Lundbeck, Gulf Business Machines, Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Teleperformance and Ooredoo have been named as some of the “top best places to work” in the Middle East in 2020.
The recently compiled annual listing of the 20 Best Places To Work in the Middle East, by the Best Places To Work certification programme, is based on the assessment of over 250 organisations across the region. The findings from this year also reveal how well companies have adapted to the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Building a culture of innovation and resilience has enabled the employees in the region to quickly adapt to the disruption creating additional development opportunities inside their organisation. Approximately 85% of employees in the top 20 organisations, say they are satisfied with their current jobs; that’s 13% higher than the average across the region, validating the companies’ commitment to create a workplace culture and experience that employees value.
GREAT DIVERSITY
“This year’s list of Best Places To Work in Middle East represents great diversity in terms of industries, size and countries. Despite the pandemic situation, companies made a concerted effort to offer flexibility and support to all employees, and provide additional resources for those directly affected by Covid-19,” said Hamza Idrissi, Global Programme Director of Best Places to Work.
Gulf Business Machines (GBM) Bahrain secured number one position in the ranking, followed by Lundbeck Egypt and AstraZeneca Lebanon. Commenting on attaining top position in the ranking this year, Abdulla Ishaq, General Manager for GBM Bahrain, stated: “Our people are our greatest asset, which is reflected by achieving the highest score (91%) for the Best Place to Work for in Bahrain. We value our outstanding employees and reward them for making their targets, and continue in developing our employees’ soft and technical skills with the latest technological trends. We believe establishing a happier and positive workplace is transmitted daily to customers for the past 30 years of GBM journey regionally.”
UNIQUE WORK CULTURE
“In 2015, we set out to realise a dream: ‘To establish Lundbeck Egypt among the best employers in the pharmaceutical industry through a unique culture and working environment’,” explained Lundbeck Egypt’s Country Manager Ahmed El-Ashmawy. “We ALL worked hard and as one team to transform the dream into a vision. The dream is now a reality, but we won’t stop here. We will continue to strive to make Lundbeck Egypt an even better place to work, so we can continue to make a difference for people living with brain diseases.”
In fact, AstraZeneca offices across the region features in the list four times this year (Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq) and both Novo Nordisk and Johnson & Johnson two times each. “At AstraZeneca, being a great place to work is a commitment to our society and our people,” pointed out Rami Scandar, Country President Near East & Maghreb for AstraZeneca. “We recognise that our people are our greatest asset and we commit to ensuring that everyone who chooses to work at our company can reach their full potential, perform at their best and make a valued contribution to the enterprise.”
2020’S TOP 20
This year’s Top 20 Best Places to Work in the Middle East, include:
- 1. GBM Bahrain
- 2. Lundbeck Egypt
- 3. AstraZeneca Lebanon
- 4. Novo Nordisk Kuwait
- 5. Novo Nordisk Saudi Arabia
- 6. Qetaifan Projects Qatar
- 7. AstraZeneca Egypt
- 8. AstraZeneca Jordan
- 9. Johnson & Johnson Saudi Arabia
- 10. MSD Animal Health Egypt
- 11. AstraZeneca Iraq
- 12. Etihad Credit Export Insurance United Arab Emirates
- 13. Parkville Egypt
- 14. Tamkeen Technologies Saudi Arabia
- 15. International Maritime Industries Saudi Arabia
- 16. Al Safi Danone Saudi Arabia
- 17. Johnson & Johnson Egypt
- 18. MSD Animal Health Saudi Arabia
- 19. Teleperformance Egypt
- 20. Ooredoo Oman
Check out African Diversity and Inclusion Center (ADIC) inaugural lists of women, men and minorities working to make the African continent ‘inclusive’ for all, here.
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