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Middle East Edition
22nd September 2021
 
THE HOT STORY
Many professionals say hybrid working model needs improvement
A poll of 2,000 professionals by recruitment firm Robert Walters indicates that more than half (55%) of respondents think that their current hybrid working arrangements don’t go far enough to help engender an effective work-life balance. Some said under-tested hybrid working models had precipitated more intense working days, for example with attendance required at both face-to-face and virtual meetings, leaving them feeling overworked and exhausted. Meanwhile, a great majority of respondents (85%) said they now expect more flexibility to work from home as a standard offer from employers, and 78% said they will not take on a new job until such flexibility is agreed with a prospective employer. Jason Grundy, MD, Robert Walters Middle East & Africa, observes: “Whilst the switch to remote working was almost instant, we need to appreciate that was out of necessity. The return to work should be gradual employers and employees alike should use this year to test a variety of working styles from hybrid working to potentially removing the 9-5 in favour of hours based on project load.”
HYBRID WORKING
Special Report - Future of the Workplace
In a series of special reports, the FT takes a look at the implications of hybrid working and the technology that enables it, and how businesses – including HR executives - can respond.
STRATEGY
Innovative HR and digital policies are vital for Middle East companies
Writing for Arabian Business, Amarjeet Dutta and Bala Kumaran, both partners and consultants at EMA Partners UAE, consider a report that says the framing of innovative HR and digital policies will be vital for Middle East companies. The report also says that championing diversity and inclusion, employee well-being and transparent performance metrics to create a challenging and vibrant work environment should be the top priority for local organisations.
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
KPMG Graduate Program invests in Saudi talent
KPMG in Saudi Arabia says a number of  Saudi nationals have joined its graduate program this year, with many taking up internship positions across the firm's various locals functions and offices. “Investing in our young Saudi talents is a strategic priority for KPMG. We want to nurture our young and dynamic local talents that will empower and equip the leaders of tomorrow,” said Dr. Abdullah Al-Fozan, chairman of KPMG in Saudi Arabia. “The aim of our graduate program is to develop the next generation of leaders through challenging and interesting assignments, accompanied by comprehensive training sessions. They will be able to boost their resumes with solid work experience and accreditation.”
HIRING
Are AI-driven algorithms excluding qualified workers?
France 24 speaks with Harvard Business School management professor Joseph Fuller, the author of a report which claims that AI-driven hiring algorithms that sort through applicants are excluding as many as 10 million job candidates in the U.S. from consideration, so increasing the number of so-called "hidden workers." Nearly 75% of U.S. companies rely on some degree of automation to fill vacancies, according to the report, deploying AI-driven software to source candidates and manage the application process or else perform background checks.
WORKFORCE
Etihad cancels flights due to aviation workers' strike
An Etihad airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Rome scheduled for September 24th has been cancelled due to “industrial action” in Italy, the UAE-headquartered carrier has said. "The safety and comfort of our guests and crew is our number one priority and we regret any inconvenience caused by these flight cancellations," said Etihad. Unionised aviation workers in Italy plan to hold a nationwide strike on that day, according to media reports.
Meeting of GCC labour ministers
The seventh meeting of GCC Ministers of Labour, held via video-conferencing, has taken place. Chaired by Dr Mahad bin Said Baowain, Oman’s Minister of Labour, the meeting discussed a number of items related to labour affairs in the GCC countries.
INTERNATIONAL
General counsel remain wary of ESG disclosure risk and related activism
A survey of nearly 70 general counsel and senior legal officers by the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University has found that three-quarters of respondents have faced pressure, particularly from employees, to grow their companies’ commitments to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) in the past three years, but are wary of disclosure risks and employee-driven activism that could come with such matters. Seventy-two per cent of general counsel either somewhat or significantly believed that ESG investment would improve their companies' long-term financial performance, according to the report, and although half of respondents believe CEO activism can precipitate reputational benefits for an organization, more than a third fear it would produce reputational, legal, or regulatory harm. "It is notable that over half of the people who are responsible for balancing the risk and reward of corporate actions advocate dialing back some of these efforts and recommitting to the central strategic and profit-making purpose," the report’s authors observed.
Employees will be able to request to work from home from first day
UK government ministers are set to confirm new laws to protect flexible working this week. Employees in the UK will be able to request the right to work at home from their first day on the job under the reforms. Under current rules, employees cannot request a hybrid working arrangement until six months into a job. A government source said: “The business case is compelling. If you’re happy at work you’re less likely to leave, and companies benefit from motivated employees.” However, Labour has criticised the plans as not going far enough. Deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Labour will give workers the right to flexible working - not just the right to request it - and give all workers full rights from day one on the job. This is a U-turn from the Conservative manifesto which promised to make flexible working the default and once again the Conservatives have sold out working people.”
Facebook rebuffs newspaper’s claims
Facebook says a series of reports in the Wall Street Journal about the company's platform includes "deliberate mischaracterizations" and "conferred egregiously false motives to Facebook's leadership and employees." The newspaper, citing a review of internal company documents, alleged Facebook researchers had identified "the platform's ill effects" but the social media company nevertheless failed to fix them. Nick Clegg, Facebook's vice president of global affairs, wrote in a blog post that an allegation that "Facebook conducts research and then systematically and willfully ignores it if the findings are inconvenient for the company" was "just plain false." Facebook, Clegg said, takes seriously the "significant responsibility that comes with operating a global platform," but "we fundamentally reject this mischaracterization of our work and impugning of the company's motives."
KPMG Australia fined by PCAOB for 'unethical behaviour'
KPMG's Australian unit has been fined $450,000 (A$613,000) by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), after a review found widespread cheating by staff on training tests over a four-year period. The watchdog revealed that more than 1,100 staff, including 250 auditors, at the firm's Australian offices shared answers to pass mandatory training courses on professional independence, auditing and accounting, including tests to maintain accounting licences. KPMG self-reported the training-related misconduct to the PCAOB in February 2020 and began overhauling its policies and procedures. KPMG said in a statement that it had taken disciplinary action against 1,131 people relating (to) testing-related misconduct, including verbal or written cautions and written warnings being communicated to the majority of individuals who were involved. The firm has also confirmed warnings plus remuneration consequences on 46 people. The fine comes amid serious concerns about the quality of Australian auditing standards and the independence of the Big Four.

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