United Arab Emirates, Dubai, 01 February 2024:Chalhoub Group is proud to announce that it has earned the Parent-friendly Label (PFL) by Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA), for exceeding local leading parent-friendly policies and practices. The ceremony took place at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi and was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Office of Development and Martyrs Families Affairs and Chairman of the ECA, to honour institutions awarded.

The prestigious recognition places Chalhoub Group amongst the UAE’s most supportive organisations, as the Group fosters a culture that prioritizes the health, safety, and overall wellbeing of its people. Committed to supporting parents, the Group offers generous parental leave policies, providing 90 fully paid days for maternity leave and 14 fully paid days for paternity leave. Recognising the importance of work-life balance, the Group also offers flexible working arrangements, including two days per week of flexible working and four weeks per year of remote working options. Store consultants are also considered, ensuring they receive two days off. 

Additionally, the Group offers Employee Assistance Programme that provides free and private mental health support, counseling and therapy through psychologists, and a dedicated Wellbeing Academy that hosts resources and learning courses on mental, physical, financial, social and professional wellbeing. In harmony with these efforts, the Group aims to foster a collaborative environment through “Culture Labs” to enable communication between team members and leadership, while co-creating solutions  addressing policies, procedures, and ways of working.

Wassim Eid, President of People and Culture at Chalhoub Group said: “We recognize the importance of empowering our teams, especially working parents, understanding the multifaceted challenges they navigate. Through our array of parent-friendly initiatives, such as flexible work arrangements, comprehensive maternity and paternity leave, dedicated nursing rooms and family care support, we advocate for work-life integration and acknowledge that while at work, one cannot detach from their personal life. By doing this, we aim to foster an inclusive environment where our people have peace of mind and feel supported, and retain our top talents while remaining competitive in the market, as a Great Place to Work.”

The Parent-friendly Label (PFL) programme targets institutions in the UAE’s semi-government, private, and third sectors, aiming to encourage them to adopt policies and frameworks that support working parents and enable them to provide the best possible care to their children. Through the PFL programme, the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority aims to support working parents to flourish in both their professional and personal lives and to empower them to offer their young children the best start in life.