UAE-based property company Metropolitan Group has been named the GCC’s <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/future/2022/07/13/under-pressure-women-are-founding-businesses-at-record-pace-linkedin-says/" target="_blank">best workplace for women</a> in 2022, as companies in the region continue to focus on <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/money/2022/01/27/gcc-companies-to-develop-financial-well-being-plans-for-employees/">employee well-being</a>, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/money/2022/05/25/uae-jobs-employees-prefer-hybrid-and-remote-working-models/">work-life balance and learning opportunities</a> in the post-pandemic era, a survey by management consultancy Great Place to Work showed. Recruitment consultancy Charterhouse, Dubai district cooling provider Empower, UAE insurance broker Howden Guardian Insurance and Saudi Arabia-based Elevation United Property Management round out the top five best workplaces for women in the GCC, the survey, released on Wednesday, found. Other UAE companies on the list include fitness and leisure app scheme Privilee, Westford University in Sharjah, public relations company Hill+Knowlton Strategies, luxury retailer Chalhoub Group, Horizon International School, Sunset Hospitality and sustainable active wear brand The Giving Movement, among others, the survey revealed. <b>____________</b> “The top 30 Best Workplaces for Women in GCC is in line with our 2022 strategy of recognising organisations across the region that are <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2021/09/08/coding-and-ai-jobs-how-do-we-get-more-girls-into-tech/" target="_blank">working hard to close the gender gap </a>and sustain a high trust, high performing culture for all employees,” Ibrahim Mougharbel, managing director of Great Place to Work UAE, said. Since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, employees and jobseekers have been <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/money/2022/01/06/uae-salary-guide-2022-how-much-should-you-be-earning/">increasingly requesting to work from home</a> at least two days a week, in addition to asking for flexible hours and training opportunities, recruitment company Robert Half said in its 2022 salary guide. Advertising, marketing and public relations attracts the most female talent in the UAE, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/money/2022/09/12/majority-of-uae-employers-plan-to-hire-more-staff-in-2023/" target="_blank">a survey this month by UAE jobs portal Bayt and market research company YouGov found</a>. Women must be given more leadership roles to help the Middle East and North Africa close the second-widest gender gap in the world, according to a <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/2022/07/13/mena-region-needs-more-female-leaders-to-close-115-year-gender-gap-global-report-finds/" target="_blank">July report by the World Economic Forum</a>. Globally, countries will take another 132 years, compared with 136 in 2021, to close the gender gap, the WEF report said. In Mena, this figure stands at 115 years. The survey on GCC’s best workplaces for women included companies in sectors such as logistics, technology, finance, social services and government agencies, media, retail, fashion, FMCG, hospitality, healthcare and manufacturing. Companies based in the GCC that fall within these industries and employ 10 or more workers are eligible to participate in the survey, which aims to support closing the gender gap in the region. Organisations are selected based on how well-represented women are in the workforce and throughout management, and assessed based on employee feedback and an audit of management and HR practices. “Women today face a unique set of challenges both in and out of the workplace ranging from pay, fairness and empowerment,” said Tanzeel Rahman, managing director of Great Place to Work Saudi Arabia. “The best workplaces on this list have created a greater sense of fairness, collaboration and professional development for female employees. These positive experiences empower them to bring their full potential to the workplace and the world.” Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/2021/12/27/uaes-car-sharing-platform-ekar-introduces-car-subscription-service-in-saudi-arabia/">UAE car-sharing platform ekar </a>was ranked the best start-up to work for in the Emirates this year by professional network LinkedIn. Dubai-based buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) company Postpay, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/future/2022/06/30/pure-harvest-raises-181m-as-it-focuses-on-food-security-rd-and-expansion/">Abu Dhabi agriculture technology start-up Pure Harvest Smart Farms</a>, sustainable active wear brand The Giving Movement and e-commerce and supply chain company Right Farm complete the top five in the LinkedIn Top Start-ups List 2022. <b>____________</b>
