UAE..a “supportive” work environment for parents

Lamia Al Harmoudi (Abu Dhabi)
By launching the Quality Mark Program for a supportive work environment for parents, the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority is working to shed light on the major transformations that countries of the world, including the UAE, are witnessing with regard to the traditional form of balance between work and family life. These changes have resulted in the spread of a rapidly developing work culture, which It has become more flexible and responsive to the needs of working parents.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, directed that the Quality Mark for a supportive work environment for parents, launched by the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, be circulated to all institutions in the country, open the door to participation, and expand the application of practices and policies that support parents. Within various work environments, it is an essential part of the positive and constructive institutional culture and a step towards establishing a deep-rooted societal culture that focuses on supporting children and preserving all their rights.
The Authority seeks to spread this culture and raise awareness about the future of work and the coming transformation that is driven by a number of powerful forces, which include the growing recognition that parent-supportive workplaces provide tangible benefits to a wide range of stakeholders, including institutions, working parents, children, and communities.
The Quality Mark Program has aspirations and goals, as it has transformed from being just a program into a unique movement throughout the country to support the importance of supportive environments for parents, and the establishment of institutions characterized by policies, practices and culture that support parents at work, providing flexibility to families, listening to them and understanding their needs, and supporting the general well-being of employees and their families, as well as Providing opportunities for working parents to succeed at work and from home.

Honoring entities
Sanaa Suhail, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, confirmed that the wise leadership in the UAE has placed the family and children among the most important priorities. Therefore, it is important that all efforts from the government and private sectors align to support this trend, and it is important to create such programs that are characterized by motivation through… The entities that participate in it and the recipients are honored by His Highness the President of the State, may God protect him. This confirms the importance of the program, and that the entities that achieved this mark are among the entities that were able to achieve and implement the directives of the wise leadership.
She added: “The entities that participated in the program confirmed that they were able to obtain positive results from employees, as productivity was increased, the principle of well-being at work was achieved, and work was done to implement the principle of mental health for employees and various work teams.”
Emirati culture
The Director General of the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority in Abu Dhabi explained: Implementing the program contributes to strengthening Emirati culture in future generations by providing parents with flexibility to allocate more time to spend with their children, and thus this will contribute to cultural exchange and linguistic communication will be stronger and better, thus the presence of parents with Their children will further enhance the promotion of Emirati culture in future generations. Government and local authorities in the country were invited to participate in the third cycle of the Quality Mark Program for a supportive work environment for parents. She said: It is very important for us to participate in this program, and we hope that all companies will take the initiative and participate in the new cycle of the program so that we can improve the work environments at the state level in a way that translates the approach of the leadership and government.

Positive atmosphere
In turn, Omar Khan, Head of the Center for Business Studies and Research at the Dubai Chamber, confirmed: Providing supportive environments for parents has now become almost an obligation on institutions, as investing in the human resources of employees is important. By providing work environments that support parents, this will contribute to achieving positive outcomes. There are many aspects at work, the most prominent of which are building mutual trust between employees and their superiors, and creating a positive work atmosphere that achieves a balance between work and family, and is attractive to distinguished human resources. Considering that employees are one of the most important investments in terms of science and experience, which may be priceless, it is necessary to design a supportive work environment for them, which will contribute to the support and well-being of employees, as well as the prosperity of work environments, which will benefit families and institutions, in addition to improving the reputation of the employer and the brand. The business, entity or institution, and raising its status and achieving profit, as there are many studies that have confirmed that activating the participation of the workforce in for-profit institutions would enhance profitability. Workplaces that support parents help reduce stress levels and enhance well-being, which contributes to better development of families and children in society.

Establishing a societal culture focused on supporting children and preserving their rights
Tariq Bin Hindi said: “Companies and institutions are a group of people who work together and have different backgrounds and needs. To create a stimulating, supportive, and healthy work environment, companies and institutions must provide the necessary support to employees, and parents are considered one of the most important people who need such programs and initiatives.” Which contributes to their support, as we do not want to reach a stage where the male or female employee has to choose between a job and caring for children, and thus a large amount of experience, skills, potential and important human minds may be wasted. Therefore, such programs will provide flexible work opportunities for parents and an opportunity to raise their children in a healthy and healthy upbringing based on a strong Emirati culture at the same time, with the aim of participating in the development and progress of society.
Child growth
In terms of the results of studies announced by the Early Childhood Authority in Abu Dhabi, research has shown that supporting parents in the workplace and committing to supporting families with young children can reduce parental stress, enhance their well-being, and contribute to improving child development outcomes by enhancing the health of mothers and their children. Promoting the health of fathers and their children, helping mothers maintain their job roles, enhancing community well-being, and enhancing maternal and infant health leading to reduced health care costs, investing in future generations and national development.
The study confirmed that the future of work revolves around providing a supportive environment for parents, as we are in a rapidly changing world, and that the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic have brought about fundamental shifts in the nature of work, and the adoption of supportive policies and practices for parents. This prompted the UAE to be at the forefront of this growing movement.

Child care
At the level of parents, a large number of them welcomed such programs, calling on all parties to participate and be supportive and supportive environments for parents in a sustainable manner, as this is in line with the approach and policy of the wise leadership of the future UAE.
Mira Al Hameli, an employee and mother of two daughters, said: “The importance of providing a supportive work environment for parents lies in enhancing family cohesion and child care, especially in the early childhood stages, as long working hours, especially for mothers, exhaust them at work, which reduces their interest in caring for children who spend most of their day away.” About them. The result is children who live the first stages of their lives with a feeling of great lack and an urgent need to spend quality time with their parents. The solution lies in providing and imposing supportive policies for parents working in the workplace and making them an approach followed by all institutions, regardless of the nature of their work, because of its importance in promoting the proper education and care of children. This will naturally reflect positively on productivity at work, as parents are psychologically reassured about their children and surrounded by a supportive work team. Whereas, caring for children is not an easy task, but rather it is a responsibility to raise and care for the next generation and build the future.
Work environments
Abdullah Al-Mushtagal said: Providing supportive work environments for parents is important for many reasons, the most important of which are family cohesion and instilling societal and cultural values ​​in children. One of the most important positive effects of providing supportive work environments for parents is improving family health, as parents can enjoy time with their children without feeling the resulting pressures. About work, which contributes to strengthening family relationships.
poll
The results of the survey conducted by the Authority, which was conducted within the Quality Mark Program at the state level, indicated that the survey received a response from 9,694 employees, spanning the period from November 2022 to May 2023. According to the analysis, 90% of employees who feel satisfied with the support provided Parents from their organizations are more likely to recommend their employer, so organizations should aim to maintain a competitive advantage in the market and be seen as a supportive work environment for parents through policies and practices. 85% of employees who are satisfied with the flexible work arrangements available to them at work stated that they are likely to recommend their employer, so organizations must provide flexible work policies and enhance them to attract talent.