emirates7 - Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Martyrs’ Families Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA), the Authority launched today the second Parent-friendly Label (PFL) Impact Report, Thriving Through Talent: How parent-friendly policies drive balance, growth, and global competitiveness.
The programme champions a nationwide movement toward more family-friendly workplaces to enable parents to play their key role in supporting early childhood development. It provides a leading national model that brings together innovation, supportive workplaces, and long-term economic growth.
H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan emphasised that building a prosperous and sustainable future begins with the child who develops within a healthy family, the nucleus of society and the source of its strength and stability. The United Arab Emirates is confidently advancing with innovative policies that place quality of life at the heart of its priorities, guided by the vision of our wise leadership, which has made human well-being its foremost goal and central focus.
The Parent-friendly Label program embodies this vision and transforms it into a tangible reality. It is not merely a regulatory initiative, but a comprehensive national framework that redefines workplaces in the UAE; making it more inclusive and humane, and better equipped to embrace the needs of families and children.
Sana bint Mohamed Suhail, Minister of Family and Director General of ECA,explained that the Parent-friendly Label program reflects the UAE’s leadership vision of placing family well-being at the heart of sustainable development. She pointed out that the second report confirms that by moving from individual practices to impactful policies that prioritize family well-being, parent-friendly workplaces have become a key driver in strengthening employee loyalty, satisfaction, and productivity.
“The Second PFL Impact Report launch comes in line with the directives to designate 2026 as the Year of the Family,” said Sana. “The PFL programme is a key strategic enabler of the National Family Growth Agenda 2031 priorities of developing policies and programs. Family growth is a collective responsibility that can only achieved by joining the efforts of government, private sector, and community.
The PFL programme directly supports this objective by enabling organizations across all sectors to empower working parents to thrive at their workplaces and families. By supporting parents at their workplaces, organizations encourage family growth and increase birthrates, especially among Emirati workforce.”
“In only three cycles, the Parent-friendly Label has proven its effectiveness in positioning the UAE as a leading global model in supporting working parents and transforming workplaces to meet future workforce demands,” said Sana. “The Parent-friendly Label is more than a recognition. It is a reflection of our shared belief that parents deserve understanding, flexibility, and trust. When we support them, we build a stronger, happier, and more resilient society.”
The impact report revealed that the latest cycle of the Parent-friendly Label program (Cycle 3) documented an unprecedented increase in the quality and quantity of applications received from workplaces. The report findings are based on data from the extensive employee survey, where more than 11,000 employees across the applicant organizations participated.
The findings confirm that parent-friendly workplaces are helping boost loyalty, satisfaction, and productivity. 77% of employees said they would recommend their organisation as a parent-friendly workplace, while 68% indicated that workplace support contributed to their decision to stay in their jobs for at least two additional years. Meanwhile, 71% of employees surveyed reported that the parent-friendly policies in their workplace helped improve their daily productivity.
Highlighting the programme’s key role in supporting women in the workforce, 82% of working mothers reported that they were encouraged by their organization to fully utilize their maternity leave. 66% expressed satisfaction with the number of maternity days offered, indicating the importance of parent-friendly workplaces in enabling mothers’ return to work post-delivery. 65% of mothers said that returning to work was smoother thanks to flexible arrangements, nursing breaks, and reintegration programmes.
By enhancing women’s participation in the workforce and their contribution to the national economy, the Parent-friendly Label programme supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals—specifically Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
The programme also focuses on the role of fathers in early child development, placing emphasis on the importance of having dedicated workplace policies that support fathers of young children.
Survey results confirmed the programme’s impact in helping employees thrive both at home and at work. 74% of fathers said they received tangible support from their managers to fully utilize their paternity leave - reflecting an emerging workplace culture that celebrates parenthood as a shared responsibility, regardless of gender or job level.
The report showed that organisations that have adopted a range of innovative policies such as extending paternity leave to 45 fully paid days, launching special leave in cases of miscarriage or adoption, flexible work arrangements for nursing mothers, and providing family support funds for children’s education and healthcare, have all significantly contributed to transforming the workplace culture, improving quality of life, and promoting family stability.
A total of 83 organisations from the semi-government, private, and third sectors applied to earn the Label, spanning 25 key sectors including education, healthcare, energy, technology, media, and logistics. In the UAE, 163,000 employees benefited from the programme’s third cycle, including 105,000 working parents and 2,250 parents of Children of Determination, marking a 57% increase compared to the previous cycle. This demonstrates the program’s wide reach and its growing influence.
Organisations that adopt parent-friendly policies reinforce their position as an employer of choice, and are better able to attract and retain talent, ultimately impacting long-term employee productivity.
The report demonstrated how organizations that earned the Parent-friendly Label have had positive outcomes including lower turnover rates; evidence of the program’s success in aligning economic objectives with social values.
The report highlighted that the program directly supports the objectives of the “We the UAE 2031” vision, by enhancing quality of life, promoting women’s participation in the workforce, encouraging fathers to take an active role in caregiving, and strengthening family health, thereby reducing pressure on the healthcare sector.
The programme also contributes to sustainable economic growth by creating a work environment in the UAE that attracts top talent and enhances economic competitiveness, both regionally and globally.
The report findings confirm the programme’s role as a key driver of developing modern, family-friendly workplaces. It offers a practical framework that helps organizations extend meaningful support to working parents of young children.
It combines policy innovation, such as extended leave, flexible work arrangements, and childcare benefits, with tools to measure effectiveness and implementation, including tracking benefit usage, employee perceptions, and internal awareness.
The programme champions a nationwide movement toward more family-friendly workplaces to enable parents to play their key role in supporting early childhood development. It provides a leading national model that brings together innovation, supportive workplaces, and long-term economic growth.
H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan emphasised that building a prosperous and sustainable future begins with the child who develops within a healthy family, the nucleus of society and the source of its strength and stability. The United Arab Emirates is confidently advancing with innovative policies that place quality of life at the heart of its priorities, guided by the vision of our wise leadership, which has made human well-being its foremost goal and central focus.
The Parent-friendly Label program embodies this vision and transforms it into a tangible reality. It is not merely a regulatory initiative, but a comprehensive national framework that redefines workplaces in the UAE; making it more inclusive and humane, and better equipped to embrace the needs of families and children.
Sana bint Mohamed Suhail, Minister of Family and Director General of ECA,explained that the Parent-friendly Label program reflects the UAE’s leadership vision of placing family well-being at the heart of sustainable development. She pointed out that the second report confirms that by moving from individual practices to impactful policies that prioritize family well-being, parent-friendly workplaces have become a key driver in strengthening employee loyalty, satisfaction, and productivity.
“The Second PFL Impact Report launch comes in line with the directives to designate 2026 as the Year of the Family,” said Sana. “The PFL programme is a key strategic enabler of the National Family Growth Agenda 2031 priorities of developing policies and programs. Family growth is a collective responsibility that can only achieved by joining the efforts of government, private sector, and community.
The PFL programme directly supports this objective by enabling organizations across all sectors to empower working parents to thrive at their workplaces and families. By supporting parents at their workplaces, organizations encourage family growth and increase birthrates, especially among Emirati workforce.”
“In only three cycles, the Parent-friendly Label has proven its effectiveness in positioning the UAE as a leading global model in supporting working parents and transforming workplaces to meet future workforce demands,” said Sana. “The Parent-friendly Label is more than a recognition. It is a reflection of our shared belief that parents deserve understanding, flexibility, and trust. When we support them, we build a stronger, happier, and more resilient society.”
The impact report revealed that the latest cycle of the Parent-friendly Label program (Cycle 3) documented an unprecedented increase in the quality and quantity of applications received from workplaces. The report findings are based on data from the extensive employee survey, where more than 11,000 employees across the applicant organizations participated.
The findings confirm that parent-friendly workplaces are helping boost loyalty, satisfaction, and productivity. 77% of employees said they would recommend their organisation as a parent-friendly workplace, while 68% indicated that workplace support contributed to their decision to stay in their jobs for at least two additional years. Meanwhile, 71% of employees surveyed reported that the parent-friendly policies in their workplace helped improve their daily productivity.
Highlighting the programme’s key role in supporting women in the workforce, 82% of working mothers reported that they were encouraged by their organization to fully utilize their maternity leave. 66% expressed satisfaction with the number of maternity days offered, indicating the importance of parent-friendly workplaces in enabling mothers’ return to work post-delivery. 65% of mothers said that returning to work was smoother thanks to flexible arrangements, nursing breaks, and reintegration programmes.
By enhancing women’s participation in the workforce and their contribution to the national economy, the Parent-friendly Label programme supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals—specifically Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
The programme also focuses on the role of fathers in early child development, placing emphasis on the importance of having dedicated workplace policies that support fathers of young children.
Survey results confirmed the programme’s impact in helping employees thrive both at home and at work. 74% of fathers said they received tangible support from their managers to fully utilize their paternity leave - reflecting an emerging workplace culture that celebrates parenthood as a shared responsibility, regardless of gender or job level.
The report showed that organisations that have adopted a range of innovative policies such as extending paternity leave to 45 fully paid days, launching special leave in cases of miscarriage or adoption, flexible work arrangements for nursing mothers, and providing family support funds for children’s education and healthcare, have all significantly contributed to transforming the workplace culture, improving quality of life, and promoting family stability.
A total of 83 organisations from the semi-government, private, and third sectors applied to earn the Label, spanning 25 key sectors including education, healthcare, energy, technology, media, and logistics. In the UAE, 163,000 employees benefited from the programme’s third cycle, including 105,000 working parents and 2,250 parents of Children of Determination, marking a 57% increase compared to the previous cycle. This demonstrates the program’s wide reach and its growing influence.
Organisations that adopt parent-friendly policies reinforce their position as an employer of choice, and are better able to attract and retain talent, ultimately impacting long-term employee productivity.
The report demonstrated how organizations that earned the Parent-friendly Label have had positive outcomes including lower turnover rates; evidence of the program’s success in aligning economic objectives with social values.
The report highlighted that the program directly supports the objectives of the “We the UAE 2031” vision, by enhancing quality of life, promoting women’s participation in the workforce, encouraging fathers to take an active role in caregiving, and strengthening family health, thereby reducing pressure on the healthcare sector.
The programme also contributes to sustainable economic growth by creating a work environment in the UAE that attracts top talent and enhances economic competitiveness, both regionally and globally.
The report findings confirm the programme’s role as a key driver of developing modern, family-friendly workplaces. It offers a practical framework that helps organizations extend meaningful support to working parents of young children.
It combines policy innovation, such as extended leave, flexible work arrangements, and childcare benefits, with tools to measure effectiveness and implementation, including tracking benefit usage, employee perceptions, and internal awareness.