ECA's Parent-Friendly Label sets higher bar as more UAE employers adopt family-first policies
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)The UAE is seeing a shift in workplace culture as more employers expand parental leave, flexible hours, and support for families of children of determination. This trend is being shaped in part by the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority's Parent-Friendly Label (PFL) programme, which has tightened its evaluation standards and drawn record participation in its third cycle.The programme's latest cycle saw a record 83 applications from semi-government, private and third-sector employers, with a notable rise in entries from professional services, education, energy and healthcare. The number of employees benefitting from parent-friendly policies rose 28% compared with the previous cycle, while inclusivity for parents of children of determination improved by more than 50%.
'The third cycle of the Parent-Friendly Label marks a significant milestone in the programme's journey, both in scale and impact,' Fatmah Rashed Alkaabi, PFL Programme Manager at the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA), told Aletihad in an interview. 'This cycle holds special importance as we celebrate our label earners while the UAE marks the Year of Community in 2025, reinforcing the programme's commitment to fostering a more inclusive, family-supportive work culture across the country.'Organisations applying for the label are also adapting to more demanding evaluation criteria, which now place greater weight on the measurable impact and sustainability of workplace practices. Alkaabi revealed that, while the PFL retained the original 19 criteria across the five assessment areas — parental leave, flexible work, family care, family wellbeing, and organisational culture — the third cycle placed greater emphasis on leadership accountability, data tracking, and staff wellbeing support.'We also focused on assessing managers' support mechanisms beyond policy documentation, including leadership accountability, data tracking, and parental wellbeing programmes. These enhancements were informed by insights from earlier cycles to ensure stronger differentiation of label earners,' she added.
Impact Beyond the Workplace Alkaabi said label earners have introduced institutional initiatives that directly affect the lives of working parents, creating long-term benefits for their children, communities, and the organisations themselves. Some offer six months' maternity leave, eight weeks' paternity leave, flexible work arrangements, and dedicated support for parents of children of determination. These measures, she explained, reduce stress, strengthen families, and enhance wellbeing, equity, productivity, and global competitiveness.'Our primary objective is to drive social change across the UAE by fostering a deeper understanding of the unique journey of working parents,' Alkaabi said.'This shift represents a long-term investment in child wellbeing and national development goals. Parent-supportive workplaces enhance healthy child development by encouraging beneficial practices like breastfeeding, which improve mother and child health,' she added.She acknowledged that some employers, particularly smaller firms, may have concerns about potential disruption and costs. To address these, Alkaabi said the PFL programme offers free support to foster inclusive policies and has already impacted more than one million employees worldwide.'One of [the programme's] most valuable features is a structured feedback process, through which all applicants, regardless of outcome, receive an independent assessment highlighting their strengths and areas for improvement.'She added that the PFL team also connects organisations with experts and peers to help refine existing policies or develop new ones that align with both the programme's criteria and the unique culture of the organisation.Cycle 3 honoured 12 national and international organisations, including three earning the PFL+ for meeting or exceeding global standards in parent-friendly policies — HSBC, Ethara, and TAQA Transmission. The remaining nine — ADNOC, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Miral, DP World, The Developing Child Centre, Procter & Gamble, Strategy& Middle East, Kraft Heinz, and SLB — earned the PFL for exceeding local best practices.Alkaabi said the ECA will continue to benchmark against leading global models to ensure the programme's evaluation criteria align with international standards, while remaining contextually relevant to the UAE. This ongoing refinement, she explained, is key to sustaining progress and widening the adoption of parent-friendly policies across sectors.
'Looking ahead, we will continue expanding the programme's reach to all sectors across the UAE and drive a nationwide shift to parent-friendly work culture across all industries.'
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