Dubai's government employees are rejoicing at the official announcement of a significant 9 to 16 percent rise in their pay.
On Monday, the emirate's Crown Prince Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum officially approved the hike, saying it has been in effect since Jan. 1. The royal explained that the move comes as part of efforts to "develop the performance of Government of Dubai entities."
"We aim to build an encouraging work environment that incentivizes creativity and excellence and attracts best-in-class competencies," he wrote.
Under the new salary scheme, the local government's professional employees can expect a pay rise of between 9 to 16 percent, while regular staff will see their salary average go up by 10 percent.
The financial allocations system specifies a minimum wage for Emirati graduates and "outlines risk allowance, air ticket allowance, medical insurance and end-of-service benefits." It also signals a shift in employment schedule structures and focuses on helping employees build positive work-life balance, allowing for flexible working hours, telework, and part-time employment.
In one of his tweets, Sheikh Hamdan revealed that he also initiated and approved the formation of a career-grade placement committee. The entity is tasked with approving career-grade placement lists based on grades/salaries defined in the new scheme.
It is set to be headed by Abdulla Al Falasi, the director-general of the Dubai Government human resources department that "will form a technical team to work and coordinate with all government entities to ensure the safe and proper implementation of the plans."
Dubai seems happy with improvements being made within local government
Pay rise comes after productivity, work ethics, performance, and other key factors are assessed. In Dubai, this process has been happening for two years now.
On Saturday, Prince Hamdan revealed the top-performing local government entities that were evaluated on the Customer Happiness Index and mystery shopper surveys for 2019.
The top three government offices placed on the index were:
- The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (90.1 percent)
- The Roads and Transport Authority (89.3 percent)
- The Dubai Health Authority (88.6 percent)
Last year, Dubai's Ruler Sheikh Mohammed urged all government offices to amp up their efforts to provide the best public services. He also warned that no mediocre level of work would be acceptable in the emirate. This came after the leader sent a mystery shopper to a local post office and was left less than pleased with their performance.
Improvements have been made on all levels in response; with the new salary hike, it looks like they haven't gone unnoticed. The raises may well serve to motivate workers who'll be reaping the benefits.
It remains unclear whether more raises might be considered for top-performing government agencies in Dubai. Back in September, the UAE publicly named government offices providing the best services.
The top list included the following entities:
- Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (Fujairah)
- Ministry of Education (Ajman)
- Traffic Services and Licensing/Ministry of Interior (Ajman)
- Wasit Police Center/Ministry of Interior (Sharjah)
- Sheikh Zayed Housing Program (Ras Al Khaimah)
Employees at the best centers were rewarded with a two-month salary bonus and several employees were singled out for praise. At the time, Sheikh Mohammed also publicly shamed the worst five performing offices.