Employee welfare tops Transguard agenda

The Transguard Group, an Emirates Group company, recently formed a structured welfare committee, responsible for organising and promoting leisure events and other ways of keeping company employees happy, healthy and motivated.

Nigel Hall, Executive Director at Transguard said, “We have always had an informal social and welfare committee, but now it is structured with an agenda committed to staff well-being. The new welfare committee has announced a whole range of leisure, sport and entertainment initiatives over the summer and throughout the rest of the year as well as addressing healthcare and educational issues.”

As an important part of the Transguard group, the welfare committee is also closely integrated with other parts of the organisation and collaborates with initiatives adopted throughout the company.

This includes Transguard’s sustainability initiative, TG Green, which sets rigorous targets for implementing eco-friendly systems throughout the business, including staff accommodation. A significant proportion of the money these initiatives save, through lower utility costs is indirectly returned to employees through the welfare committee.

These funds complement the already significant Transguard management resources that are devoted to the welfare committee, with various leisure activities and events which the company hosts for its employees throughout the year.

“Coming up later this year is a carnival, which will feature a talent competition and encourage interaction through singing, dancing, musical performances and other forms of entertainment,” said Hall.

An annual sports day is also being organised by the Transguard welfare committee, which will be held in January and cover a range of games and sporting disciplines.

Another important initiative of the welfare committee is the educational programme, with a particular focus on encouraging staff to improve their vocabulary through reading. The Transguard Library has already gathered a catalogue of more than 1,500 books.

Still further initiatives are planned for the future, including a mobile cinema which will show movies from around the world, in recognition of Transguard’s multicultural workforce.

The formation of Transguard’s new committee also coincides with the UAE’s recent decision to ratify the International Labour Organisation’s Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers.

“The UAE’s Ministry of Labour has voiced its firm commitment to uphold the principles of the international standards, which are overseen by the United Nations, with plans to amend national legislation, not just for domestic workers but for all blue collar workers,” added hall.