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Dubai Chamber of Commerce, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has collaborated with the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) to host a seminar highlighting the ‘Parent-friendly Label.’ The informative session was aimed atencouraging greater private sector participation in the programme, with the goal of promoting a healthy work-life balance. The seminar was attended by 110 participants from 66 companies.
The Parent-friendly Label programme was launched by the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authorityto recognise organisations within the semi-governmental, private, and third sectors across the UAE that to provide a positive environment that helps parents achieve a balance between work, family, and childcare.Many organisations across the UAE have started their journey towards becoming a parent-friendly workplace, positively impacting more than 148,000 employees and over 50,000 children to date.
His Excellency Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers, commented: “We are keen to promote the adoption of parent-friendly practices among institutions and businesses, which has a positive impact on the community, enhances the work environment, and strengthens Dubai’s position as a highly attractive destination for leading global talent. The Parent-friendly Label programme is of great importance to the happiness and wellbeing of employees and contributes to strengthening institutional commitment by balancing their professional and family responsibilities. This enhances institutional productivity, which further strengthens economic and social development in the UAE.”
His Excellency added: “Dubai Chamber of Commerce's Centre for Responsible Business remains committed to promoting responsible practices to ensure the competitiveness of the private sector and the wellbeing of the wider community.”
Her Excellency Sana Mohamed Suhail, Director General of the ECA, stated:“Following the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and with his support, the Parent-Friendly Label programme has expanded its scope to welcome applications from organizations across the UAE. His Highness has also recognised the earners of the first and second cycles, which drives our efforts to encourage more private, semi-governmental and third sector organisations to join this journey and apply to earn the label.”
H.E. Suhail emphasised the importance of stakeholders’ engagement and support, noting that collaborating with Dubai Chambers will enhance the local business community’s awareness about the programme, its objectives, and the benefits of developing a supportive environment for working parents.
As a voluntary programme that recognises excellent parent-supportive initiatives in the workplace, the programme was designed in line with international best practices and benchmarks. The anticipated benefits of parent-supportive practices were clearly seen across the earners’ workplace culture, as evidenced in ECA’s report ‘The Future of Work: The Rise of Parent-friendly Workplaces in the UAE,’ notably with regards to earner organisations’ ability to attract and retain talents.Businesses can complete the online application form on the ECA website eca.gov.ae/parent-friendly-home.
The programme empowers working parents to balance work and familyresponsibilities, helping to ensure their children receive the best care and attention. The implementationof flexible workplace policies enhances employee wellbeing and strengthens family ties, encouraging employees to increase participation and productivity and enhancing their retention. This, in turn, enhances the organisation’s ability to attract the best talent, reduces the gap between the public and private sectors in terms of labour policies and the benefits provided to parents, and enhances the attractiveness of the workplace. The chamber’s promotion of the programme comes as part of efforts to encourage institutions to adopt a culture of innovation in the workplace anddevelop future-facing work environments.
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