The launch took place in a workshop organized by FAHR in Dubai, during which the most important results of the first and second round of the Award were reviewed, along with the winners including individuals and entities. The event was attended by HE Aisha Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of Human Resources Policies, a number of FAHR sector and department directors, representatives of ministries and federal bodies, as well as Award assessors and jury panel members.

126 Entries in the previous 2 rounds

In this context, Aisha Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of Human Resource Policies explained that the UAE HR Award has proved to be a great success in the previous two rounds, receiving 126 entries, 58 by federal entities and 67 by individual employees.

She explained that the Award introduced recently in the Federal Government, which will be organized on an annual basis, is one of the most effective recognition methods at the national level in the area of ​​government human resources. According to Al Suwaidi, the Award will act as an important motivation for human resource departments in the federal government institutions, and is expected to boost employee

“This Award will play a significant role in recognizing high-achievers, retaining national talent, rewarding creative ideas and initiatives, as well as assist in dissemination and exchange of successful experiences and practices”, she said.

She added that the Emirates HR Award in the Federal Government is an addition to many of  strategic initiatives launched by FAHR, considering it as culmination of the achievements of federal entities and employees in the field of human resources in accordance with balanced scorecard performance measurement system, and an opportunity to highlight the best human resources practices locally and globally, to achieve higher levels of performance with respect to human capital management, in a positive work environment that ensures the highest levels of satisfaction and happiness.

Aisha Al Suwaidi stressed that the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs of the award had the greatest impact in encouraging ministries and federal entities to participate, and helped raise the level of competition among the federal authorities and the Federal Government employees who enthusiastically participated in each round of the Award.  She expressed gratitude to His Highness whose patronage has been critical to boosting the motivation of employees in the field of human resources to adopt and implement the best international practices in this area, and stimulate the ministries and federal entities to abide by HR legislation, policies and regulations applicable at the federal government level.

Award Categories 

Zayed Al Budani, Director of Performance Appraisal & Follow-up at FAHR, presented a lengthy review of the main features and outcomes of the second round which was concluded in April 2016, pointing out that the Award is divided into two categories; the first targets honoring distinguished federal entities while the second focuses on recognizing outstanding individuals.

He highlighted the most important features of the third round the UAE HR Award scheduled to conclude in April 2017, pointing out that it will see the introduction of five new sub-categories: the best entity in operations,  learning, finance, customer service, and most improving federal entity, as well as a sixth category which includes the above categories, pioneering entity.

Elaborating on the most improving federal entity, he said that it includes all the 48 ministries and federal agencies participating in the Award, noting that this category will focus on the improvement achieved by these entities according to the results of human resource indicators as per balanced scorecard standard during 2016.

Comparison with 2015

The Director of Performance Appraisal & Follow-Up explained that the third round of the Award in the Federal Government will also see the introduction of a range of new practices that will be used to evaluate ministries and federal entities involved in their different categories namely: disabilities-friendly work environment, occupational health and safety, well-being at work, reading and knowledge.

He revealed some changes at the level of individuals involved in the Award categories, by adding two categories: the first is Distinguished Leader: the candidate must be on a job grade not lower than that of deputy or assistant undersecretary and equivalent, i.e. directors of organizational units. Also, he must demonstrate ability to adopt and implement innovative practices in human resources area. The second category is the Human Resource Champion. The candidates for this category should also be working in the field of human resources in one of the federal entities, regardless of their categories and job grades, preferably holders of professional qualifications in human resources.

27 Criteria for assessing participating entities

He said that all files of federal bodies participating in the Award are evaluated according to 27 criteria, including: Emiratization and replacement plans, nationalization percentage, promotions, annual development & training plans,  employee satisfaction with all forms of training, courses implemented through "Ma’aref" initiative for the Federal Government’s preferred training partners, activation of Performance Management and Training & Development electronic systems within the Human Resources Management Information System "BAYANATI", as well as abidance by HR systems and policies, automation of HR systems. Other criteria include job rotation rate, training hours per employee, number of work-related injuries, initiative to enhance federal government employee productivity, impact of sick leave on productivity, strategic workforce planning, government efficiency, happier work environment in the federal government, reward and incentive system, compatibility between complaints and objections, and health and safety in the work environment.

Al Budani added: “Individuals participating in the Award are assessed based on several criteria including: knowledge of human resource programs and systems in the Federal Government, employee’s contribution in implementing HR systems and programs within their entity, outstanding  achievements of the employee within the entity, in addition to effective and creative suggestions provided by the employee within his entity or at the Federal Government level, which contribute to the development of human resource policies in the Federal Government. The entities participating in the third round of the Award will undergo preliminary assessment by a team from FAHR in the middle of the year, followed by providing feedback to entities and individuals involved in the Award on their files, in order to help them develop those files in preparation for the final stage of the evaluation by external moderators”.

The UAE HR Award provides a perfect opportunity to highlight the successful human resource initiatives at the level of the federal government entities, reflect the vital role of the ministries and federal bodies in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of their human capital, as well as shed light on the best practices adopted globally in the field of human resources management. In addition, it will help create a motivating work environment conducive to attract skilled workforce and retain existing talent, and promote the concept of outstanding human resource management in order to encourage the federal government institutions to introduce effective methods of increasing their produ

Advantages of the Award

The Award has many advantages to participants, namely: highlighting the best practices supported by success stories, exploring the possibility of applying global best HR experiences and practices, making human resources a partner at work, as well as strengthening the role, professionalism and transparency of human resource departments, identifying the latest innovations in HR governance, in order to honor individuals and federal entities with award shields and certificates of appreciation.

All files of participating federal entities and individual employees undergo assessment a specialist external team whose members are highly qualified and trained by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources. The team has other responsibilities, including field visits, verification of evidence and accompanying documents, and provision of feedback following the final evaluation reports for participating entities and individuals.

An Independent Arbitration Committee

FAHR has formed earlier an independent arbitration committee from the private sector, semi-government and local authorities to deal with the files of Award competitors during the first and subsequent rounds. The committee is responsible for reviewing the assessment of federal entities prepared by the evaluation team, and determine the winners in each category according to approved mechanism, standards and schedules, before  submission to the Award executive team. 

At the end of each round, FAHR will prepare a report for each entity, indicating the strengths that must be maintained and areas for improvement which may contribute to enhancing the added value of human resources, according to the role and concept of human resource management.