UAE federal government employees have been warned by authorities to follow COVID-19 rules in the workplace, or face a three-day salary cut.
The Federal Authority for Human Resources (FAHR) issued the warning on Tuesday, urging all federal government workers to adhere to the precautionary measures aimed at reducing the spread of coronavirus.
An instruction manual had been issued earlier by FAHR to federal authorities on maintaining the work environment and working from offices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a circular issued to the HR departments of federal authorities, FAHR reminded authorities to follow all the guidelines listed in the manual and to implement the steps mentioned when dealing with employees who violate the rules.
Employees will be fined for shaking hands, not wearing a face mask, exceeding the number of people in gatherings, failure to carry out a PCR test as required and failure to declare health status if displaying symptoms of the virus.
A written warning will be issued to the employees who shake hands for their first and second offence. The third offence will lead to a deduction in one full working day’s pay.
Similarly, employees found without a mask or exceeding the number of people in gatherings will be issued with a written warning for their first offence. They will face a cut in their basic salary for one working day if the offence is repeated.
Employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 and continue to attend the workplace while concealing their results will receive a maximum penalty of a 10-day salary cut.