DEWA’s nurseries enhance family stability of staff

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) adopts a well-established strategy to provide an ideal working environment that motivates its staff, encourages creativity, excellence, and satisfaction among them, and increases their productivity at work.

DEWA has established child care centres to provide a positive work environment that enables staff to achieve balance between their professional and personal lives and improves their job performance. The nurseries support DEWA’s strategy, the Council of Minister’s Decision number 19 of 2006 regarding the establishment of child care centres in government departments and public organisations to care for staff’s children, and the National Corporate Child Care Project, launched in 2008 by HH Sheikha Manal bint Mohammad bin Rashind Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women Establishment and Wife of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs. DEWA’s staff can work without affecting their family lives. This in turn, increases their job satisfaction while their children receive the necessary care at the workplace.

DEWA opened its first child care centre at its headquarters in 2010 to accommodate 32 children. The Sustainable Building Centre was inaugurated in 2013 and it can accommodate 48 children. Warsan Centre was inaugurated in 2014 to accommodate 87 children. Together, DEWA’s nurseries can accommodate a total of 167 children.

DEWA’s move supports its organisational strategy to improve staff’s performance and relieve life’s increasing pressures and increasing demands. DEWA’s nurseries contribute to creating a positive work environment that provides social and psychological care for working mothers by being closer to their children. This is reflected positively on their performance and encourages them to take the jobs.

DEWA’s nurseries use both the Montessori curriculum, and the British Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum develops children’s creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, time management, and prepares them to contribute effectively in society. Montessori Curriculum is one of the best international programmes that provides a motivating and well-planned environment that develops children’s basic habits, promote their skills and creative ideas.

The British EYFES curriculum identifies criteria that must be underpinned in early childhood to ensure that children learn and develop in a good and safe environment. The programme encourages learning for all children at the pre‐school stage. It provides a wide range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundations for children’s growth inside and outside the school.

DEWA supports establishing nurseries at government departments to ensure the empowerment of working women, help them achieve a balance between their professional and family lives, and succeed personally and professionally.

“DEWA is committed to providing an ideal and motivating environment for its staff. This in turn, supports working mothers to be productive and innovative. It also contributes to building creative and happy children, and ensures their happiness by providing maximum levels of care for their children in a safe environment that supports their continuous development. DEWA’s nurseries has contributed significantly to the stability and support of our staff and their job loyalty,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.

Providing nurseries at the workplace has become a top priority for working women. This is critical to improving the work environment for women and ensuring their rights and their children’s, by providing a nursery in each workplace. DEWA ensures the psychological welfare and social stability of working mothers. It encourages them to take different roles and positions. This reflects positively on both family and career stability, improves performance and increases productivity. It also empowers women significantly, contributing to a personal and professional balance, which is a social imperative in the present time. These efforts support the Dubai Government’s vision to improve government services and DEWA’s vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility.

“DEWA takes great care of its staff as they are the cornerstone of excellence across all areas of work, and the main driver behind its successes and organisational leadership. That’s why, DEWA provides a motivating and positive work environment that contributes to staff’s excellence in their professional and social lives. This supports DEWA’s objectives to promote the welfare of working mothers so that they can balance career and family relationships. It helps them to improve performance, productivity and reduces their concern about taking care of their children during office hours,” said Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA.

DEWA’s nurseries were set up in accordance with the highest international educational standards and have highly qualified teachers and supervisors who are specialised in teaching children under the age of four.

The nurseries, providing all children requirements and tools as well as educational tools, are keen to organise educational and recreational activities which develop children’s mental abilities and contribute to their healthy upbringing. This helped raise parents’ satisfaction to 98.02%.

The nursery has different classes and sections based on children’s age. The infant room accommodates children from two months to two years. Other facilities include a children's activities room, feeding room, a bedroom with a cradle for each child, along with private bathrooms for children and an outside play area designed to promote the overall development of the child. Their care is ensured through nurses, licensed by Dubai Health Authority. The nurse’s room is equipped with all necessary supplies to provide adequate health care for children.