last night (early morning really – Perth time) we witnessed the first african/american man being sworn in as the US president.

and today we are going to witness a drastic change in the maldivian landscape with changes being brought about to work hours of government employees. this is huge given that a large proportion of maldivians work in the civil service sector.

the current 7:30 to 2:30 work hours on the front is very convinenet for many. for parents it means afternoon is spent with family. for single and young people it means long afternoon naps and leisure. for those economically in dire situation it means time for an afternoon/evening job.

this all sounds pretty good on paper. but the reality is that most government offices (maybe not all) work over-time. hence the mothers technically do not get their hours at home. instead people are ‘forced’ to work long hours. bosses favour people who could work late into the afternoon. and it sometimes seems silly for people to go home at 2:30 to just sit around home. instead people (not all) stick around at work (maybe doing nothing work related) just for the sake of over-time money.

this change maybe not the most popular change that nasheed brings. for obvious reasons like the reduction of over-time. the difficulty of getting two jobs. the reduction in afternoon hours at home for those few people who have the luxury of working a strict 7:30 to 2:30 time schedule. but overall this is a positive change. a strategic move.

i like this change for it would mean we would get to have a good breakfast before going to work and as a result we should see a reduction in tea time spent from work hours. instead a tea break of 15 minutes and a lunch break of 30 minutes would mean a more efficient work environment. and this change in hours will also encourage people to finish work during work hours hence reducing the unneccessary work overtime payments.

i am all for this change