The Dubai Chamber’s Engage Dubai Programme recently organised a webinar which aimed to advise businesses on encouraging employees towards volunteering, to improve efficiency and productivity at workplace.

The webinar, titled Engaging corporate employees in volunteering, examined best practices that can be widely adopted to increase the number of employees volunteering, how different strategies, tools, process and communication methods can be used to enhance volunteering efforts, maximize engagement, create learning opportunities and achieve desired results.

The virtual event featured presentations from Nancy Nouaimeh, AVP- Quality, Safety & Performance Excellence – Abela & Co LLC; IrudhayaJohnson,Head – HR & Administration, Eros Group; and J. Poornima Rai, Head of Human Capital, Laing O’Rourke Middle East.

During the webinar, speakers shared their experiences and advice for businesses on setting up a multi-disciplinary committee, identifying the different community causes that are of employee’s interest or skill-based activities, and partnering with right community organization.

One of the main recommendations from the speakers was the need for creating a culture of volunteering, embedding it within the business strategy through policy and with corporate leadership engagement whether it’s for internal volunteering for blue collar workers or for external volunteering for community around.

Addressing participants,Dr. BelaidRettab, Senior Director, Economic Research and Sustainable Business Development Sector, Dubai Chamber, explained the importance of volunteering for employees and how it improves efficiency and productivity at workplace, adding that over 2,700 employees volunteered for a community cause during Give & Gain 2021 campaign.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique challenge to the business community in successfully engaging its employees for physical volunteering; however, Dubai Chamber’s Engage Dubai programme provides ample opportunities to its member companies to participate in community projects remotely or with all Covid-19 protocols,” said Rettab.

The Dubai Chamber Engage Dubai program is an essential platform for the business community to share their experience, knowledge, skills, time and talent through employees volunteering for the benefit of larger society and environment.

Launched in 2008 by Dubai Chamber’s Centre for Responsible Business, ENGAGE Dubai is a programme which brings together businesses and community organisations in Dubai to increase the quality and amount of employee community engagement in their local communities.