The office hours for all government, semi-government, autonomous, and semi-autonomous institutions in the country are being reverted to 9 AM to 5 PM. This new schedule will take effect from the first working day after the Eid-ul-Adha holidays. The decision was made at a cabinet meeting on Monday, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Prime Minister’s Office. Later, Cabinet Secretary Md. Mahbub Hossain announced the decision at a press conference held at the Secretariat.

Previously, office hours in Bangladesh were from 9 AM to 5 PM. However, to conserve electricity and energy, the working hours for government, semi-government, autonomous, and semi-autonomous institutions were changed to 9 AM to 4 PM from November 15, 2022. Now, the office hours are returning to the original schedule.

Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain stated that offices will operate from 9 AM to 5 PM, Sunday to Thursday, with a break from 1 PM to 1:30 PM for prayers and lunch. Fridays and Saturdays will remain holidays. When asked why the office hours were being reset, the Cabinet Secretary explained that the 9 AM to 5 PM schedule was the standard, ensuring 8 hours of work per day and 40 hours per week. The previous 35-hour work week was a special arrangement.