Business & Money | Sunday 1 April, 2018 3:05 am |

Great Place to Work (GPW) unveiled its annual list for Saudi Arabia’s great workplaces for the fourth consecutive year. The awarding ceremony was held recently at Burj Rafal Hotel Kempinski Riyadh, in the presence of company representatives and officials from the public, private and non-profit sectors, in addition to media representatives.

The ceremony highlighted the list of top 20 workplaces in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who were distinguished for their best practices in nurturing an ideal work environment. The list included organizations from both public and private sectors, as well as international companies and non-profit institutions operating in Saudi Arabia.

Ahmed Bin Sulaiman Al Muzaini, Great Place to Work, Partner, Saudi Arabia, said: “Since its launch in Saudi Arabia in 2014, this list has greatly contributed towards the development of workplaces as it has motivated and driven companies to foster and establish positive change in work environments.”

“The list aptly aligns with the goals of Vision 2030 to boost the local economy, create job opportunities by investing in young Saudis, the future generation of the country. The assessment process measured criteria such as credibility, respect, integrity, pride, support, work culture and best practices within organizations”.

This award represents the importance of a positive work environment which further enhances operations and competencies of companies in the business community, regardless of industry.

Hilton Hotels Resorts ranked first, while AbbVie, the global biopharmaceutical company, won second place. InterContinental Hotels Group ranked third, while SEDCO Holding was ranked fourth and Splash ranked fifth. Banque Saudi Fransi was ranked sixth, while Al-Nahdi Medical Company was ranked seventh, Alkhabeer Capital ranked eighth, Dow Saudi Arabia ranked ninth and Capital Market Authority of Saudi Arabia was ranked tenth. Kinan followed with being ranked at 11th , ICONIC at 12th, Bupa Arabia at 13th , FP7 at 14th , Dur Hospitality at 15th , GDC Middle East at 16th , Majid Society at 17th, Mohammed and Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Subaie Charity Foundation at 18th, Middle East Paper Company “MEPCO” at 19th and the General Directorate of Environmental Health at 20th.

Dr. Michael Burchell, Chief Executive Officer of the Middle East, said: "Organizations in Saudi Arabia are extremely keen on developing their work environment as human capital is considered their most valuable investments. This is a key observer in studies conducted by Great Place to Work. Year after year, we continue to support companies in fulfilling the need of adapting best practices for an ideal work environment in order to enhance HR operations.”

"The result depicted on the list is an incentive for government and private organizations to improve their work environment, elevate the standards of the employment processes, to become amongst the best in the world and compete on international grounds.”

Since its global launch from over 25 years, the list of great workplaces has become an international standard that reflects the image of work environments and gives organizations a unique opportunity to assess their needs and enhance and adapt a positive work environment.