DHL named Top Company to Work For in the UAE for the second consecutive year

biz-group maintains its position as Top SME to Work For in the UAE

Dubai, UAE, 17th March 2015: Great Place to Work Institute UAE, part of a global research, training and consultancy firm that recognizes the best workplaces in over 50 countries worldwide, revealed its fifth annual list of the 'Top 15 Companies to Work For in the UAE' and second annual list of 'Most Distinguished SMEs to Work For in the UAE' during an awards ceremony at Rixos The Palm resort in Dubai yesterday.

Maintaining the number one position on the 'Top 15 Companies to Work For in the UAE' list was DHL. According to GPTW, DHL puts its workplace initiatives on top of its strategic plans and continues to improve its 'employee value proposition'. Every aspect of the employee lifecycle at DHL, from recruitment to retirement, is perfectly aligned to the company's core values, business objectives, vision and mission.

Climbing from fourth place on the 2014 list to become this year's runner-up was Ericsson, followed by Omnicom Media Group which retained its third position. THE One came in at fourth position, climbing up one spot from 2014, while Marriott advanced two spots to be ranked fifth position.

Ranking from sixth to 10th place on the list were Estee Lauder, Weber Shandwick, Hyatt, Leminar and Fun City respectively. Rounding out the final five positions on the list were EMC, WSP, Apparel Group, FedEx and Master Card.

According to GPTW, the competition this year was fierce. "To be recognized as one of the best workplaces in the UAE is a significant achievement and winners should feel proud of their results. Each year the program is becoming more competitive as companies strive to improve their workplaces. We are pleased to see new companies make the list this year and that some of our previous list makers have improved their positions among the top 15. A special mention goes to our top company DHL, which has been busy implementing new initiatives to retain its winning position," said Ron Thomas, CEO of GPTW Gulf.

After five years of evaluating workplace excellence in the UAE, GPTW says the UAE is on track to realize its ambition to become the best country in which to live and work.

"We've seen remarkable development in HR practices in the UAE since we launched our 'Top Companies to Work For' study five years ago. With the UAE Government determined to make the country a top business destination, which celebrates diversity and innovation, more companies are realizing the impact a positive workplace experience can have on this goal," added Thomas.

This year marked GPTW's first joint celebration of Top Companies and Top SMEs in the UAE, a move which it hopes will allow all organizations to learn from each other.

Ranked the nation's Top SME to Work For the second consecutive year was biz-group, a business strategy, training and corporate team building company with offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. GPTW says biz-group achieved the highest score on its proprietary trust measurement tool, thanks to its sound and people-centred workplace practices, especially in hiring, inspiring, welcoming, and thanking staff.

Coming in second position on the SME list was DABO & CO followed by new list maker Abu Dhabi Finance in third position. Also making the list for the second consecutive year was Eton Institute in fourth position while Advanced Watertek rounded out the top five.

"We would like to thank all participants in this year's 'Most Distinguished SMEs' program and congratulate them on creating workplaces in which trust, pride and camaraderie flourish. These SMEs have implemented some extraordinary HR practices and remind us that every company, irrespective of size, can build a culture of workplace excellence," said Thomas.

The annual benchmarking study - which assesses the level of credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie within an organization - forms part of the world's largest employee survey. Most of a company's score (two-thirds) is based on the confidential feedback of their staff, with an audit of management and HR practices by the Institute comprising the remainder of the score.

The 'Top 15 Companies to Work for in the UAE' and 'Most Distinguished SMEs to Work For in the UAE' were represented by a wide cross section of sectors including logistics, technology, finance, media, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. New listmakers in the Top 15 Companies in 2015 included Apparel Group, Leminar, WSP and MasterCard, while Abu Dhabi Finance and Advance Watertek were the new listmakers among the Top SMEs.

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Press Release 2015