UAE’s top 20 companies to work for revealed

DHL was praised for its core values, nurturing employee development creating a fun work environment, being transparent, listening and acting on employee feedback and celebrating successes. Ryan CarterShow more

DHL has retained its position as the top company to work for in the UAE, according to a new study. This makes it the third successive year that it has been named number one.

Great Place to Work, a global research, training and consultancy firm, said that its sixth annual study attracted a record level of participation in the UAE.

“There is a growing understanding among business leaders in the UAE that workplace culture has become a significant competitive advantage for organisations to attract and retain top talent,” said Maha Zaatari, managing director of Great Place to Work in the UAE.

DHL, the logistics company, was praised for its core values, nurturing employee development creating a fun work environment, being transparent, listening and acting on employee feedback and celebrating successes.

“DHL puts its workplace initiatives on top of its strategic plans and ensures that management spends time with frontline employees,” Great Place to Work said in a statement. “This includes attending courier rides and customer service calls — to ensure employees understand how integral they are to the success of the organisation and its customers.

This year’s runner-up was The One, which advanced two spots from 2015, followed by Omnicom Media Group, which retained third position.

With the UAE working to diversify its economy and companies having to deal with the effects of low oil prices, an increased focus on workplace culture comes at a critical time, according to Ms Zaatari.

“The next decade will mark the post-oil transformation of the UAE and the government has made clear the importance of developing, attracting and retaining the best talent to achieve sustainable growth,” she said. “We need more companies contributing to this mission through cultures that nurture and develop their employees in terms of their capabilities and wellbeing.”

The annual benchmarking study assesses the level of credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie within an organisation, and forms part of the world’s largest employee survey.

Two-thirds of a company’s score is based on the confidential feedback of their employees while the remaining score is attained from an audit of management and HR practices.

Top 20:

1 - DHL (logistics)

2 - THE One (retail)

3 - Omnicom Media Group (media)

4 - Splash (fashion)

5 - The Estee Lauder Companies (health and beauty)

6 - EMC (IT)

7 - Weber Shandwick (communications)

8 - Hilti Emirates (technology)

9 - Hilton Worldwide (hospitality)

10 - FedEx (logistics)

11 - WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff (engineering, professional services)

12 - Hyatt (hospitality)

13 - AstraZenea Gulf (pharmaceutical)

14 - Al Ghandi Auto Group (automotive)

15 - Leminar (industrial)

16 - Dulsco (HR and industrial services)

17 - Eros Group (technology)

18 - Apparel Group (retail)

19 - 3M (manufacturing)

20 - UAE Exchange (finance)

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter