Chalhoub Group
In your opinion, what makes parent-friendly workplaces the wave of the future?
Workplaces that support employees with children through parent-friendly policies and cultures such as flexible working arrangements, remote work options, and generous and considerate parental leave indicate an understanding of the diverse and ever-evolving needs and responsibilities of today’s workforce.
It is a progressive development that is dedicated to retaining and attracting talent while balancing personal lives and professional passion in an environment of inclusion, equity, and wellbeing.
Please share ONE unique parent-friendly workplace initiative that your organization is particularly proud of and has made the biggest impact on your employees.
Our Flexible Working Policy provides our team members with the opportunity to maintain and enjoy a work-life balance that supports their wellbeing. Based on employee-employer trust, the policy was put in place to ensure equity while enhancing efficiency across the Group.
Built on three main pillars, the policy is designed to serve employees through:
- Flexitime which provides employees with the autonomy to choose varying start/end times of their day with fixed core business hours of 10am to 4pm, while completing an 8-hour working day.
- Working from Home which allows Chalhoub Group employees to work from home for up to two days per week for all eligible backoffice roles.
- Working from Abroad which gives team members in eligible roles across the Group the flexibility to work from abroad for a total of 4 weeks per year in additional to their annual leave.
“Our Flexible Working Policy is a testament to Chalhoub Group’s commitment to employee wellbeing and creating an inclusive culture for our colleagues. We truly believe that when we extend trust and focus on the output more than the input, empowered team members feel motivated, recognised, and inspired.” – Wassim Eid, President of People & Culture at Chalhoub Group
What are some of the business benefits (such as on retention, satisfaction, productivity. etc.) you have seen from being a parent-friendly workplace?
87% Employee Engagement Score | 84% Employee Wellbeing Score
90% of employees responded favorably (agreed) to: “The Flexible Working Policy Contributes Positively to Balancing My Work & Personal Life.”
Source: Chalhoub Group 2023 Voice of People Survey
You support your employees in a special way through your Culture Labs. Please share real story(s) (anonymous if you prefer) where your employees have benefited from this support.
Our Culture Labs are forums that bring team members to discuss enablers and blockers of the organizational culture in their workplace. The outcome of these Labs is shared with leaders to shape the Group people priorities and with People Partners to inform their people strategies.
One of the topics that was prioritized and addressed through this forum last year was collaboration; whereby team members identified the need for borderless opportunities to connect and collaborate across countries, verticals, business units and functions.
Given that that Culture Lab is not only a forum to discuss challenges, but also co-create solutions, participants worked together to find a solution that facilitates collaboration and supports their ways of working by promoting projects and initiatives which different team members from across the Group can take part in.
Figures to highlight:
- 80 participants from across the Group.
- 5 prototypes pitched.
- 3 prototypes shortlisted.
- 2 solutions developed.
- 1 is being piloted and will be launched across the Group in Q2 2024.
Eventually, this became a success story of cross-functional and borderless collaboration, an example of how Culture Labs help identify and implement practical solutions that directly benefit our people, and an ever-expanding gallery of success stories, and teamwork that we will continue to build on over the years.
“The flexible working policy was a game-changer for me. It allowed me to be present in a different country to support my pregnant wife from the moments leading up to delivery, through the delivery itself, and in the post-delivery phase. This policy not only supported our growing family but also exemplifies the company’s commitment to the well-being and work-life balance of its employees. I’m grateful for the flexibility that made such a significant and personal moment in my life possible.”
“The implementation of flexible hours is a genuine stress relief from a parent’s perspective. It enables us to manage any family unexpected incidents, alleviating the dilemma of balancing work and family.”
“As everyone is seeking jobs that offer flexibility, I can see myself, as a working mom, super lucky to be a part of Chalhoub Group. This flexibility allows me to improve work-life balance which created a healthier and happier life.”
“I am a relatively recent mother, and the flexible working policy has been key to my wellbeing and my ability to be a working parent since the day I returned to work from maternity leave. At first, it allowed me to keep up with breastfeeding, which was very important to me. Over the summer, it allowed me to escape the Dubai heat with my family for over a month, during which I worked fully remotely for a couple of weeks—in that time, my son enjoyed his time outdoors with his grandparents and other caretakers. And since my son has been in nursery, I Very much avail myself of the flexible working policy to work from home at least once a week (usually Fridays, when most of my team is working remotely). On those days, I pick him up from nursery and have lunch with him: it is such a special treat and great bonding time for the two of us.
Becoming a mother is a life shaking event. For me, as focused as I have always been on my career, the return to work was very challenging, and accompanied by feelings of worry, guilt, loss, confusion, guilt, guilt, guilt… Having a flexible working policy has allowed me to better deal and manage these feelings, and find ways to be present for my son and my family as much as I could without compromising on the quality of my work or my commitment to my career development. I could not be more grateful.
Finally, as a leader in the organization, I very much encourage my team members to similarly avail themselves of the flexible working policy, whether they are parents or not, to the extent it makes any aspect of their life easier. I am confident that it only benefits each person’s relationship with their job.”
