DED announces workshop on updated criteria for Dubai Human Development Award

The Business Excellence Department at the Department of Economic Development (DED) will conduct a specialised workshop on the 1^st and 2^nd of July for new applicants in the 2013 cycle of the Dubai Human Development Award. Organised by the Business Excellence Department in DED, the workshop is intended to brief applicants on the updated and re-launched award criteria for the 2013 cycle.

The Dubai Human Development Award recognises the long-term commitment of the private and government sectors in developing its human resources (HR). Starting 2013 DHDA will extend its coverage to all employees thus ensuring broad participation of all available human resources in the drive for excellence across services and businesses in the UAE.

The updated criteria means all employees, including UAE nationals, within the private sector and government organisations will be rewarded for their contribution to business performance. The award covers all organisations that have an HR department and focus on employee growth, development and recognition.  

Participants in the workshop will also learn about the EFQM Excellence Model and the RADAR scoring methodology of assessment, which are part of the international framework adopted by DHDA to encourage and benchmark best practices among applicants.

“Since its launch the Dubai Human Development Award has maintained a sharp focus on encouraging UAE national development and now we are expanding the field to include the entire workforce in the country,” commented Shaikha Ahmad Abdulrahman Al Bishri.

“As one of the first initiatives by a government entity to promote human resources management excellence, DHDA has played an instrumental role in making people a top priority for organisations. The updated criteria will now inspire organisations across the board to place people at the core of their growth strategies and business goals,” added Al Bishri.

According to the updated criteria the four key considerations in evaluating organisations for their human development environment are Leadership, People, People Results and Society Results. Excellence in Leadership will be decided on the basis of outstanding commitment to improving the workforce and facilitating employee efforts towards achieving their goals and objectives.

The People criteria is meant to evaluate organisations on the basis of their programmes for attracting, developing and retaining talent while the People Results standard looks at employee perceptions and the performance indicators signifying the impact of HR policies and strategies.

The Society Results metric will likewise look at the prevailing perceptions within the society on an organisation as an employer and the internal measures used by the organisation to monitor, predict and improve its environmental and societal impact.

DHDA is given in three categories – the Dubai Human Development Gold Award (DHDGA), Dubai Human Development Award (DHDA) and the Dubai Human Development Appreciation Award (DHDAA). The award covers the trade, manufacturing, construction, professional, services, tourism, healthcare, education, financial services and government sectors.

More than 290 companies have enrolled under DHDA so far while over 90 of them applied for the award and 35 went on to win the recognition.

Applications for Dubai Human Development Award are evaluated by a team of assessors who conduct site visits and prepare detailed assessment reports highlighting existing best practices and areas for improvement in each company.