UAE launches award for exceptional workplace practices

Applications for the first edition of the Emirates Labour Market Award will open on June 1, 2023.

The Award, which was approved by the UAE Cabinet in March, will recognise the efforts of outstanding companies, workers and business service partners.

The initiative aims to highlight successful practices in the labour market and enhance competitiveness and productivity while advancing well-being and quality of life for the private sector workforce.

An annual ceremony will be held to honour the winners across three different categories - Outstanding Establishments, Outstanding Workforce and Business Services Partners.

According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), applications can be submitted online from June 1 to August 31.

Following this, an in-office and on-field evaluation will take place in September, before the award ceremony is held in November.

#MoHRE will begin accepting applications for the Emirates Labour Market Award from June 1, 2023 to August 31, 2023. The Award, which is held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE’s Vice President,👇🏻👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/Dh4EUhHANa

— وزارة الموارد البشرية والتوطين (@MOHRE_UAE) May 10, 2023

Outstanding Establishments

This category is divided into a main category and six subcategories split by the size of establishments (small, medium, large, very large).

Within the main category (four awards) the Leading Establishment in the Labour Market Award is awarded in recognition of firms that have adopted the best practices in human resources and accomplished the strictest compliance with work environment regulations and standards. 

Seven winners are honoured as per their establishment’s size and category level, which adds up to 28 awards (six subcategories + the main category x four sizes of establishments)

The subcategories include employment, empowerment and attracting skilled labour practices, occupational health and safety practices, employment relationships and wages practices, workforce wellbeing and quality of life, futureproofing, and outstanding workers’ accomodation.

To apply for the Establishments Category, the establishment must be registered on the MoHRE’s database and should have been in the labour market for two years or more.

They must not be government-owned, have had a judicial ruling issued against them, or have had any penalties imposed on them for violating the labour legislation in force in the UAE during the previous year. 

It must also commit to completing the nomination application and adhering to the award’s timeframe.

Establishments that win the award are not entitled to participate in the award until two sessions have been held since they received the award.

Outstanding Workforce

This category involves outstanding workforce that have served the UAE’s businesses and community.

It is divided into three subcategories: skilled labour, which includes high-level professionals, unskilled labour, which encompasses employees from the sixth occupational level or below.

The criteria for this category are achievement, creativity and innovation, continuous learning, and social responsibility.

The third category is General Nominations, which includes all workforce types and is drawn from those who have had a positive impact and a unique mark on UAE society.

Applications for the General Nominations category are accepted from government agencies, private sector establishments, and the community overall.

To be nominated for the award, participants must have worked at the establishment for no less than one year, and the participant’s profile must be free of violations, and participants must not have had a labour complaint/ suspension registered against them during the previous year.

Three winners will be acknowledged within each category, totalling 12 awards.

Business Services Partners

This category acknowledges companies that have helped develop the best-in-class labour market practices.

It is divided into three subcategories: Domestic Workers Recruitment Agencies, which is awarded to agencies that apply best practices by providing suitable support for their domestic workers and meet the aspirations of the families that are dealing with them.

The second subcategory is Employment Agencies, which acknowledges employment agencies that apply best practices to attract skilled human resources according to the labour market's needs to increase productivity and raise the labour market’s efficiency.

The third subcategory includes Business Service Centres, which acknowledges centers that adopt best practices and enable their staff to provide outstanding services to the UAE’s business sector.

A winner will be awarded for each category, with a total of three awards given.

Winning entities must be registered in MoHRE’s database and have been in the labour market for two years or more.

They must not be government-owned, have had a judicial ruling issued against them, or have had any penalties imposed on them for violating the labour legislation in force in the UAE during the previous year.

Entities that win the award are not entitled to participate in the award until two sessions have been held since they received the award.