Dubai: Great Place to Work Institute UAE (GPTW UAE), part of a global research, training and consultancy firm that recognises the best workplaces in over 45 countries worldwide, revealed its second annual list of ‘Top Companies to Work For in the UAE' during an awards ceremony at The Monarch Dubai Hotel Wednesday.
The annual benchmarking study - which assesses the level of credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie within an organization - forms part of the world's largest employee survey. Most of a company's score (two-thirds) is based on the confidential feedback of their staff, with an audit of management and HR practices by the Institute comprising the remainder of the score.
Dr. Michael Burchell, Partner and Director of Great Place to Work Institute UAE said: "We would like to thank all the participants in this year's program. We have seen remarkable development in HR practices in the UAE in the two years that we've been running the Top Companies to Work For study.
"We are pleased to see new companies make the list this year and that some of our previous list makers have improved their positions among the top 10. This shows they are applying what they learn from the research into models for continuous business improvement."
FedEx Express
Climbing from second place in last year's Top Companies list to number one in 2012 was FedEx Express. Its Purple Promise Award (PPA), which recognizes a team member who goes beyond the typical expectations to ensure the customer's needs are met, was among the internal procedures recognized by the Institute as contributing to its leading result.
FedEx Express was followed by Microsoft, Marriott, PepsiCo and The One, rounding out the top five positions. They were joined by OmnicomMediaGroup MENA, Merck UAE, Bayt, Dulsco and EMC who took the honors in the top 10.
In addition to its awards for overall workplace excellence, GPTW UAE gave special recognition to the country's top companies for Emiratis and top companies for women.
General Electric and PepsiCo were acknowledged for implementing best practices in hiring, developing and retaining Emirati talent. According to GPTW UAE these companies' programs hold valuable lessons for the UAE business community on how to develop the local workforce.
Globally the Institute recognizes the importance of creating work environments that address both the historical barriers that keep women from succeeding as well as supporting the needs of women workers. In the UAE General Electric, THE One and OmnicomMediaGroup MENA were three companies commended for their efforts in enhancing the workplace experience for women.
Dr. Farrukh Kidwai, Partner & CEO of Great Place to Work Institute UAE added: "Following the completion of the evaluation procedures, we found there were companies implementing some very impressive practices for Emiratis and women. Although they are a small group this year, we believe it is important to recognize the efforts for these companies so that we can all learn from their examples. We look forward to recognizing more companies in the program next year".
