HR & IT Leaders Will Discuss the Future of Work at the 8th Annual HR-TECH MENA Summit

In line with UAE’s vision of creating a robust ‘Future of work’, the 8th annual edition of the HR Tech MENA Summit calls HR and IT leaders from the region to level up their HR Digital Strategy and converge at this exclusive gathering taking place on the 16th and 17th of March at the Address, Dubai Marina. 

Businesses are witnessing change faster than ever. To attain future readiness, organizations have accelerated their digital transformation goals and HR functions of tomorrow remain the core of this evolving business landscape. Providing a stage to leaders and key HR-Tech professionals looking for new-age technologies and strategies that make a difference, the HR Tech MENA Summit 2022 is being hosted under the theme, ‘Empowering Employees. Increasing Engagement. Revolutionizing Work.,’ The Summit is all set to host more than 300 renowned HR & technology thought leaders from GCC and subject matter experts who will meet, network, and learn from their counterparts to find solutions to the most pressing challenges in the hybrid world we are in. 

The HR Tech MENA Summit will take place over a range of two days where industry leaders can foster new relationships or engage in thought-provoking conversations and discussions around changing trends in hybrid workplaces. The invite-only event is a great opportunity for CHROs and thought leaders to network and converse with fellow industry professionals from more than 20 countries. 

Microsoft has been taking an active role in reshaping the post-pandemic world of work.  Zeina Fakhry – HR Director, UAE and Saudi Arabia, from the company, shared, “What is abundantly clear is that hybrid work is here to stay. Having encouraged our employees to work from home for their safety, we also remotely onboarded 25,000 new people. Empowering people to thrive in a more flexible work world requires rethinking the entire employee experience – from safety, to how you create culture, to attracting and retaining talent.97% of employees have had discussions with their managers about how they work best, and our leaders have worked with them to align these needs with those of the team.”

Remote and hybrid working has provided a short-term productivity boost in most workplaces, with 57% of respondents saying their organization performed better against productivity targets over the past year. In response to this, Chaitanya Peddi, Co-Founder and Product Head of Darwinbox added, “With 80% of employees wanting to be remote or hybrid in the future, HR Technology will be key to driving productivity, ensuring engagement, and enabling efficiency no matter where your employees are. Matching the pace with the fast-changing landscape of businesses, leaders must embrace the fact that organizational culture and values will not be limited to the office walls. 

Microsoft’s Work Trend Index (WTI) shows that employees now expect the best of both worlds when it comes to traditional and remote working. The last report shows that over 70 percent of workers want flexible remote work options to continue, while over 65 percent are craving more in-person time with their teams. That tells us that a balance between remote and traditional workplaces must be found.

The HR Tech MENA Summit boasts of a wide range of speakers belonging to different industries all set to share best practices on workplace transformation including CEOs and CHROs from leading organizations from the region such as Etihad Airways, Saudi Data and AI Authority, Omantel, The Sovereign Fund of Egypt, Aster DM Healthcare, SAMI, Abu Dhabi Customs, Pepsico, Schneider Electric, ENOC, DP World, Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone, RAKTDA, amongst many others. 

Supporting an employee’s wellbeing to make the shift back to the workspace is now a priority for many organizations. Through wellbeing programs and workshops, organisations are emphasizing work-life balance. Sarah Henry, VP – HR Transformation EMEA, Oracle remarked on the topic, “During the pandemic, we recognize that employees’ experiences might include anxiety, loneliness, frustration, and overwhelm. In response, we are continually monitoring and adapting our Wellbeing program to help improve employees’ mental health, wellbeing, and work-life balance. 

Oracle last year published its AI@Work: 2021 Global Study titled “Back in the Driver’s Seat: Employees Use Tech to Regain Control.” Where we surveyed nearly 15,000 employees, managers, HR leaders, and C-Suite executives in thirteen countries found that a staggering 93 percent had used the past year to reflect on their personal and professional lives and think about the future. That reflection led to significant findings that companies cannot ignore: 88 percent of respondents maintained that the meaning of success had been redefined for them with work-life balance, mental health, and flexibility becoming top priorities

Healthcare today is focused heavily on convenience and accessibility. People are reassessing their priorities and there is an unprecedented focus on health and well-being. As people become more aware of their health needs, they demand comprehensive and accessible plans that factor in services such as mental health counseling, pandemic, maternity, dental and other covers. Jérôme Droesch, Chief Executive Officer, Cigna MEA & SEA from Cigna says, “From a leadership perspective, the ability to demonstrate empathy in the workplace has become more important now than ever amidst the COVID environment, particularly when it comes to the mental health and well-being of their employees.”

Speaking about their experience with the event, Jérôme commented “The Summit provides the ideal platform to share and learn best practices from the region, discuss the latest trends, key challenges, and build meaningful relationships with like-minded peers and HR and Digital Transformation leaders. For Cigna, the Summit is a great opportunity to showcase our innovative solutions.”

Emphasizing the rise of technology and the growing importance of digital strategies in the business agenda, the HR Tech MENA Summit is pivotal to helping build smarter HR Departments for brands across the world. 

“The HR Tech MENA Summit will continue to take Centre stage in addressing the emerging challenges of future of work. With each edition, we try to bring together the industry leaders to discuss and align the strategies with the vision of the nation. Businesses have witnessed considerable transformation in the last 2 years, this year we expect to indulge in conversations where business leaders can get a strategic view of trends to take back and apply in their respective workplaces.” Said Sidh NC, Director at QnA International, organizers for the HR Tech MENA.