ZAIN 2022 All Rights Reserved
20
Our People
The Challenge
According to the Harvard Business Review, “In 2021 the stakes have been raised even higher thanks to a greater awareness of workplace factors that can contribute to poor mental health, as well as heightened urgency around its intersections with diversity and inclusion indicators.”
Zain’s Response
Zain launched BE WELL a Group-wide initiative, under its diversity and inclusion program, which aims to foster the mental well-being of employees across operations.
The Challenge
Skills mismatch is considered one of the biggest labor market challenges in the region. This highlights the need to improve the quality of workforce skills, alignment to market demands, and adapting to the required jobs.
Zain’s Response
The company continues to prioritize required skills to achieve its strategic objectives whilst also addressing the challenges of the workforce in its markets of operation. Zain continued to leverage accessible digital platforms to provide the highest quality of training to its employees, which reached 10 hours of training per employee this year.
The Challenge
Globally, people with disabilities are half as likely to be employed than people without. The reasons for employers’ hesitation to employ people with disabilities include limited disability knowledge and fear of the unknown.
Zain’s Response
Under Zain’s WE ABLE initiative, the company aims to create an inclusive workplace environment with the objective of increasing the number of people with disabilities hired. WE ABLE activities include ensuring restroom accessibility, elevator voice announcements and braille, ramps, and accessible parking spots across Zain’s headquarter buildings
General Employee Info
| Bahrain | Iraq | Jordan | Kuwait | Saudi Arabia | Sudan | Ssouth Sudan | Total Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-Time Employees | 187 | 1,237 | 1,337 | 1,657 | 1,751 | 741 | 96 | 7,006 |
| Part-Time and Temporary Employees | 143 | 1,487 | 312 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,942 |
| Employees (All Contract Types) | 330 | 2,724 | 1,649 | 1,657 | 1,751 | 741 | 96 | 9,005 |
| Full-Time Male Employees | 137 | 907 | 954 | 1,402 | 1,506 | 421 | 79 | 5,406 |
| Full-Time Female Employees | 50 | 330 | 383 | 255 | 245 | 320 | 17 | 1,600 |
| % of Full-Time Male Employees | 73% | 73% | 71% | 85% | 86% | 57% | 82% | 75% |
| % of Full-Time Male Employees | 27% | 27% | 29% | 15% | 14% | 43% | 18% | 25% |
| New Hires - Male Employees | 16 | 125 | 48 | 279 | 131 | 9 | 10 | 618 |
| New Hires % - Males | 9% | 10% | 4% | 17% | 7% | 1% | 10% | 9% |
| New Hires - Female Employees | 8 | 44 | 17 | 64 | 64 | 9 | 5 | 211 |
| New Hires % - Females | 4% | 4% | 1% | 4% | 4% | 1% | 5% | 3% |
| Total No. of New Hires | 24 | 169 | 65 | 343 | 195 | 18 | 15 | 829 |
| Total New Hire - % | 13% | 14% | 5% | 21% | 11% | 2% | 15% | 12% |
| Employee Turnover - Males | 10 | 91 | 190 | 312 | 215 | 5 | 3 | 826 |
| Employee Turnover - Males % | 5% | 7% | 14% | 19% | 12% | 1% | 3% | 12% |
| Employee Turnover - Females | 7 | 29 | 96 | 67 | 61 | 7 | 1 | 265 |
| Employee Turnover - Females % | 4% | 2% | 7% | 4% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 4% |
| Total Turn Over | 17 | 120 | 286 | 379 | 276 | 12 | 4 | 1,091 |
| Return to Work Rate After Parental Leave - Females | 100% | 87% | 58% | 95% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 97% |
| Return to Work Rate After Parental Leave - Males | 100% | 100% | 93% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 89% | 91% |
| Retention Rate After Still Working for Zain One Year After Return From Parental Leave - Females | 100% | 84% | 83% | 80% | 23% | 100% | 100% | 77% |
| Retention Rate After Still Working For Zain One Year After Return From Parental Leave - Males | 93% | 100% | 98% | 65% | 82% | 100% | 100% | 82% |
* New Hire % – Females is calculated by dividing No. of New Hire Females with Total No. of Full Time Employees
* Employee Turnover % – Males is calculated by dividing Employee Turnover – Males with Total No. of Full Time Employees
* Employee Turnover % – Females is calculated by dividing Employee Turnover – Females with Total No. of Full Time Employees
* Return to work rate is defined as employees returning to work after their respective maternity or paternity leave
* Full-time employees do not include 209 employees under Zain’s subsidiaries
* New Hire % – Males is calculated by dividing No. of New Hire Males with Total No. of Full Time Employees
Employee Age Structure Table
* Includes only full time employees
Achieving Results through Engagement
COVID-19 continues to spearhead the evolution of the necessary skills needed to adapt and sustain markets and economic growth. The growing youth bulge in the region is also impacting not only the required skillset but also the way in which companies engage with their workforce. During 2021, businesses continued to struggle with navigating uncertain times whilst safeguarding their employees and retaining top talent. Transparent communication, trust in leadership, and work-life balance are crucial components for employee retention, helping companies engage with their employees in an effective manner.
Throughout the course of the year, Zain continued to innovate its engagement activities to adapt to ongoing uncertainties. Inclusion and digital accessibility were key in ensuring the company efficiently managed business continuity with a seamless workflow.
Methods used in 2021 by Zain to engage with employees
1. ZAINIAC – Internal innovation
ZAINIAC is an internal innovation platform that was established in 2017 through the vision of the Vice-Chairman and Group CEO to foster internal ideation and intrapreneurship. The platform is open to all Zain employees, providing resources such as mentorship from Zain’s senior management, support of the incubation process, and general assistance in developing business ideas. ZAINIAC focuses on equipping employees with the opportunity to transform their ideas into their own startups by testing their concepts, building prototypes, and pitching theories to a panel of experienced judges. This year, the ZAINIAC platform was relaunched with added features including a mentorship portal, live streaming, a chat feature to encourage communication between employees, and accessibility features to ensure inclusion of all employees.
During 2021:
91 additional new signups
28 total employees
5 ideas submitted
Certified 1,158 Zain employees on a startup mindset
13 workshops conducted,
2 workshops were undertaken in collaboration with Ericsson
Topics include:
Business Model Canvas
Assistive Technologies
Innovation
Smart cities
As part of a joint initiative, Zain launched the ZAINIAC x Ericsson series that aims to bring a collection of panel discussions given by key experts on topics that include innovation, education, and smart cities. The series aims to support Zain in cultivating a culture of innovation within the company, with the first session having been launched in 2021 focused on gaming, which covered The State of Gaming, including:
- Role of 5G in driving the gaming sector
- Gaming and role of network operators
- Setting the infrastructure
- Going forward; what are the trends?
The panelists included Zain Group’s Chief Investment and Digital Transformation Officer, Strategic Marketing Director from Ericsson’s HQ, and the Business Consultant and Group Function Marketing and Communication Manager/Director at Ericsson.
2. Engagement with Zain’s operations
With continued high rates of change and uncertainty, Zain continued it efforts in ensuring alignment and engagement with its operating markets. The company remained pro-active in its engagement with its operations to ensure support and guidance to employees. Each department within the Group conducted awareness and feedback sessions with their respective functions in operating countries to ensure a smooth transition and workflow. From a strategic and business plan standpoint, the Group established a Group-wide engagement session to ensure there was alignment to the overall strategy. The engagement session was held with Zain Group’s executive management team and each operation to assess the company’s business plan and ensure objectives and targets were aligned to the corporate strategy.
3. PULSELY
As Zain’s workforce becomes more diverse, the company aims to ensure it is providing a workplace that enables each employee to contribute to their full potential. To showcase this commitment, the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) department collaborated with Pulsely, a diversity and inclusion analytics platform, to identify strengths, prioritize challenges, and establish a baseline of Zain’s inclusivity. In addition to a Group-wide assessment, each operating company obtained a report specific to its inclusion gaps for D&I teams and champions to build action plans to its specific challenges.
Below are some key findings from the assessment.
Strengths | Areas of Improvement |
|---|---|
The survey showed that those in entry-level employment are part of the ‘at-risk’ demographic | The survey showed that those in entry-level employment are part of the ‘at-risk’ demographic |
Zain obtained an ‘A’ score linked to employees Willingness to Adapt, which demonstrates the company’s behavioral competencies | Build inclusive career development |
Training and Development
In order to advance our ‘4Sight’ strategy, we recognize that our employees play a pivotal role in our success. Accordingly, Zain remains resolute in ensuring its employees acquire the skills that will help them develop, impacting the company’s growth as a digital service provider. Through the Workforce of the Future initiative, employees across markets are being upskilled to ensure they are equipped to play a constructive role while simultaneously building resilience within the organization. Zain continues to build on the necessary resilience across the workforce to make inroads in its strategic objectives and sustain them despite the challenges that may arise. A cross-sectoral engagement with local and international institutions, the education sector, and government and non-governmental entities is crucial in developing Zain’s workforce and identifying gaps. Last year, Zain transitioned the way in which it trains and develops its employees by leveraging existing accessible digital platforms to provide employees with trainings that ensure they remain safe.
Year-on-Year Average hours of training per employee
Developing Our Talent: Training and Development
*the number of hours of training have significantly decreased in Sudan this year due to the political situation in the country.
1. ZY
ZY x Ericsson Intrapreneurship Program
ZY, Zain’s Youth Empowerment initiative collaborated with Ericsson and launched its very first Intrapreneurship Program targeting youth. The goal of the three-month long intensive internal innovation program was to empower youth and build their knowledge of technological trends and industry insights in smart cities, sustainable innovations, and gaming.
14 participants were divided into three teams: smart cities, sustainable innovations, and gaming. Throughout the program, they worked closely with each other and formed diverse groups.
Participants attended 14 webinars held by leading experts in their fields to ideate and be inspired. They underwent 12 mentoring sessions with Zain CXO’s and attended over 30 weekly practice sessions. Ultimately, the program sought to offer participants the skills, knowledge, and guidance necessary to pitch use cases to Zain and Ericsson’s management.
CODE 7
Advances in technology are disrupting every aspect of life from how business is conducted to what tools are used for education. An additional aspect being affected by advancements in technology is the future of employment, including demanded jobs and skills. To address a changing economy and adapt to the needs of the market, Zain Group transformed its ‘Generation Z’ graduate training program to ‘CODE 7’, focusing on developing cutting-edge skills for future data analysts. The program targets fresh Kuwaiti graduates who have majored in computer science-related subjects. Four youth were recruited to undergo a year-long training in topics such as big data, artificial intelligence and sustainable innovation. The intention is that they will then go on to support digitization efforts within Zain in areas such as data analytics and data science.
Zainers 2.0, 2016
Focused on a rotation in different departments throughout Zain Group with a focus on conducting research of various digital verticals
Generation Z / 2017
Centered on establishing a business, gaining entrepreneurial skills and studying innovative trends in the market
Generation Z / 2018
The theme for this cycle was to enhance digital skills such as coding and agile project management in addition to a focus on self-growth and development
Generation Z / 2019
Enhancing corporate culture and teamwork when managing projects were the main focus of this edition
Generation Z / 2020
This cycle incorporated three themes: corporate culture, leadership styles and future trends
CODE 7 / 2021
Focusing on developing digital skills for future data analysts, this cycle addressed topics that included big data, artificial intelligence and sustainable innovation
2. Supporting Local Talent
Zain is dedicated to investing in local talent in addition to aligning to the government’s labor localization policies. This approach contributes to a stabilized workforce and provides societal benefits to the communities Zain operates in. Zain also ensures that it is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workforce free from any form of discrimination.
In 2021, the percentages of locals in senior management increased across the board. The table below highlights the year-on-year percentages of senior management (defined as the top two management levels) comprised by locals in each of Zain’s operating companies.
The table below represents the percentage of total local employees in each of our operating markets:
Operations | % of local employees |
|---|---|
Bahrain
| 93% |
Iraq
| 97% |
Jordan | 99% |
Kuwait
| 66% |
Saudi Arabia
| 86% |
Sudan
| 100% |
South Sudan | 99% |
Supporting Local Human Capital:
Percentage of Locals in Senior Management
Bahrain
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
South Sudan
* Senior Management pertains to the top two levels which includes Chiefs, Executive Management, Directors and Senior Management
3. PUSHFAR
To continue to foster a diverse and inclusive workforce, Zain partnered with PushFar, a leading online mentoring platform that enables Zain employees to engage in mentorship relationships across the company’s operations. Employees at Zain can take part in two mentorship programs, a general one for career progression and one for reverse mentoring. Reverse mentoring evolves the traditional mentorship experience, pairing a senior executive (mentee) with a youth employee (mentor) to discuss emerging trends such as social media, technology, and graphic design.
The adoption of the PushFar platform led to:
- Increase in mentoring engagement among executive management
- Acceleration of positive mentoring culture
- Increase of goals being set each month
0
Employees on PushFar
0
Meetings set up
0
Cross-operational mentorship relationship
0
Goals set
0
Hours spent
0
Reverse mentoring sessions held on PushFar
Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Culture
1. WE ABLE
WE ABLE is a disability inclusion initiative that was launched in 2019 with the aim of making Zain disability inclusive by 2022 across all its operating markets. The initiative aims to ensure Zain fosters an inclusive workplace by addressing challenges people with disabilities face.
WE ABLE’s immediate focus and targets include:
- Increase employment of People with Disabilities from 44 to 75 by 2022
- Ensure all training programs are disability inclusive
- Ensure accessibility across all touchpoints
- Identify innovative, assistive technologies enabling more people with disabilities to perform their duties more effectively
To support the targets, WE ABLE launched GROW, a virtual two-month development program facilitated by Zain employees for people with disabilities by targeting fresh graduates with registered disabilities. The program aims to extend the knowledge of disability inclusion within the company to its customers and employees and create lasting connections. In addition, through the program, another objective is to extend the knowledge of disability inclusion within the company to its customers and employees, creating lasting connections and systemic change. There were a total of 28 participants, 10 of whom were hired by Zain operating companies.
0
Zainers trained in unconscious bias training
0
Sign language using Zainers
0
De-biasing awareness sessions held
5
%
Elevators have voice announcements
and braille buttons
0
%
Of restrooms are accessible
ALL
Buildings have ramps leading to entrance
0
%
Of parking spots are accessible
2. BE WELL
With the disruptions caused by the pandemic, now more than ever, the mental health of employees is of material importance to Zain. In 2021, Zain launched BE WELL, a groundbreaking mental health initiative dedicated to providing employees with the tools to improve and manage their mental health and well-being. The pioneering initiative is one of the first programs to be offered across a private organization in the MENA region and is aimed at creating a more inclusive organization that considers and supports its employees.
The below activities were conducted under BE WELL:
- Each employee across Zain’s operating companies is offered four virtual or in-person confidential therapy sessions with the Kuwait Counseling Center (KCC), at no charge. KCC is one of the region’s leading psychological centers, providing psycho-educational, comprehensive assessments, therapy, and training services, offered in English and Arabic. In addition to the four sessions, employees are able to request additional sessions if need be, at no charge.
- Group-wide subscription to Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness and meditation.
0
Employees reached out to KCC
0
Therapy session conducted
0
Employees signed up to Headspace
Most viewed Headspace topics:
- Meditation
- Sleep
To mark International Mental Health Day on October 10, Zain granted the day-off to all Zain employees across operating countries. In addition, the HQ buildings in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and South Sudan were lit up in green in solidarity with the global movement.
BE WELL Lunch and Learn
BE WELL launched a series of lunch and learns to incorporate Zain’s value of ‘Belonging’ with employees. The lunch and learns focused on activities to combat stigma and biases against mental health and to encourage employees to feel comfortable in disclosing their true feelings. Through the lunch and learns, employees were listened to and able to participate in activities that helped reduce stigmas.
Well-being Workshops
A series of workshops were launched by Ayadi, the GCC’s first teletherapy platform, run over the course of a month. The workshops were available to all Zain employees and were especially beneficial for managers to support them in identifying signs of depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout in their subordinates. Workshop topics were focused on depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout and were hosted by trained psychotherapists and counselors. 85 employees Group-wide benefitted from the workshops over a series of nine workshops.
Headspace Gratitude Challenge and Focus and Productivity Campaign
In line with Zain’s vision for BE WELL, Zain launched two internal campaigns during November for World Kindness Day. The first was a 21-day gratitude challenge that was open to all employees, where each day, a different gratitude challenge was shared internally. Group-wide, 115 employees participated in the challenge.
As the year ends, productivity and focus tend to dip a little, therefore, Zain launched the productivity experiment to allow employees to learn productivity methods that could support them with increasing their focus and re-engagement. Every week, a different productivity method was introduced to employees to test for the entire week. Some of the techniques included Pomodoro Technique, Don’t Break the Chain, Eisenhower Matrix, and Getting Things Done.
3. WE
WE, Zain’s Gender Diversity & Inclusion initiative, was created in 2017 under the vision of Vice-Chairman and Group CEO Bader Al-Kharafi. With women constituting 14.5% of Zain’s leadership, WE established a target to be achieved by the end 2022 to increase women leadership to 25%. With the support of change agents, WE Champions, WE launched numerous initiatives that support the fostering of a more diverse and inclusive Zain.
- A collaborative initiative between WE & WE ABLE, LEAD trained Zain’s Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) as well as a selected pool of key employees working towards D&I in a two-day workshop. The initiative aimed to define inclusive leadership, role modeling and create a safe space where leaders can discuss obstacles, solutions and brainstorm new concepts to achieve an inclusive workforce. In total, seven Zain CHROs attended, as well as four leaders from Zain Group and three D&I team members. The 14 participants benefitted directly and were able to transfer their knowledge to 615 Zain employees.
- To commemorate International Women’s Day 2021, Zain hosted a virtual event under the theme #ChooseToChallenge, where five guest speakers shed light on challenges women face, and inspiring talks were given on how to overcome obstacles and moments of doubt. The talk featured a CEO, a TED speaker, and many more. Over 400 employees were present. In addition, a social media campaign ran for eight days under the #ChooseToChallenge theme, which featured women practicing different hobbies and skills. The campaign featured well-known successful women in both conventional and unconventional activities such as boxing and refereeing and featured two Zain employees. The video can be accessed on Zain’s YouTube channel.
female leaders
0
employees reached out to Kuwait Counseling Center
female middle managers
0
constituting 17.6% of middle managers
women promoted
0
32% of total promotions
women recruited
0
34% of total recruits
women working in technology
0
%
*Based on full-time employees only
4. Gender Pay Gap
Remuneration ratios continue to be measured across all levels of Zain’s hierarchy in every operation. By tracking the ratios, Zain aims to improve them and address the gaps on an annual basis.
Average Remuneration Ratio Females to Males by Employee Category
| Bahrain | Iraq | Jordan | Kuwait | KSA | Sudan | South Sudan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employee Level 1 (Executive Management) | 58% | 113% | 50% | 84% | 52% | 102% | NA |
| Employee Level 2 (Senior Management) | 68% | 70% | 99% | 89% | 82% | 93% | NA |
| Employee Level 3 (Middle Management) | 81% | 108% | 102% | 102% | 41% | NA | 63% |
| Employee Level 4 (Team Leaders) | NA | 101% | 104% | 112% | 43% | 96% | NA |
| Employee Level 5 (Professionals) | NA | 88% | 46% | NA | 94% | NA | 74% |
| Employee Level 6 (Team Members) | 100% | 94% | 113% | NA | 95% | 86% | 100% |
