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UAE makes strong progress in promoting parent-friendly workplaces

Parent-friendly Label programme gets support from public and private sectors

As one of the most progressive nations on the planet, the UAE has been actively promoting the notion of parent-friendly workplaces in the country. Launched in 2021, The Parent-friendly Label Programme (PFL) is the most prominent initiative of The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority supported by UNICEF Gulf.

This is a UAE-wide voluntary workplace award programme that allows organizations operating in the country within the semi-governmental, private and third sectors, the opportunity to earn a label in recognition of their commitment to a supportive work culture and policies which ultimately impact children of 0-8 years old. The programme launched its cycle 2 (cycle: application and certification process) of PFL, with some of the label earners being organizations such as Mubadala, Chalhoub, LinkedIn, and Nestle.

To date, nearly 100 organizations and more than 148,000 employees have participated in the programme from across 25 different industries. The ECA’s PFL programme has successfully impacted 59,947 Employees in UAE, 32,093 Parents, 22,873 Children 0-8 and 253 Children of Determination

Parent-friendly organisations not only boost employee morale, but have a positive impact on their productivity as well. At Mubadala, for example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Abu Dhabi wealth fund introduced flexible working solutions in March 2020. “This allows employees to adjust their hours and work remotely for up to six days each month (since increased to eight days),” Khaled Zayed Al Hosani, Head of Talent Relations, Mubadala Investment Company, told Khaleej Times.

Mubadala’s benefits also support employees in different ways, including child and special-needs education assistance, financial support for educational assistance, and comprehensive health insurance for families. The company offers extended maternity and paternity leave, enabling parents to spend essential time with their newborns and provide dedicated nursing hours for new mothers, and compassionate leave for urgent family matters.

“In collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCY), we provide a high-quality, easily accessible, and affordable nursery service and childcare facility for our employees, highlighting our commitment to the well-being of our employees and their families,” Al Hosani said.

Emirates Nature-WWF has followed parent-friendly practices since its establishment in 2001. “Our policies range from holistic maternity and paternity leave, encompassing a sick leave policy that can be utilized when the child is sick and comprehensive emergency leave policies, to a Flexi-Workplace Culture which prioritizes goals achieved rather than clocking attendance,” said Laila Abdullatif, Director General, Emirates Nature-WWF.

Working with young children and families, Tappy Toes Nursery has been implementing parent-friendly policies since its inception. “Due to the nature of our work, we constantly interact with the children’s parents, and our journey with families helped us understand the gaps between workplaces and family life,” said Foram Gohel, Principal, Tappy Toes Nursery.

Tappy Toes’ first parent-friendly policy was offering a free child seat in the nursery. “This provided our staff with not only ample time for childcare, but also provided early years education support. It allowed us to gain a deep understanding of parents’ need for mental and physical space to care for their children. Our parent-friendly policies not only provide our parent-employees with the opportunity to save on the fees but can also ensure that their children are safe in managed environments, therefore allowing them to thrive in their career,” Gohel said.

Parent-friendly policies bring a host of benefits for the organizations. “When employees feel supported in managing their family responsibilities, they are better equipped to bring their best selves to work. Moreover, our parent-friendly policies make Mubadala a more attractive employer to potential hires,” Al Hosani said.

Being the only environmental charity in the UAE, Emirates Nature-WWF needed to think outside the box when it comes to fundraising or implementing solutions in its conservation work. “Engaging scientific experts in their field is extremely important to retain staff, as expertise are so specialized and hence rare in this market. Our parent-friendly policies support this retention of talent, enabling us to achieve highly engaged and loyal teams, better retention rates, job satisfaction and improve overall morale,” said Magdalena Tayoun, Senior Manager – People and Culture at Emirates Nature-WWF.

Parent-friendly policies create mutual trust and encourage open communication between employees and the organization. “This leads to higher employee retention and satisfaction, engagement and support, loyalty and commitment. The policies are a two-way channel for team members to seek support and for us to retain employees by supporting their work-life balance,” Gohel said.

Mubadala has made substantial investments in fostering an inclusive, parent-friendly culture through a range of programs and facilities. “Our extensive wellness programme supports not only employees but also their family members, promoting overall well-being across our workforce. We have also developed infrastructure to facilitate a hybrid working environment, removing barriers to flexible and remote work arrangements,” Al Hosani said.

Tappy Toes offers free childcare services at its nurseries and discounts in affiliated schools for staff. :We also offer ample parental leave and host parent-friendly workshops to create awareness and offer support. All team members have equal opportunities to develop their skills and excel in the organization. One of the most impactful and fruitful evidence of this investment is employee retention and feedback,” Gohel said.

At Mubadala, annual employee engagement and wellness surveys are conducted to ensure work-life balance and employee well-being. “In 2022, a significant portion of our workforce confirmed feeling emotionally and physically supported in the workplace. Many employees also indicated satisfaction with the wellness programs offered at Mubadala. By 2023, our employees reported having the ability to effectively balance their work and personal commitments. From a retention perspective, a large number of employees expressed strong loyalty to Mubadala, stating it would take a lot to get them to leave Mubadala,” Al Hosani said.

Putting in place parent-friendly practices and being recognized by our employees as a parent-friendly employer certainly brings benefits to the business. “In an internal survey conducted recently, 90% of employees expressed that our parent-friendly policies have improved their work productivity and enhanced their overall well-being,” Laila Abdullatif at Emirates Nature-WWF said.

“We believe other organizations in the UAE would adopt parent-friendly policies to foster inclusivity and support employee well-being, especially as we strive to be more global. Such policies help retain top talent and contribute to the overall success of the organization. Our goal is to continue evolving our supportive culture, investing in our employees with the same sense of responsibility we apply to all our endeavours,” Al Hosani said.

“Offering our employees relief and support to strike a work-life balance is the key to unlocking tremendous growth for an organization. It can be rightly said that the future of organizational development lies in being parent friendly,” Gohel said.