Post-pandemic, workplace flexibility and well-being are new watchwords. Employers increasingly realize the importance of great company culture and how it can help in better talent attraction and retention. Companies that recognize the importance of great work culture and evolved HR practices eventually become great places to work. 

Dubai-based furniture company The One and higher education company Dubai Police Academy are top-ranked places to work in the Middle East under the medium category, according to a survey by Great Place to Work 2022.

The other players on the list include Century Financial, Pizza Express, Metropolitan Group, Cisco, Global Food Industries, International Beverage and Filling Industries, PetroGas Piping, and TDRA.

The survey included companies from across sectors like retail, government agencies, finance, media, and social services, and around 30 companies under different categories like small businesses, medium businesses, and large corporations have been ranked great places to work.

“Despite the challenges we faced during the pandemic, we are proud to witness even more continuous growth in employee culture awareness among leaders in the UAE and the Middle East in general,” Ibrahim Mougharbel, managing director for the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait at Great Place to Work Middle East, said.

“Our best workplaces for this year have persevered through the time of unprecedented upheaval and continued to persevere post-pandemic,” Mougharbel added.

Meanwhile, under the large category, Riyadh International Catering Corporation McDonald’s, which holds the fast-food chain’s franchises in parts of Saudi Arabia, ranked first. Others included in the list are McDonald’s, Ajman Police, UAE-based air conditioning company Leminar, DHL Express, Five Hotels, UAE-based food delivery company Talabat, luxury retailer Chalhoub Group, Alhokair Fashion Retail, and Hilton.

“Great workplaces throughout Saudi Arabia compete across different sectors in providing great workplace environments for all employees to ensure winning the war of local talent,” Tanzeel Rehman, managing director for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain at Great Place to Work Middle East, said.

Under the small category, while Hadi Express Exchange and Oyo are placed at the top, recruitment consultancy Charterhouse, car rental company Ashjan Najd, lifestyle app Privilee, Alkhabeer Capital, Oxford System Integration, Tajalla Creative Agency, Arc Solutions, and Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority were also included in the list. 

Companies based in the Middle East employing ten or more employees were eligible for participation in the survey. They were assessed based on their employees’ feedback, HR practices, and management audit. 

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