The Gulf is known for an abundance of networking events and now the imminent launch of a regional LinkedIn-style web platform promises yet another opportunity to exchange business cards.
Bayt.com, the online jobs portal, is preparing to launch a service similar to the popular LinkedIn networking site, which will target professionals in the MENA region.
Bayt Communities will be a network of sites focusing on different sectors of business and will allow users to set up profiles, make contact with industry peers and comment on business articles.
"It's the region's first professionally driven social networking site," said Ali Sinaei, the head of commercial content at Bayt.com. He is in charge of Bayt Communities.
"It will be a platform where users can follow each other, communicate with each other and read the latest industry news and features. It will improve your chances of building a better career and network with people around you."
MarketingHub.me, the first site to be launched under Bayt Communities, will go live next month. It will be followed by sites geared towards other sectors.
"Each major industry will have a community. We're looking at technology, human resources, business and finance. We're also doing affinity groups for the professional female community and the graduate community. By the end of 2011, we hope to have nine or 10 communities launched," Mr Sinaei said.
"We want to be reaching at least 50 per cent of all professionals within each industry in this geography. We don't want to set our sights low," he said.
LinkedIn ranks as the world's 26th most-popular website but does not figure in the top-100 most visited sites in Saudi Arabia, the largest market in the Gulf, according to data from the web information company Alexa.com. Only 4.6 per cent of internet users in the MENA region are LinkedIn members, a survey conducted last month by Effective Measure showed.
Mr Sinaei acknowledged that Bayt Communities would duplicate "a lot of the things LinkedIn does" but said the network would differentiate itself in three areas.
"One is that it is industry-driven. The second is that we will have a lot more content than LinkedIn does. The third is that it's regional - it will be focused on the Middle East and North Africa."
Bayt Communities will attempt to "seed conversations" among its users by aggregating content from other sites and creating original content. An "awards system" will recognise the most active users but will not offer financial incentives.
The site would attract revenue in three ways, including by carrying advertising, Mr Sinaei said, declining to specify the remaining two strategies.
Robert Salomone, the head of Starcom IP, the digital media buying and strategy arm of the media communications company Starcom, said Bayt.com was attractive to advertisers but doubted whether people would want to sign up for another social networking service.
"It's one more password to remember ? There are so many other options out there to do networking," he said.
But he said the industry-specific articles on the site could prove attractive to advertisers. "The local content has the potential to be quite interesting. It's a wait-and-see approach."
bflanagan@thenational.ae
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
F1 The Movie
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Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
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Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
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Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Super heroes
Iron Man
Reduced risk of dementia
Alcohol consumption could be an issue
Hulk
Cardiac disease, stroke and dementia from high heart rate
Spider-Man
Agility reduces risk of falls
Increased risk of obesity and mental health issues
Black Panther
Vegetarian diet reduces obesity
Unknown risks of potion drinking
Black Widow
Childhood traumas increase risk of mental illnesses
Thor
He's a god
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The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
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