Today's Edition
Lamia Al Qattan (Abu Dhabi)
The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) adopted the Parent-Friendly Label programme to foster family-friendly work environments. The voluntary programme provides a set of criteria that organisations can adopt to be recognised and awarded by the authority.
Around 6,600 children benefited from the initiative, according to parents working in organisations that participated in the programme and succeeded in obtaining the label during the first round.
According to ECA's website: "In 2023, UNICEF Gulf expressed its support to the Parent-friendly Label programme by noting the progress being made by the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority when it comes to family-friendly policies."
Their website explained that the inspiration behind the initiative was the "difficult trade-offs" that families in the UAE are often forced to make because of work, such as cutting down on quality time with the family. This exposed the need to establish parent-friendly work cultures and the necessary policies to support them, for parents to thrive at work and at home. The aim is to encourage parent-friendly workplaces and "establish a work culture, policies and ways of working that are compassionate towards working parents of young children ages 0-8."
By launching such initiatives and practices, the ECA aims to promote Abu Dhabi as a parent-friendly work environment and ultimately contribute to the country's overall prosperity.
A Closer Look at the Numbers
The ECA's website affirmed that parent-friendly work policies aim to benefit children, especially since most of them in Abu Dhabi spend a significant amount of their time at home with their nannies, and only 30-40% of their time with their parents.
According to the second round of the 2023 Quality of Life survey conducted by the Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development, 48% of participants reported spending "very little time" with their families.
An International Perspective
Not only did international studies prove that promoting parent-friendly work policies and practices leads to better social and economic outcomes, but their effectiveness has been confirmed by 90% of implementing institutions.
Google, for example, extended maternity leave from 12 to 18 weeks with pay, which led to a 50% decrease in the turnover rate among female employees. The productivity rate also increased by 30% in 150 US federal agencies due to the adoption of alternative work schedules.
Improved nursing support has also been linked to a decrease in employee sick leave, "as employees miss work less often because breastfed infants experience fewer and shorter illnesses," as mentioned on ECA's website.
The Authority also highlighted a noticeable reduction in the likelihood of mothers experiencing depression throughout their lives due to extended parental leave.
