Salim proposes earlier working hours. His manager, Nadir, raises concerns about meetings and workload, and they negotiate a trial with clear conditions.
01Read the Arabic conversation
التَّفَاوُضُ عَلَى سَاعَاتِ عَمَلٍ مَرِنَةٍ
سَلِيمٌ: أَوَدُّ تَجْرِبَةَ دَوَامٍ مَرِنٍ يَوْمَيِ الثُّلَاثَاءِ وَالْخَمِيسِ: مِنَ الثَّامِنَةِ إِلَى الرَّابِعَةِ بَدَلًا مِنَ التَّاسِعَةِ إِلَى الْخَامِسَةِ.
نَادِرٌ: لَا أُعَارِضُ الْفِكْرَةَ مِنْ حَيْثُ الْمَبْدَأُ، لَكِنَّ التَّنْسِيقَ بَيْنَ أَعْضَاءِ الْفَرِيقِ ضَرُورِيٌّ. مَا سَبَبُ طَلَبِكَ؟
سَلِيمٌ: أَقْضِي وَقْتًا طَوِيلًا فِي الطَّرِيقِ، لِأَنَّ الِازْدِحَامَ شَدِيدٌ. الْبِدَايَةُ الْمُبَكِّرَةُ تُسَاعِدُنِي عَلَى تَجَنُّبِهِ.
نَادِرٌ: أَتَفَهَّمُ ذَلِكَ. نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى وُجُودِ الْجَمِيعِ مِنَ الْعَاشِرَةِ إِلَى الثَّالِثَةِ لِلتَّعَاوُنِ وَحَلِّ الْمُشْكِلَاتِ.
سَلِيمٌ: سَأَكُونُ مَوْجُودًا طَوَالَ هَذِهِ الْفَتْرَةِ، وَلَنْ أُغَيِّرَ عَدَدَ سَاعَاتِ عَمَلِي أَوْ مَوَاعِيدَ تَسْلِيمِ مَهَامِّي.
نَادِرٌ: وَلَكِنَّ اجْتِمَاعَ الْعَمِيلِ الْأُسْبُوعِيَّ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ وَالنِّصْفِ. خِبْرَتُكَ مَطْلُوبَةٌ فِيهِ.
سَلِيمٌ: فِي هَذِهِ الْحَالَةِ، أَقْتَرِحُ الْأَرْبِعَاءَ بَدَلًا مِنَ الْخَمِيسِ. وَبِذَلِكَ يَبْقَى اجْتِمَاعُ الْعَمِيلِ فِي مَوْعِدِهِ.
نَادِرٌ: هَذَا يُعَالِجُ مُشْكِلَةَ الِاجْتِمَاعِ، لَكِنْ كَيْفَ نَتَجَنَّبُ زِيَادَةَ الْعِبْءِ عَلَى زُمَلَائِكَ بَعْدَ الرَّابِعَةِ؟
سَلِيمٌ: يُمْكِنُنِي تَسْلِيمُ الْمَهَامِّ غَيْرِ الْمُنْتَهِيَةِ إِلَيْهِمْ قَبْلَ الْمُغَادَرَةِ، مَعَ مُلَخَّصٍ وَاضِحٍ لِحَالَةِ كُلِّ مَهَمَّةٍ.
نَادِرٌ: التَّلْخِيصُ مُفِيدٌ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ لَا يُقَلِّلُ الْعَمَلَ نَفْسَهُ. نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى حَلٍّ لَا يَنْقُلُ مَسْؤُولِيَّاتِكَ إِلَيْهِمْ.
سَلِيمٌ: مَعَكَ حَقٌّ. سَأُرَتِّبُ مَهَامِّي لِإِنْهَاءِ الْعَاجِلِ قَبْلَ الرَّابِعَةِ، وَأُكْمِلُ غَيْرَ الْعَاجِلِ صَبَاحَ الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي.
نَادِرٌ: وَمَاذَا عَنِ الطَّلَبَاتِ الْعَاجِلَةِ الَّتِي تَصِلُ بَعْدَ مُغَادَرَتِكَ؟ لَا نَسْتَطِيعُ تَوَقُّعَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ.
سَلِيمٌ: يَتَوَلَّاهَا الْمُوَظَّفُ الْمُنَاوِبُ وَفْقَ الْجَدْوَلِ الْحَالِيِّ. وَسَأَحْتَفِظُ بِدَوَامِي الْمُعْتَادِ فِي أَيِّ يَوْمِ مُنَاوَبَةٍ لِي.
نَادِرٌ: إِذَنْ لِنُجَرِّبِ التَّرْتِيبَ أَرْبَعَةَ أَسَابِيعَ، بِشَرْطِ أَلَّا يَتَأَثَّرَ تَعَاوُنُ الْفَرِيقِ أَوْ إِنْجَازُ الْمَهَامِّ.
سَلِيمٌ: أُوَافِقُ. كَيْفَ نُقَيِّمُ النَّتِيجَةَ بِوُضُوحٍ، بَدَلًا مِنَ الِاعْتِمَادِ عَلَى انْطِبَاعَاتٍ عَامَّةٍ فَقَطْ؟
نَادِرٌ: نُرَاجِعُ مَوَاعِيدَ التَّسْلِيمِ وَسُرْعَةَ الرَّدِّ خِلَالَ الْفَتْرَةِ الْمُشْتَرَكَةِ، وَنَسْأَلُ الزُّمَلَاءَ عَنْ أَيِّ عِبْءٍ إِضَافِيٍّ.
سَلِيمٌ: وَإِذَا ظَهَرَ تَأَخُّرٌ، فَهَلْ نَفْحَصُ سَبَبَهُ قَبْلَ إِلْغَاءِ التَّرْتِيبِ؟ قَدْ تَكُونُ الْمُشْكِلَةُ فِي تَوْزِيعِ الْمَهَامِّ.
نَادِرٌ: بِالتَّأْكِيدِ. إِذَا ثَبَتَ أَنَّ تَغْيِيرَ السَّاعَاتِ هُوَ السَّبَبُ، نَعُودُ إِلَى الدَّوَامِ السَّابِقِ.
سَلِيمٌ: سَأَكْتُبُ الْخُطَّةَ، وَأُضِيفُ اسْتِثْنَاءَ أَيَّامِ الْمُنَاوَبَةِ وَمَوْعِدَ الْمُرَاجَعَةِ، ثُمَّ أُرْسِلُهَا إِلَيْكَ الْيَوْمَ.
نَادِرٌ: جَيِّدٌ. بَعْدَ تَأْكِيدِ الْخُطَّةِ نُبْلِغُ الْفَرِيقَ، وَتَبْدَأُ التَّجْرِبَةُ الْأُسْبُوعَ الْقَادِمَ بِهَذِهِ الشُّرُوطِ الْمُتَّفَقِ عَلَيْهَا.
سَلِيمٌ: وَإِذَا تَغَيَّرَ جَدْوَلُ الْمُنَاوَبَةِ خِلَالَ التَّجْرِبَةِ، فَكَيْفَ نَضْمَنُ وُضُوحَ مَوَاعِيدِ حُضُورِي؟
نَادِرٌ: نُحَدِّثُ جَدْوَلَ الْفَرِيقِ الْمُشْتَرَكَ قَبْلَ تَطْبِيقِ التَّغْيِيرِ، حَتَّى لَا يَعْتَمِدَ أَحَدٌ عَلَى مَعْلُومَاتٍ قَدِيمَةٍ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Salim: I would like to try flexible hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays: eight to four instead of nine to five.
Nadir: I do not oppose the idea in principle, but coordination among team members is essential. Why are you requesting this?
Salim: I spend a long time travelling because traffic is heavy. Starting early helps me avoid it.
Nadir: I understand. We need everyone available from ten to three for collaboration and solving problems.
Salim: I will be available throughout that period and will not change my working hours total or task deadlines.
Nadir: But the weekly client meeting is on Thursday at four thirty. Your expertise is needed there.
Salim: In that case, I suggest Wednesday instead of Thursday. That keeps the client meeting at its usual time.
Nadir: That addresses the meeting issue, but how do we avoid increasing your colleagues’ workload after four?
Salim: I could hand unfinished tasks over to them before leaving, with a clear summary of each task’s status.
Nadir: Summaries help, but they do not reduce the work itself. We need a solution that does not transfer your responsibilities to them.
Salim: You are right. I will arrange my tasks to finish urgent work before four and complete non-urgent work the next morning.
Nadir: What about urgent requests that arrive after you leave? We cannot anticipate everything.
Salim: The employee on duty handles them under the existing rota. I will keep my usual hours on any day I am on duty.
Nadir: Then let us try the arrangement for four weeks, provided teamwork and task completion are not affected.
Salim: I agree. How will we assess the outcome clearly, rather than relying only on general impressions?
Nadir: We will review deadlines and response speed during the shared hours, and ask colleagues about any additional workload.
Salim: If delays appear, will we examine their cause before cancelling the arrangement? The problem might be task allocation.
Nadir: Certainly. If the change in hours proves to be the cause, we will return to the previous schedule.
Salim: I will write the plan, add the exception for duty days and the review date, then send it to you today.
Nadir: Good. After confirming the plan, we will inform the team, and the trial will start next week under these agreed conditions.
Salim: If the duty rota changes during the trial, how will we keep my availability clear?
Nadir: We will update the shared team calendar before applying the change so nobody relies on outdated information.
02Useful words and expressions
| Arabic in the conversation | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| دَوَامٍ مَرِنٍ | flexible working hours |
| مِنْ حَيْثُ الْمَبْدَأُ | in principle |
| الِازْدِحَامَ | traffic congestion |
| طَوَالَ هَذِهِ الْفَتْرَةِ | throughout this period |
| زِيَادَةَ الْعِبْءِ | increasing the workload |
| الْمُوَظَّفُ الْمُنَاوِبُ | the employee on duty |
| بِشَرْطِ أَلَّا | provided that ... does not |
| انْطِبَاعَاتٍ عَامَّةٍ | general impressions |
| الْفَتْرَةِ الْمُشْتَرَكَةِ | the shared working hours |
| اسْتِثْنَاءَ أَيَّامِ الْمُنَاوَبَةِ | the exception for duty days |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic conversation for evidence. Open the English question support or a hint when you need help.
What to remember
- Acknowledge a reasonable objection and revise the proposal while protecting shared responsibilities.
- Agree on exceptions and measurable review criteria before starting a trial.
Explore the Arabic in this conversation
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this conversation.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّ التَّنْسِيقَ بَيْنَ أَعْضَاءِ الْفَرِيقِ ضَرُورِيٌّ
Use lakinna to qualify acceptance by naming an operational concern.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّ الِازْدِحَامَ شَدِيدٌ
Give the practical reason for a request with lianna and a complete reason clause.
Idha in Arabic: How to Say When and If
إِذَا ثَبَتَ أَنَّ تَغْيِيرَ السَّاعَاتِ هُوَ السَّبَبُ، نَعُودُ إِلَى الدَّوَامِ السَّابِقِ
Use idha to connect a possible finding with the action agreed for that situation.
