For a public entity whose work revolves around making community life better each day, there can be no accolade more fitting than a Great Place to Work® (GPTW) certification, which Sharjah’s Department of Statistics and Community Development (DSCD) has recently earned, while also featuring in GPTW’s Best Workplaces for Millennials™ GCC 2024 rankings.

In a survey conducted by the Great Place to Work® teams, 130 employees evaluated various parameters across five main pillars—credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie. The results showed that 97% of respondents agreed that the entity, which has been instrumental in empowering Sharjah to become one of the best cities to live and work in the UAE, is a great place to work.

A convincing win

According to Delloite, a good work-life balance and opportunities for learning and development are amongst the top reasons for professionals to choose an employer. DSCD’s flexible hours, 4-day work week, positive organisational culture and work environment, resulted in 98% participants telling Great Place to Work® surveyors that they looked forward to going to work.

Moreover, 99% respondents confirmed that the company’s management is easy to approach and ethical in its business practices, while 96% voted in favour of positive leadership behaviour. DSCD also excelled in various other areas: employees commended the effective communication within the department, integrity, credibility and engagement, collaboration and respect, fairness, culture of innovation and competence, impartiality, and the strong sense of community.

The department has led comprehensive initiatives and programmes designed to improve the employee experience. Their training centre has been running innovation, capacity-building, and mentorship programmes, providing employees with continuous opportunities for skill development, career growth, and internal recognition.

DSCD’s employee-friendly strategies particularly attractive for Millennials 

Sheikh Sultan bin Abdullah bin Salem Al Qasimi, Director of DSCD said: “As an organisation dedicated to boosting Sharjah’s appeal as a ‘great place to live and work’ based on the real-time expectations of people, we are delighted to have been certified as a Great Place to Work® and also recognised as one of GCC’s Best Workplaces for Millennials™. Given the global data on the workforce being the leading forces behind every big transformation in the workplace and beyond, today they are playing a very active role in leading change and shaping purpose-driven economies that look beyond financial gains to gauge the true impact of business activities”.

With millennials forecasted to occupy 75 percent of the global workforce by 2025, this is a key demographic whose happiness and satisfaction levels are going directly to the region’s economic output and societal environment.

“In this sense, this generation are the true pioneers of a sustainable, inclusive and value-driven future and workplaces. Organisations and economies that understand and support their development will reap the benefits. These certifications have given us new impetus to continue empowering all our employees, not just Millennials, and offer them a space that understands their unique needs and aspirations thrive everyday”, Sheikh Sultan bin Abdullah Al Qasimi added.

Great Place To Work® is a global leader in workplace culture, helping organisations create a consistently and overwhelmingly positive employee experience. We offer recognition and tools to help leaders and organisations elevate their employer brands, capture and understand employee experiences, build cultures that retain talent, and unlock the potential of every employee.