DEWA's Inclusive Employment Enhances Integration of People of Determination

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)’s innovative initiatives in including, empowering, and employing People of Determination (POD) enhances its position as a prominent, leading government organisation in this area. Every year, DEWA launches several corporate, social, smart, and innovative initiatives to include POD in the work environment and society. It has policies and procedures that align with the highest international standards and practices that ensure POD are employed in suitable positions. This is through an inclusive hiring process that gives them equal working opportunities and achieves their happiness in a resilient and qualified environment that helps them unleash their potential and prove their capabilities. DEWA includes POD in all its HR policies and procedures, in addition to training its staff on including and empowering POD in the work environment and dealing with them.

DEWA has allocated budgets to implement inclusive projects and necessary training to build the capacity of all staff in the field of inclusive employment. DEWA Academy supports POD students and enhances their preparedness to join DEWA after graduation. Besides, DEWA has opened an Innovation Centre at Dubai Rehabilitation Centre for People of Determination, which aims to train 150 POD students on using modern technologies to qualify them to work at DEWA after their graduation. DEWA also sponsored the development and upgrade of the agricultural workshops at the Rashid Centre for The Determined Ones. HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, highlighted DEWA’s commitment to including and empowering People of Determination in four ways: employees, customers, society, and partners. This is in line with the National Policy to empower People of Determination, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to create an inclusive society that ensures empowerment and a decent life for people of determination and their families. It also supports the ‘My Community... a City for Everyone’ initiative, launched by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, to transform Dubai into a city that is accessible for People of Determination by 2020. DEWA has achieved strategic and operational indicators in inclusive employment. It launched 16 channels to recruit POD and a database for POD job seekers. DEWA currently has 27 POD staff, with 4,458 employees currently trained on POD, and 22 employees hold a sign language diploma. As a socially responsible organisation, DEWA strives to share its pioneering experiences. It achieved significant success in motivating and engaging its partners and subsidiaries in including and empowering POD, according to best local and global practices. This is through its 'Inclusion POD Innovation Incubator’ initiative, which achieves the wise leadership’s directives in inclusive employment and universal design.

“We launched the Absher initiative to support DEWA’s Employees of Determination in the work environment. The initiative provides them with dedicated and trained staff in human resources. We also provided two trained and qualified colleagues for each Employee of Determination, including psychological support through our Estisharati Service. DEWA includes its POD staff in key committees and activities such as the Happiness Council, Earth Hour, sports, and entertainment activities. This achieves the UAE Vision 2021 which strives to preserve a cohesive society proud of its identity and sense of belonging,” said Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA, and Chairman of DEWA’s Advisory Council for People of Determination.

DEWA participated in the Inclusive Employment Standards Committee in Dubai, preparing the inclusive employment guide in Dubai, in collaboration with Dubai Government Human Resources Department and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, along with other government organisations concerned with inclusive employment. DEWA also participated in launching the federal online Recruitment Platform for POD and hired an applicant through the platform.

DEWA held a brainstorming event and four training sessions on inclusive employment in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development and the Community Development Authority between 2018 and 2020. These sessions discussed the challenges of hiring POD from an employer’s perspective and highlighted best practices. DEWA also participated in a brainstorming workshop in collaboration with Together Limitless programme by Emirates NBD. The workshop discussed the challenges of hiring POD in the private sector. DEWA effectively participates in government career fair exhibitions through POD friendly platforms and trained staff on inclusive employment.

DEWA redesigned all its buildings and facilities according to the Dubai Universal Design Code by 100%. It redesigned the Customer Happiness Centres to make them accessible for POD according to international standards such as BSI8300. It also equipped all its buildings with audio and visual alarms, alarms in toilets, and evacuation wheelchairs on all floors for emergencies.

Achievements and Awards

DEWA supports achieving the Dubai Plan 2021 for Dubai to be a city of happy, creative, and empowered people who live in an inclusive and cohesive society. In 2019, the Employees of Determination happiness at DEWA reached 99%, compared to 92% in 2015, while their families’ happiness reached 95% in the same year. The POD customers happiness towards DEWA’s services has reached 94%, and society’s happiness towards DEWA’s support to POD has reached 94%.  DEWA achieved 100% in Employees of Determination happiness towards its efforts to provide all the health and safety requirements for POD: meeting their job-related needs: completing training for Employees of Determination, as well as the percentage of POD staff and participants in ‘Sadiqi’ (Arabic equivalent of my buddy) initiative who are trained on wheelchairs and evacuation in case of emergency.

DEWA’s CSR efforts contributed to achieving significant local and international achievements, including the ‘People of Determination Friendly Government Entity’ award at the 21st Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP) in 2018. DEWA was also honoured during the Inclusive Employment and Occupational Learning (ICIEOL 2017).