Can Your Employer Ask You to Perform Additional Tasks Which Are Not Part of Your Employment Agreement ?

The new UAE Labour Law – Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 – has come into effect from February 2, 2022, replacing the current Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 and its amendments.

As per the Article 12 in the new Labour Law on the Assignment of another work to the worker:

1. It is not permissible to assign the worker a work that is fundamentally different from the work agreed upon in the employment contract, unless necessary, or with the aim of preventing the occurrence of an accident or repairing what resulted from such accident; provided that such assignment is temporary in accordance with what is specified by the Executive Regulation of this Decree by law.
2. The employer may assign the worker, in cases other than those referred to in Clause (1) of this Article, to perform a kind of work that is not agreed upon in the employment contract, provided that the worker agrees in writing.
3. If performing the work that is not agreed upon in the employment contract requires that the worker change his place of residence, the employer must bear all the financial costs resulting therefrom, including the costs of the worker’s displacement and residence.

Law does not allow an employer to assign a work to the employee other than the ones agreed to in the labour contract, the law gave permission to the employer to do so in certain conditions and only on a temporary basis.

The employer may assign the worker to different kind of work that is not agreed upon in the employment contract, provided that the worker agrees. Such agreement should be in writing and a confirmation email from the employee’s corporate email is enough as a reply to the offering email.