Dubai: British expat Elizabeth Williamson, 44, who works as Recruiting Director for Bain Middle East, has two children aged eight and seven, both born and raised in Dubai.
“The challenge we face as an expat family is in maintaining connections with friends and relatives back home, as well as instilling a sense of belonging. The dynamic pace of the region sometimes means longer working hours and a high-pressure environment which can also impact family life,” she confesses.
But thankfully, her company reduced her work hours by 20 per cent ever she had her kids. It allowed her to spend an additional day every week with them and connect with other new parents.
“This made the whole parenting journey ‘away from home’ so much easier,” she shares.
“More recently, our remote work policy over the summer means we are encouraged to maximise time spent with our families abroad - which is a game changer. Bainies can choose to work remotely for up to 20 working days across the year which offers us so much flexibility,” she notes.
As a result, Elizabeth and her kids Freya amd Harry get to spend time with the grandparents back in the UK.
This also means while she is working from home (some weeks full time, others half days), the kidsare out exploring the countryside and having sleepovers with cousins. They have already planned a train trip to London, picnics and a seaside visit,” she adds.
In what is marked shift from the past, an increasing number of working parents in the UAE find themselves as blessed as Elizabeth because their employers have adopted flexible work policies. In fact, there is also a growing official recognition of the challenge for parents to achieve work-life balance, as a result of which employers are being encouraged to come up with parent-friendly initiatives.
Just last week, Dubai announced that it would trial a four-day working week with shorter daily hours for government employees during summer under a programme called "Our Summer is Flexible". The aim was to enable employees to have a better quality of life.
The four-day working week policy was also implemented by Sharjah in 2022.
In Abu Dhabi, the Parent-Friendly Label programme is a pioneering initiative that has had many takers.
As Sana Suhail, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, says: “We have always emphasised the importance of parents spending quality time with their children for its positive impact on the child’s development. However, we also acknowledge the challenges working parents face in achieving work-life balance, which can become a source of stress for many.”
She says it was in recognition of these challenges that the Parent-Friendly Label (PFL) programme was devised to encourage and enable organisations to implement parent-friendly policies and create a supportive work culture.
“Ultimately, it enhances the employee’s well-being and enables them to thrive in their professional and personal lives,” she adds.
Terri Louise Brown, 33, a Scottish customer development manager for Nestlé UAE, vouches for the benefits of working in a parent-friendly environment.
“I have two children, Jude, 3, and Julia, 10 months old. It was tough for Jude when I had to go back to work after being home for five months on maternity leave and had to leave my baby at home while maintaining a breastfeeding schedule. Thankfully, I was allowed me to work from home two days a week, and for the first year after the baby was born, I could reduce my working hours by two hours to ensure I could maintain a feeding schedule and bond with my infant,” she says.
Even when the little kids are unwell, she is allowed to stay home with them. Reduced working hours for the first 18 months, work-from-home policy, breastfeeding room with a fridge, and a sterilised local office are among the many blessings she counts as a working mum.
Brown’s colleague Ammar Al Jaber, a 35-year-old Syrian, who works for the commercial development team, says he can spend more quality time with his nine-month-old daughter Zeya because of the company’s work-from-home policy and flexibility. “While balancing work and family can be challenging, especially after a long day at work, the support from my company allows me to have more energy and time to dedicate to her.”
Elsewhere, Ahmed ElShawarby, 34, an Egyptian senior business unit manager (Gulf) at Novartis, talks of how he would feel guilty about not being able to spend enough time with his children.
“But my company gave me the flexibility to work from the US for one full month during the summer when my wife gave birth and I had the chance to support my family during that time. I am very grateful. On top of that, we get 16 weeks of parental leave which I can use at my convenience.”
The father of three says he will be going to Egypt and staying in his summer house on the north coast where the family can enjoy the good weather and the beautiful beach.
At Bain, Elie Alkeserouany, a 33-year-old consultant, is also working remotely this summer. “According to the company policy, we are allowed to spend 20 working days outside the UAE, which provides a great opportunity to work while staying connected with family and friends.”
“I have two children, aged 3.5 and 1.5 years old. Balancing work and family life is challenging because my children are still very young. When they wake up at night it becomes harder to perform at work the next day. My job, including travel, mean time spent with my children is precious and when they get sick this is also a logistical challenge,” Elie explains.
Paternal leave of two months and the hybrid working model, which minimises travel and allows more time with the children, have been a great boon, Elie adds.
