Fatima Sultan Al Kuwari, Group Chief Human Reources Officer, Ooredoo
Doha: Ahead of issuing its environmental, social and governance (ESG) report for 2022, Ooredoo Group yesterday announced the great strides it has achieved in its Socially Responsible Investing, a key facet of ESG.
The adoption of ESG principles has long been a significant aim for Ooredoo, and the company’s growing commitment to achieve in this area is reflected in a wide range of socially responsible initiatives. Within the social element, the company focused on empowering women; promoting gender equality; reducing the gender gap; promoting equal opportunities and pay; and developing talent across the company.
Fatima Sultan Al Kuwari, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Ooredoo, said: “Ooredoo is committed to the highest standards of environmental protection, social impact and good governance, looking to build a sustainable legacy for all. One of our top priorities is empowering our workforce. We recognise the importance of harnessing human potential and focus on providing equal opportunities, securing gender equality, investing in our talents and ensuring a healthy and safe work environment for all.”
Women empowerment is a mainstay of Ooredoo’s strategy, with the focus on equal pay and treatment; equal representation on leadership teams and corporate boards; and equal access to training and career-building opportunities. Initiatives at Ooredoo Group included sponsoring a full women’s month in March 2022, and the first edition of the Ooredoo Women Summit.
Ooredoo Group and Ooredoo Qatar have both increased maternity leave days as part of a recent revision of HR policies. Mothers of children with disabilities have been given even greater flexibility.
While all Ooredoo companies are implementing a substantial number of initiatives supporting employees, some projects that stand out include an incredible 29 Group employees graduating from the Leadership Development Program in partnership with Harvard; the launch of a new improved leadership development programme and the award-winning Young Leadership Programme in Palestine; and the deployment of 500 licenses for LinkedIn training, as well as building employee capacity to become in-house trainers for new colleagues.
To promote employees’ wellbeing, Ooredoo has launched major initiatives to increase their engagement and upgrade their experience in the workplace. Among these initiatives was the introduction of the Organisational Health Index (OHI) in 2020 at Group level and across operating companies in Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Algeria, Tunisia, Maldives, Iraq and Palestine.
Another important initiative was Ooredoo Group, Ooredoo Qatar and Ooredoo Maldives implementing a more agile way of working with the introduction of flexible hours to enhance work-life balance. Ooredoo Group has also given its employees the possibility to work from home in Qatar or abroad for up to four weeks in a row per year.
Fatima concluded: “Our ongoing initiatives reflect our unwavering commitment to growing our business by growing our people, helping them reach their full potential – which in turn will help us make a real difference in the communities we serve. This approach is embedded in our business model, strategy and operations.”
