Empowering Emirati workers has become a major priority for the UAE government in recent years as it seeks to encourage the local population to participate in the country’s economic growth.
At EFS Facilities Services Group (EFS), 10% of the workforce already consists of Emiratis. Tariq Chauhan, Group CEO, plans to increase this to at least 25% by 2025 and accommodate this cultural change in the workplace. “It is a necessity rather than an option,” says Chauhan. “It should be viewed as a business sustainability requirement.”
This is not the first time the CEO has taken solid steps towards Emiratization. He elaborated in a previous seminar on how he looks at Emiratization from a resilience perspective. “For example, during the pandemic with the lack of international flights, lockdowns, unavailability of visas, and other drawbacks, the best option was to turn to UAE nationals, bring them on board and leverage on their talent,” explained Chauhan.
EFS has focused on creating organization-wide job opportunities that cover both the operational and support functions within the facility management industry. Its talent management team has been developing individual development programs that cater to UAE nationals, particularly helping them identify their strengths and weaknesses, and develop and improve their skills.
The company showcases how other businesses in the private sector can adapt and improve their policies to align with the local workforce. The new UAE quota for Emiratization will push more companies to follow EFS’s footsteps and start changing to attract more local talent.
“I believe that the young Emiratis look forward to further developing their country with a more modern and creative perspective,” says Nawal Almansoori, EFS’s Emiratization Manager.
“This enthusiasm and willingness from the UAE nationals’ side in conjunction with EFS’s efforts in training and preparing them can help them not only compete on the national level but the international one as well.” One such example is Rashed Alhaddad, an IT cybersecurity executive in EFS, who describes his journey in EFS as smooth and peaceful. He added that the diverse team of people he works with in the company are always willing to share their expertise and knowledge.
EFS is one of the region’s leaders in delivering integrated facilities management services across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Turkey. Among its awards and accolades, EFS featured on Forbes Middle East’s list of the Top 50 Private Companies in the UAE in 2018.
Tariq Chauhan was also recognized among the Top 50 Most Influential Executives in the Middle East in 2019 and the Top 100 CEOs in the Middle East in 2021.
In addition, he ranked 10th on Forbes Middle East’s list of Top Indian Leaders in the Arab World in 2018. Chauhan champions a holistic EFS corporate policy focused on creating the best conditions for the post-Covid workplace, fast adoption of technology, and literacy programs for worker welfare.
Find out how EFS Group plans to continue enabling talented Emiratis to reach their full potential and to stay consistent with the UAE’s long-term aspirations for its people and the economic impact of bringing local talent into the private sector.
Source: Forbes Middle East