These companies have been recognized as ‘early adopters’ of parent-friendly work policies
Abu Dhabi’s Early Childhood Authority is inviting companies in the capital to sign up to its new ‘Parent Friendly Label’ (PFL) initiative, which provides an independent set of criteria that employers can adopt in order to be recognized and awarded for their parent-friendly policies, practices and culture.
Just launched on May 30, 2021, there aren’t any organizations that have received the official Parent-Friendly Label award yet. But there are 10 companies that have been pinpointed by the ECA as some of the most parent-friendly businesses operating in Abu Dhabi so far.
“In November 2020, Abu Dhabi’s Early Childhood Authority recognized 10 semi-government, private sector and third sector organizations for being ‘early adopters’ of parent-friendly practices and policies,” said Laila Al Hassan, Acting Chief Culture Officer at Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority in an exclusive interview with Gulf News.
Earlier this year, these organizations collaborated with ECA to develop the PFL’s criteria. Al Hassan said the parent-friendly policies being embraced by these companies include:
Organizations can apply to one of the label’s two levels, the Parent-Friendly (the first level) and Parent-Friendly Plus (the advanced level). Organizations eligible to apply for the PFL must be either from the private sector, semi-government sector or third sector, must have a valid trade license issued in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi or issued by a free zone in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and demonstrate a commitment to parent-friendliness.
The categories that companies need to demonstrate a commitment in are:
All applicants to receive the PFL label are assessed against 19 criteria spanning five categories, by an independent third party as well as an independent judging panel, made up of senior members from leading public institutions. Companies can read more about the criteria and apply on the ECA website: https://eca.gov.ae/en/pfl/how-to-apply.
The ECA states that there is promising evidence from around the world showing that improved parent-friendly policies result in better social and economic outcomes.
According to the ECA, these are some of the benefits for a company deciding to become more Parent-Friendly:
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