(you HAVE to sing the title of this post in a Madonaesque voice, do it again, go on, do it in a loud voice so everyone can hear you in the office!)
A reader sent me an email asking for the upcoming holidays for the private sector a few moments ago and although I am not an official information service, the question prompted me to dig a bit. I fortunately remembered that one of my Bahrain Young Businessmen Committee’s colleagues at the Chamber of Commerce (thanks bu Abdulla!) already did just that in listing the forthcoming holidays from now until the end of January 2007; I guess to show the number of days off we will suffer as business owners, and for private and public sectors workers to look forward to and enjoy!
Here’s the list:
Count them. We will have half a month’s holiday in just 5 weeks, how good is that? I am sure you will be even more surprised if you thought of the holidays in this context – especially if you are a business owner – over the full year, add to that the productivity lost in Ramadhan for instance, and it is a wonder really that we are still in business!
Why couldn’t we just adopt the “Bank holiday Monday” principal and just have two or three long weekends in the year, and a good 3 or 4 days for the “big” Eid and be done with it? The long weekends for us would be a day off on Sunday regardless of when the occasion falls, and as far as Eid is concerned, well, we can’t control that, but in any case, the government should most definitely stop this “compensation” business. If a holiday falls on a weekend or coincides with another holiday, why should we have to pay for it?
Long holidays are pretty boring anyway, so we – business owners – are doing our employees a huge favour by allowing them to come to work and exercise their brains and talents rather than laze around all day at home picking their noses or suffering hang-overs!
Happy holidays! 😀
Update 14 Dec @ 0741: corrected the Ashura holidays entry, thanks to Yonis for spotting the error.
Comments
M. Thanks for the subject. IT is one of my pet peeves. As much as I love to be with my little son, this is a worrying trend for the business end of things. Many would not give a flying f**t about the extra holidays and us this along with their never ending sick notes to claim to be too taaban for work.
Sometimes I feel guilty about not spendin enough time with my 3 year old son and he does question me about it, but seriously compensation for the holidays is like asking the govenment money back for the stupid mistakes they make…… 😆 Hey that is a good idea!
No one can logically explain the loss to a person because Eid fell on a Friday. It was a friggin holiday to begin with so what did you loose. There are others who say yes I could have got this and that done on a Saturday or Sunday, but since you are getting a compensation on that day, you cannot do any government or bank work anyway. It just does not make sense.
Another way to delay the parliment comming in session and doing real work. While we party on and get taabaan, we could care less for the work…what a nice work culture….How the hell do you expect Bahrain to progress and develop…… :undecided: 😥 😕 Merry Christmas, Eid Mubarak and Happy New Year gals and guys…..
Hmm, it looks like you left out 19 December or do employees not have off “Happy Eat Broccoli Anyway Day” ??
Mahmood, you’ve missed out on the Ashoora days (27-28 Jan- one of them falling on weekend again – hence a compensatory off!
Personally, I’d wish the holidays were a bit more evenly distributed. They seem to cluuer all together towards the beginning or end of the year.
Author
Oh, thanks Esgee! I’ll update the table!
I think life in general consists of too much work so lets shut up and just enjoy the time off! :happy:
Horray!!!!!!!!:grin: Just think of all the Saudis that will be coming over to enjoy our fair country!!! Gridlock joy for 16 wonderful days! Happy Holidays indeed 😉 🙂
WELL – DONT WORRY MY COUNTRY IS GREAT AND OFFERS A GREAT DEAL TO US ACCEPT IT OR NOT HOLIDAYZ ARE WELCOMED GOD BLESS U BAHRAIN JIMIHENDRIX999@HOTMAIL.COM
SOHAIL—hey bro, you got the hiccups? 😆
Hey, you reallly know how to party in Bahrain!! 🙂
Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, Merry Christmas, Eid Mubarak, God Bless.
Author
I really have no problem whatsoever hosting Saudis, Kuwaitis or any other “is” into Bahrain on whatever occasion. They have a choice to go anywhere in the world, yet they choose to come to Bahrain, therefore, I bid them welcome.
What we should be doing rather than complaining of our guests coming and spending some time in our fair isles, we should find ways to ensure that they keep coming back and allow them to have even more fun, own property, own businesses, go to schools, colleges and universities and thank them very much indeed for doing so.
I have no exact figure on how much our guests spend in our country, and how many of them are return visitors and how their perception of Bahrain and its facilities are compared to other destination in the world, but I would hazard a guess that should they all of a sudden disappear, an awful lot of jobs would be lost and the economy would just about collapse. I think – and I’m fairly sure this is accurate – that Saudi is the largest investor in Bahrain.
So we should thank them, rather than find ways to make them completely uncomfortable that they would never come back to Bahrain and pull all their investments out.
I say good on you Saudi and other Gulf nationals, you’re more than welcome in your second home Bahrain!
Don’t get me wrong, I love the visitors too! The amount of $$$ they bring to the country is astounding. I only wish that most of them would learn to abide by the traffic laws. Then again I wish most of the folks who live on this lovely little island heeded the traffic laws…:shock: In the words of the Reverend Jesse Jacksan “Keep Hope Alive!” 😛
this holday business really sucks. I came across this table a couple of weeks ago and thought it was a joke. the arafa thing was a totally unnecessary addition last year, and then compensation for the non-main weekend day and friday noons, etc. we are such a lazy country. we could use the extra holidays to tailor jobs for those who want more holidays to create more jobs and job-sharing, etc. but at this rate, you’ll never get any momentum going. add to that that even if you’re there on a sunday you cant deal with most of the business world.
this is one of the effects of an ineffective business lobby. businesses need to get a PAC going, or else..
Wow, I think I’m moving to Bahrain 😀
Happy holydays everyone!
Author
Bahrainiac traffic law application sucks big time in Bahrain. It seems to me sometimes that the whole traffic department’s job is to ensure clear and fast highways with no obstacles (other cars) are available for the king or other high officials and their out-of-town guests, rather than ensure that any road user respects the laid down laws and regulations.
Or just direct traffic at roundabouts, or go and write reports for stupid little accidents that insurance companies and drivers themselves can solve between them.
The traffic police should most definitely be retrained to impart their jobs properly, and that is to maintain a good and safe driving environment and not hesitate for one second in stopping a car and issuing a ticket regardless of how pretty the car is or its number plate.
Just think how many times you have read or heard that it is illegal to transport workers in open trucks? Those trucks provided with side-long benches and covered with tarpaulin or sheetmetal are also regarded as unsafe open trucks. Now on any given day of the week or night for that matter, how many times do you see these death-traps actually filled to the brim on the road driving hell for leather with a traffic cop in plain sight and not bat an eyelid or make an attempt at stopping them?
The traffic law application in this country is a farce. And nothing has been done about the situation even with a new minister in position.
Author
CWT it’s getting better since the new board took over at the Chamber of Commerce. They have differed several times over the last year with the government mandated holidays and told the private sector to take their own initiative as far as holidays are concerned, and as far as the Chamber is concerned, only the very basic holidays should be adhered to, without this compensation business.
Government, then, should be encouraged to emulate the Chamber.
The Chamber is also taking the lead, in that it works 6 days a week, and abides by the minimum holidays, thus demonstrating to the business community their seriousness in this regard; ie, better efficiency.
thats coooooool 😆
allow me to translate the holidays table in my blog 😀
Author
of course, go ahead Yonis.
thanx
Pingback: Yon!s Room » أرشي٠المدونة » اعياد سعيدة!
Stop being such an Ebenezer Scrooge, ya Mahmood, and enjoy the holidays! 😛
Author
I shall I shall, but I can’t take too many of these things.. someone has to work to pay the salaries! :rolleyes:
عزيزÙÅ
ÙÂياØÂدى مسرØÂيات الÙÂناندريد Ù„ØÂام الشهيرة وهيضيعة تشرين، يأتيالطالب الجامعيمنالعاصمة دمشق لكييباشر تدريس اهاليالضيعة ÙÂÙŠÙÂصل لمØÂÙˆ الامية. وعندما يبلغه مختار الضيعة انالدراسة ستبدأ بعد يومينلانشغال الاهالي، ÙŠØÂتج الطالب الجامعيعلى يوم سيضيع منالدراسة والجهد ØŒ ÙÂما كانمنالمختار الا انبادره بالقول : انهم يعطلونÙÂÙŠ5 اعياد دينية ووطنية، وخمسة وعشرينذكرى انقلاب Ùˆ17 مسيرة Ùˆ23 يوما مناسبة دولية، ÙÂهل تستكثر عليهم يوما واØÂدا ØŸ
أتمنى انلا تزيد المناسبات لدينا والعطلات قبل اننأتيونشكو منقلة الانتاجية والØÂاجة الى ترسيخ اخلاق العمل لدى اجيال منالبØÂرينيين..
تØÂياتÙÅ
We keep talking about how we want to encourage foreign businesses to come over. Any sane businessman that is contemplating locating to Bahrain will not after looking at this list. As it is productivity is dismal.
In addition I agree with Mo. How in God’s name can we justify having productive businesses when in general we seem to spend more time holidaying than working? Don’t forget productive and profitable businesses produce jobs and higher wages. Just pure economic sense.
While it is a source of amusement among some, in reality it is a very serious problem that should not be treated flippantly.
something wrong, any calender shows that the 28th of Jan07 is Sunday not Thursday, as well with 29 and 31 😕
Whatever dudes!
I still say we must create a 9 day work week, where you work for 6, and are off for 3! hehehe! 😀
-Ibn
Too many holidays can and sometimes do hinder investments in any economy.
If it were the only matter or one with a terribly high weight then holidays and compensation for them would be cause for legitimate and enlivened adverse comments about it – like in here. However, in the case of Bahrain, there is a lot more to consider. How about corruption, the real sucker; lack of planning; or, worst of all, lack of invest-able industries? Or regional stability?
Not convinced still? I would ask how/why KSA attracts a higher per capita portion of international and domestic direct investment every year than Bahrain, where holidays are not (or tend not to be) as disruptive as in KSA. Answer: there is more to investment than to join the bandwagon of whining about holidays.
It is easy to whine about there being too many holidays and compensation days, but this tends to hide most of the dirt under the rug.
“we should find ways to ensure that they keep coming back”
Mahmood, well said.
I’m sure that banning entertainment in hotels and stopping sales of booze is really going to help the situation. . .
What on earth are the government up to?
I’ve heard that the Dilmun Hotel has been given notice that they won’t be able to employ a band as of April. Schtoopid! They have one of the best rock bands on the island. All this just before the F1.
We give with one hand and taketh away with the other. What sort of message is being given to visitors and investors?
Author
Bukra Tshuf, I agree that the problems Bahrain is facing are manifold; what I intended to do here is simply highlight just one single factor. Had I chosen to highlight everything that contributes to our stagnation, I would have submitted my doctoral theses of tens of thousands of words.
One step at a time my friend.
Yonis, thanks for catching that. I’ll fix it now. I think I was looking at a Dec 06 calendar rather than a Jan 07! :rolleyes:
that’s absurd! half of those vacations are compensations of other days!… but I agree with Mahmood, if they are bundled in like one week or 10 days long vacation would be nice… however notice that a lot of them are religious holidays following Hijri calender! so fixing them in the year won’t work!
Cos most of that investment is in the oil and petrochemical industries, which requires billions of $$$$$$. Corruption, planning ,and stability we’re on the same boat with SA, but I do agree with lack of invest-able industries.
Ban is on 1-3 star hotels only. Poor Asian Expatriates where can they go party and have fun if this is actually implemented.
Author
And only for those ones which are in neighbourhoods, if I remember correctly. A good business opportunity exists to build 1 – 4 star hotels away from towns, say on the road to Durrat Al-Bahrain and other points south.
Isn’t it in the States that they do not allow strip bars within residential communities? They went around that by locating themselves outside of city/town boundaries and they’re still successful.
The issue is we need avenues of entertainment not just for the well off, but much more for others like labourers and others as well, each segment can provide a wealth of investment opportunities and provides jobs, community stability, and reduce crime in bringing these entertainment venues out in the open rather than hidden underground.
Of course we need many more entertainment venues than just bars and clubs, we need parks, theatres, family-oriented venues so that tourists and residents would spend their time here and enjoy doing so.
Chech this out Mahmood,dowload the video. Raffles is coming to Bahrain.
http://www.bahrainbay.com/