PHOTO
- Panel discussion discusses strategies on workplace inclusion
- Private sector companies share firsthand experience of hiring people of determination
Dubai: Emirates NBD, one of the leading banking groups in the region, convened a panel discussion to debunk myths among UAE companies on employing people of determination (people with disabilities).
Held under the bank’s #TogetherLimitless advocacy platform for persons of determination, the event discussed key findings of research commissioned by the bank to better understand UAE employers’ perceptions on hiring people of determination. The Ipsos-led research interviewed 70 C-level executives and HR managers from companies with 75 plus employees across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah through face-to-face meetings, online questionnaires and included seven in-depth face-to-face interviews.
In conjunction with the research, Emirates NBD has also published a whitepaper (www.emiratesnbd.com/pwdwhitepaper) based on qualitative interviews with 15 persons from UAE-based private sector companies affiliated to Careers Network, and organisations like Manzil and Community Development Authority, Dubai.
At the panel discussion, speakers comprising private sector employers and government policy makers debunked myths around employing people of determination by sharing first-hand experiences and successful strategies.
Panelists also highlighted the support provided by Emirates NBD’s The Careers Network, a workplace inclusion initiative under #TogetherLimitless that connects work-ready candidates to employers interested in bringing diversity into their workforces. Quarterly recruitment ‘Meet Ups’ as well as workplace inclusion workshops, candidate assessments, selection and job coaching are offered free of cost to UAE companies by The Careers Network.
Panelists included: Deepak Malathi, Head of HR – Fashion Division, Splash (part of Landmark Group); Fatima Abdulrahman, Chief Human Resources Officer, Tanfeeth (part of Emirates NBD group); Dr. Hussain Al Maseeh - Expert - Social Development and Care Sector- Community Development Authority; and Yassine Bakkari, Operations Director and Diversity Champion, L'Oréal Middle East.
During the discussion, Fatima Abdulrahman, Chief Human Resources Officer, Tanfeeth stated, “Hiring people of determination needs several prerequisites in place to ensure that the experience is mutually beneficial and fulfilling for both the employee and employer. As an employer, creating an inclusive corporate culture that accepts people from all walks of life is priority. This attitude can be achieved by including informal discussions, educational internal communications and employee volunteering opportunities. It is also very important that the job description is customized to the employees needs and capabilities to ultimately provide a sense of fulfilment to the
employee. Research shows that hiring people with disabilities also translates into increased employee engagement, which in turn drives profitability.”
Dr. Hussain Maseeh - Expert - Social Development and Care Sector- Community Development Authority added: “There is a definite increase in awareness and willingness from the public and private sectors to support people of determination. However, more dedication is required from the private sector to support Emiratis and non-Emiratis with disabilities. Initiatives such as today’s discussion underline the importance of an inclusive environment at workplaces across the country and I am confident that our efforts will contribute to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council to make Dubai a disability-friendly city by 2020.”
“Our mission at L’Oréal is to bring “Beauty for all”, and at the heart of this mission is our diversity strategy, so we strive to provide an environment that is inclusive for all employees of different backgrounds and needs. Our journey to become one of the leaders in diversity and inclusion started ten years ago when we issued a global policy to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities. Today, the Group has employed over 1,200 people who are differently-abled in various functions and roles across the world. This has inspired us, at L’Oréal Middle East, to follow the same vision and aim by having 2% of our talent pool to be differently-abled by end of year,” said Yassine Bakkari, Operations Director and Diversity Champion at L’Oréal Middle East. “According to the 2016 Annual Report of Global Economics of Disability, 85% of disabilities are acquired during life, hence we will continue to intensify our efforts to attract more and more differently-abled people by offering them a work environment and careers that are adapted to their specific needs.”
Today’s panel discussion was part of #TogetherLimitless’ series of quarterly town-hall sessions to build community awareness toward disability mainstreaming. In the 18 months since its launch, the bank’s Careers Network has helped over 50 candidates gain employment among 19 companies.
-Ends-
About Emirates NBD:
Emirates NBD is a leading banking Group in the region. As at 30th June 2018, total assets were AED 477.5 Billion, (equivalent to approx. USD 130 Billion). The Group has a significant retail banking franchise in the UAE and is a key participant in the global digital banking industry, with over 90 per cent of all financial transactions and requests conducted outside of its branches. The bank was declared the Most Innovative Financial Services Organization of the Year at the 2017 BAI Global Innovation Awards.
The bank currently has 227 branches and 1065 ATMs and SDMs in the UAE and overseas and a large social media following, being the only bank in the Middle East ranked among the top 20 in the ‘Power 100 Social Media Rankings’, compiled by The Financial Brand. It is a major player in the UAE corporate and retail banking arena and has strong Islamic Banking, Global Markets & Treasury, Investment Banking, Private Banking, Asset Management and Brokerage operations.
The Group has operations in the UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and representative offices in China and Indonesia.
The Group is an active participant and supporter of the UAE’s main development and community initiatives, in close alignment with the UAE government’s strategies, including financial literacy and advocacy for inclusion of People with Disabilities under its #TogetherLimitless platform. Emirates NBD Group is an Official Premier Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai. For more information, please visit: www.emiratesnbd.com
About #TogetherLimitless:
#TogetherLimitless, an advocacy platform for persons with disabilities (people of determination), is one of the key focus areas of Emirates NBD’s Social Investment Strategy Framework, driven by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the UAE Vision 2021. Since its inception in 2015, #TogetherLimitless has undertaken several initiatives for disability mainstreaming, including quarterly town-hall sessions to build community awareness; launching The Careers Network for workplace inclusion; transforming the bank’s branches with disability-friendly facilities, promoting financial inclusion by offering Sanad* card holders the Emirates NBD ‘Beyond from Personal Banking’ package, exempt of minimum salary requirements, as well as publishing a research report on the banking and financial habits and attitudes of people of determination in the UAE.
*privilege access card developed by CDA for persons with disabilities.
About The Careers Network:
The Careers Network, part of Emirates NBD’s #TogetherLimitless advocacy platform, connects work-ready individuals with disabilities to employers interested in bringing diversity into their workforces. In collaboration with its strategic partners, the Community Development Authority, Manzil, Al Noor and Sustainable Square, The Careers Network has enlisted individuals with disabilities from pre-existing work-training programmes, and aided them in taking on long-term employment positions with its corporate partners in the public and private sector. The programme assists partners in the private sector with the selection, hiring and training of potential employees, in addition to shadowing candidates in the first months of their employment to ensure complete workplace integration and on-boarding. The Careers Network screened 125 persons of determination in 2017, placing 21 of them in jobs.
For further information on Emirates NBD, please contact:
Ibrahim Sowaidan
Senior Vice President
Head - Group Corporate Affairs
Emirates NBD
Telephone: +971 4 609 4113 / +971 50 6538937
e-mail: ibrahims@emiratesnbd.com
Tricia Kaul | Vinisha Khatwani
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller; Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971-4-4507600; Fax: 971-4-4358040
Email: tricia.kaul@bm.com | vinisha.khatwani@bm.com
Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.
The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.