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Middle East Edition
23rd June 2021
 
THE HOT STORY
Kuwait vows to protect whistleblowers
Kuwait’s anti-corruption agency has pledged to protect whistleblowers to give impetus to a comprehensive anti-corruption program. Mohammad Buwazir, the anti-corruption body’s deputy director-general, said whistleblowers’ efforts have been important in uncovering corrupt practices and protecting public funds worth millions of Kuwaiti dinars. On the day when the world celebrates 'Whistleblowing Day,' he said the role of these individuals is crucial to the success of any anti-corruption campaign.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Morgan Stanley to bar unvaccinated staff
Morgan Stanley's staff and clients will be barred from entering the lender’s New York offices if they are not fully vaccinated against Covid. Unvaccinated employees will need to work remotely, according to a person familiar with the matter. The policy comes into effect next month, in a move designed to allow the lifting of other Covid-related rules. Last week, the investment bank's chief executive called on workers to return to the office. An internal memo said: "Starting July 12 all employees, contingent workforce, clients and visitors will be required to attest to being fully vaccinated to access Morgan Stanley buildings in New York City and Westchester." The BBC understands the move will allow the company to remove restrictions in offices on face coverings and social distancing. The policy currently operates on an honour system, but the bank may later decide to require proof of vaccination status. Morgan Stanley had already implemented so-called "vaccine-only" workspaces in some departments, including institutional securities and wealth management.
Mazoon Electricity launches worker vaccination drive
Muscat-headquartered Mazoon Electricity has launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign for employees in direct coordination with Nama Group and in cooperation with the Ministry of Health. Eng. Saleem Nasser Saleem Al Mahrooqi, Senior Manager QHSE of Mazoon Electricity, said: “We are conducting the vaccination drive in accordance with the government’s guidance so that the chain of virus transmission can be broken. The health and safety of our employees is our topmost priority at Mazoon Electricity. The key to curbing the infection is to get as many people vaccinated as early as possible. We strongly encourage all to receive vaccination to minimise the risk of infectious disease in the workplace. By choosing to be vaccinated, they protect not only themselves and their family but the community as well.”
WORKFORCE
German publisher tells anti-Israel staff to quit
Axel Springer CEO Mathias Doepfner has told employees at the Hamburg-based media company that they can leave if they don’t support its pro-Israel stance. The publishing giant had flown an Israeli flag outside its headquarters during the Israeli offensive on Gaza in May. Mr Doepfner said in a video call with staff worldwide: "I think, and I'm being very frank with you, a person who has an issue with an Israeli flag being raised for one week here, after anti-semitic demonstrations, should look for a new job. "After these weeks of terrible anti-semitic demonstrations,” he said, referring to pro-Palestine demonstrations in Germany in the aftermath of the May offensive, “we at our building headquarters said next to the European flag, and the German flag, [and] the Berlin flag, let's raise for one week the Israeli flag as a gesture of solidarity. We do not accept these kinds of aggressive anti-semitic movements.” German-Jewish writer Fabian Wolff said: "The German media’s approach [to Israel] is not centred on Jews or how to best combat antisemitism. It’s more about making Germans feel good about themselves."
BP pledges to enhance worker welfare in Oman
BP has met with contractors to consider how best to support Oman as being a fair and safe country for all workers and also raise awareness of labour rights and worker welfare policies. The energy giant is the strategic partner of Oman’s ‘Insan’ campaign, which seeks to raise awareness of human trafficking. BP President Yousuf al Ojaili said:  “At BP, we believe all humans deserve to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect. This forum and the Insan campaign raise awareness of a topic that is not widely discussed in society. It is incredibly important that we start these conversations as they can help protect the wellbeing of vulnerable people that are prone to being trafficked.”
REMOTE WORKING
Nokia will allow staff to work remotely for three days a week
Finnish telecom equipment maker Nokia says its employees can choose to work up to three days a week remotely with increased support for flexible working hours from January. The company’s current remote work policy ends in December. “The pandemic forced organisations to change. Technology gave people the tools to innovate. In many cases, the results have been too good to go back to the old way of doing things,” Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark said. The company earlier this year announced  plans to shed as many as 10,000 jobs within two years to reduce costs and enable more investment in research capabilities. Nokia, which had about 92,000 employees in 130 countries at the end of last year, also plans to redesign offices to allocate up to 70% of the space in some sites to teamwork and meetings, with less area reserved for workspaces. Offices in Dallas, Singapore and Budapest have already been reconfigured.
Dubai government agency approves job titles for remote work
Dubai Municipality is the first government agency in the United Arab Emirates to approve job titles for remote work. Remote work can now be done under normal circumstances, the agency said. Dubai Municipality pioneered flexible work systems for UAE government departments in 2007, notes Arab News.
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
Rockwell Automation opens first training centre in Egypt
Industrial automation and information technology company Rockwell Automation has opened its first ever training centre in Egypt.  Safwat Hakam, Country Sales Director at Rockwell Automation, said: “The industrial skills gap is putting pressure on the manufacturing workforce like never before. Our learning centres are designed to ensure that every customer has the necessary training and knowledge to maximise long-term efficiencies from their investment. Egypt is becoming a powerful industrial force with a strong foundation to continue its impressive growth, but its full potential will be realised by embracing digitalisation with the right training in place.”
CULTURE
How to deal with an abusive work situation
Naomi Shragai, a business consultant and psychotherapist, advises that it is sometimes easier to leave a toxic workplace than recover from its damaging long-term effects.
INTERNATIONAL
Messaging app changes management attitudes towards employees
An anonymous messaging app called Blind is encouraging a change in management attitudes towards staff at some of South Korea's biggest organisations. The app is increasingly popular among workers who want to air grievances – and Reuters notes several instances in recent weeks of companies changing course on salary decisions and other issues after criticism on Blind from employees. About 70% of Blind users come from organisations in South Korea, including American tech companies headquartered there, although the firm is based in the US. "When starting our service, we thought [it] would have more value when our HQ is in the United States – where the concept of freedom of speech is well established and valued," Blind co-founder Kyum Kim said of the deliberate decision to be based outside Korea.
Large US companies boost hiring plans to record level
Chief executives at America's biggest companies increased their estimates for growth in GDP this year to 5% from 3.7% and plan record hiring during the next six months, according to a Business Roundtable survey of 172 CEOs. Three in four CEOs said conditions for their companies have recovered to pre-pandemic levels or will do so by the end of this year, the Business Roundtable said. One in four business leaders does not expect a full recovery until 2022 or later. “CEO optimism near historic highs, particularly with record hiring plans, is a strong sign that we are climbing out of this unprecedented crisis,” Doug McMillon, Walmart CEO and Business Roundtable chairman, said in a statement, noting “an extremely successful vaccine rollout” in the US.
Half of London firms plan for remote working five days a week
Almost half of London based employers whose staff can work remotely expect them to do so up to five days a week after the pandemic subsides, according to a survey of 520 business leaders by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). The results of the poll also suggest that smaller firms are more likely than larger ones to move ahead with homeworking. “Many businesses have already made decisions regarding their premises and ways of working once restrictions are lifted,” said LCCI CEO Richard Burge. “It’s about what business has judged best for the bottom line or productivity of their company.”
OTHER
More than 5m people become millionaires despite pandemic
A report from Credit Suisse reveals that the pandemic has been a boon for the rich, with aggregate global household wealth rising by about $28.7trn to $418.3trn after cheap money inflated asset prices. While many poor people became poorer, the number of millionaires increased by 5.2m to 56.1m globally. In 2020 more than 1% of adults worldwide were millionaires for the first time. Anthony Shorrocks, economist and author of the Global Wealth Report, explained that if asset price increases, such as house price rises, were removed from the analysis, "then global household wealth may well have fallen," adding "In the lower wealth bands where financial assets are less prevalent, wealth has tended to stand still, or, in many cases, regressed."

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