Dubai World & PCFC save AED 337 M from suggestion and reward scheme

The success of SRS, which is supervised and run by the Business Excellence Center (BEC), a Corporate department of Dubai World, was highlighted during a day-long seminar and training session conducted by Thomas Dupre, a renowned expert on the subject from the United States.

The scheme was launched with the aim of enhancing employee involvement in improving the workplace. The most important benefit of the Scheme is Employee motivation, though the Scheme generates outstanding financial benefits.

A total of 7,700 suggestions were received since the inception of the scheme in 2003, of which 1,030 have been implemented successfully. The total amount disbursed as cash awards has touched AED 3 Million. In the recent past two award winning suggestions have generated financial benefits in excess AED 50 Million.

Farah Jafari, Group SRS Coordinator, said: "The success of the Suggestion and Reward Scheme has exceeded all our expectations. When we introduced this innovative program seven years ago under the directives of our Chairman, HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, we could not foresee the enthusiastic response that would be generated. Today, the scheme has become truly participatory and we welcome suggestions from all employees within our group."

Hundreds of group employees have been rewarded and their suggestions have led to improvement in performance, customer service, quality, environmental friendliness, employee welfare and expenditure saving.

Addressing the seminar, Mr. Dupre, said SRS was crucial to an organisation's growth: "Employees are a company's best resource and the amount of intellectual capital that can be tapped through this single resource is enormous. Managements must create an avenue for employees to express themselves in order to help the organisation improve from within and SRS is the best way of achieving this.

"Of course, there are other obvious benefits, such as cost saving and productivity improvement, enhancing communications and increasing the morale of the workforce."

SRS was initially implemented within the Ports, Customs and Freezone Corporation, (PCFC) before being extended to other business units when Dubai World was formed.

Farah Jafari, Group SRS Coordinator, said: "The success of the Suggestion and Reward Scheme has exceeded all our expectations. When we introduced this innovative program seven years ago under the directives of our Chairman, HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, we could not foresee the enthusiastic response that would be generated. Today, the scheme has become truly participatory and we welcome suggestions from all employees within our group."

The training session coincided with the Ideas Arabia International Conference.