Saudi companies among ‘best places to work’ in Middle East in 2021

Companies in Saudi Arabia have been named among the top 10 Best Workplaces in the Middle East 2021, in a new ranking by “Great Place to Work,” the global authority on workplace culture.

In the largest collection of employee experiences in the Middle East, thousands of employees from across the region were surveyed to determine the best workplaces.

More than 450 private and public organizations competed to be on the list which assessed employee experiences of trust, innovation, company values and leadership.

Companies were also evaluated on how well they are creating a ‘For All’ workplace experience, inclusive of all employees no matter who they are or what they do. This year, COVID-19 brought physical and mental well-being to the forefront for both employers and employees.

Companies this year rank in three size categories: small, medium, and large. Multinational organizations are also assessed on their efforts to create great workplaces across multiple countries in the region.

While several multinational companies won places across the lists, several homegrown companies in the Kingdom were awarded for their efforts to create a “people-first approach to business.”

In the small company category, Saudi’s Ministry of Tourism ranked fourth on the list, while on the large company ranking Dar al-Riyadh, a services and solutions company in the Kingdom, was ranked as the best eighth company to work.

A spokesperson for Great Place to Work said that the chosen companies were selected out of stiff competition for putting employees at the heart of their business.

“This past year has brought about many challenges that business leaders had to face with no guidebook to follow; the process of which brought about creativity as leaders found new ways to communicate with their employees across all levels of their organizations,” the spokesperson said.

“The impact of COVID-19 on all organizations across the Middle East continues to be uncompromising, even for seemingly successful organizations experiencing concealed struggles… Moreover, the heroic actions taken by the organizations have not gone unnoticed during this critical time as companies got creative with their people-first approach to business.”

Topping the lists for this year by prioritizing constant internal communication and transparency across all levels in the organization are Dubai Police, The ONE, and Westford University College in the large, medium, and small size categories, respectively.