Last month a Sharjah police officer, Sgt Ahmed Al Hammadi, came to the aid of an elderly motorist who had broken down on a busy stretch of the 12-lane Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed highway. The patrolman not only provided dutiful assistance to the imperilled motorist but went above and beyond, discreetly paying the costs associated with the vehicle recovery services. Overwhelmed with gratitude, the motorist later called a Sharjah radio station to publicly thank the officer.
This benevolent act of police gentility was made all the more prominent in my mind as it coincided with the 30th anniversary of the infamous Rodney King incident. On March 3, 1991, the world witnessed one of the most savage acts of police brutality ever captured on film. Mr King, 25, was pulled over and assaulted by four officers from the Los Angeles Police Department. The violence of the officers resulted in Mr King's hospitalisation, landing at least seven kicks and 33 baton blows to his head and body. The footage of the beating shocked the world, becoming a catalyst for the LA riots, one of the most devastating civil disruptions in US history.
Sgt Al Hammadi’s act of kindness is also magnified, in my mind, by the recent commencement of the Derek Chauvin trial. Mr Chauvin, an American former police officer, is charged with second degree murder, third degree murder and manslaughter in connection with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020. I can’t forget the image of the policeman with his knee on Mr Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, while the latter repeatedly pleads with the officers: “I can’t breathe!”
The Sgt Al Hammadi incident, by contrast, is simply a case of an employee doing good work – good, here, in the moral sense of the word. Serving humanity with empathy and compassion, courage and generosity. Of course, kindness and cruelty, moral and immoral behaviour is not limited to the world of law enforcement. From business and healthcare to education and the military, all occupational spheres provide opportunities to do good work.
However, innovation and efficiency, wrongdoing and malpractice seem to gain far more attention than virtuous workplace behaviours. Good work, too often, goes unnoticed or underappreciated, but it shouldn’t. If we are serious about the betterment of our societies, then we need more people doing good work, more often. We need to make kindness cool again. Greed is not good, compassion is.
Across a lifetime, the average person will spend around 90,000 hours on the job. That's the figure arrived at by Jessica Pryce-Jones in her book, Happiness at Work. If we really want to make positive social change, then the workplace is an important area to focus on.
In recent years, the idea of compassionate workplace leadership has gained prominence among organisational psychologists. The compassionate leader understands, empathises, cares and acts with kindness, aiming to alleviate the suffering of others and promote well-being. It’s hardly surprising, but leaders with such traits turn out to be particularly effective.
Rasmus Hougaard, author of Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way, is convinced that compassionate leadership is a force for global good. He argues that compassionate leadership results in workplaces where people feel respected, connected and engaged, leading to enhanced collaboration, trust, organisational commitment and lower employee turnover.
The idea that kindness is cool, and perhaps profitable, is catching on. The list of organisations investing in “compassion training” reads like a Who’s Who of Fortune 500 companies, with names such as Google, Apple, Accenture, Nike, American Express, Microsoft, and Sony.
However, being compassionate in the hope of improving efficiency, productivity or profitability is the wrong motivation. We should cultivate compassionate workplaces because it is the right thing to do. Furthermore, at some level, we are all leaders. If we lead with compassion, we make a positive difference one interaction at a time.
There is an uplifting short story by Loren Eisley, often used in therapy. It starts with a young boy throwing a stranded starfish back into the ocean. A passer-by mocks the youngster, telling him, “don’t you realise there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!" Smiling, the boy replies, “I made a difference for that one”.
Sgt Al Hammadi was compassionate to one motorist, but what an effect it had on that person and those who witnessed or heard about his kind act. Not only is kindness cool, but it can also be infectious. If we can’t be kind, we should at least be curious as to why not.
Justin Thomas is a professor of psychology at Zayed University and a columnist for The National
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE%20SWIMMERS
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Kill%20
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What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
RACE CARD
4pm Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m
5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
more from Janine di Giovanni
HAJJAN
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'Cheb%20Khaled'
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
