DUBAI //Job hunters will have a new yardstick to help them decide which company to apply to next year. Companies will open their doors to scrutiny from an independent judge who will rate them against other firms.
The Great Place to Work Institute UAE, has started enrolling companies for a survey of job satisfaction. The programme, which is expected to run annually, has surveyed 39 other countries, including the United States and Britain.
Baringa Partners, an energy and financial company, tops the British list and SAS, a software developer tops Fortune's top 100 list in the US. The UAE results are expected to be published in January.
Dr Michael Burchell, a partner and the director of the Great Place to Work Institute UAE, said companies were rated based on the relationships between managers, employees and their jobs, and between employees and other employees.
"In general, companies that put a premium on top talent at all levels of an organisation and that are well known for focusing on excellence tend to do very well."
"In the UAE, companies in the financial, construction and hospitality industries typically fit this criteria, so we will see if it holds true here," said Dr Burchell. Any company with 50 or more employees can take part.
The programme, which costs US$2,500 (Dh9,200), involves an employee survey and looks at human resource policies. The institute hopes to publish the UAE's top 20 companies to work for in January.
Cliff Single, a manager at the recruitment firm BAC Middle East, said it was a positive step for companies in the region to welcome scrutiny.
"Regardless of how a company does, the sheer fact they open themselves up to that type of scrutiny is a very positive sign, because it indicates they are at least interested and thinking about how they are perceived by staff," he said.
"Those companies, regardless of where they come in the rankings, get feedback and opportunities to improve and benchmark a little better."
Companies would pay attention to the rankings, as would potential new hires, which should foster improvement, Mr Single said.
"Not all companies will be open to this. It involves a cultural shift in terms of transparency and openness, and there are some organisations that may not be so comfortable with that."
The best companies to work for in the region tend to be those in the oil industry because it was perceived to have high wages and stable employment, Mr Single said. Big brand companies were also popular workplaces, he added.
eharnan@thenational.ae
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT
Price, base / as tested Dh460,000
Engine 8.4L V10
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
MATCH DETAILS
Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)
Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Playing records of the top 10 in 2017
How many games the top 10 have undertaken in the 2017 ATP season
1. Rafael Nadal 58 (49-9)
2. Andy Murray 35 (25-10)
3. Roger Federer 38 (35-3)
4. Stan Wawrinka 37 (26-11)
5. Novak Djokovic 40 (32-8)
6. Alexander Zverev 60 (46-14)
7. Marin Cilic 43 (29-14)
8. Dominic Thiem 60 (41-19)
9. Grigor Dimitrov 48 (34-14)
10. Kei Nishikori 43 (30-13)
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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Honeymoonish
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now