversation and managing expectations from the outset is really important.

Georgia 06:40 How about the live-in versus live-out question?

Marilena 06:51 It's particularly more challenging for live-in helpers. If the family is fasting, their days naturally extend longer and the lines between when the day starts and ends can get blurred. For live-out helpers, it's a bit less complicated because they have a set start and end time.

Georgia 07:27 For someone who works in the industry — do you think nannies are treated well in this country?

Marilena 07:36 We are so lucky to have access to these amazing nannies who really become part of our families. It's really important to treat them the way you would want to be treated. I do think people are having much better relationships with their nannies now than they used to in the past.

Georgia 08:03 Do you see an uptick in inquiries during Ramadan?

Marilena 08:15 At Yaya, we focus on finding long-term helpers rather than short-term. We do see an increase in inquiries — people asking how long their nanny should be working or how to get additional help. The conversation shifts toward whether it's legal to hire part-time help and things like that.

Georgia 08:49 Is it legal to hire part-time helpers? We chat about it in our compound all the time. If we're going away for a couple of weeks, can our nanny do a few hours of work elsewhere?

Marilena 09:04 If you hire a nanny in the UAE, they need to be under either your sponsorship or a government-regulated sponsorship arrangement. Any part-time work needs to be through a properly regulated setup to be compliant with UAE law.