Deloitte Middle East is fully committed to our people. We believe in nurturing an environment where talent thrives, empowering individuals to reach their full potential. Throughout the year, Deloitte Middle East has remained steadfast in its commitment to enhancing our people's experience by tailoring programs and enhancing practices to empower our teams. By upholding our shared values, we prioritize respect, well-being, inclusion, and equity at every level.
Navigating the return to work for parents
Aligned with our commitment to providing impactful well-being support that promotes healthy work-life harmony, Deloitte Middle East launched Returnity, a signature program under the Growth Leadership Opportunity for Women (GLOW) strategy. This initiative is designed to support women’s engagement, development, and retention at pivotal moments in their careers across all our business areas.
The Returnity program is a 16-week transition initiative that provides parents with flexible, consistent support throughout their entire parental leave journey. The program offers a customizable “Return plan” which serves as a menu of resources, including wellbeing counseling, mentorship and buddy system, flexible working arrangement, phased return, and career trajectory consultations. While this program is focused on women returning from leave, Returnity is open and available for all returning parents.
"Having a Returnship frame allowed me to have a say in how I returned to work from maternity leave, giving me the flexibility and support needed to balance my work and family commitments through a tailored return plan,” Marianna Alvarez De Toledo, a returnee in Consulting, said. “I truly believe that the new Returnity program will transform the way parents can transition back to work,” continued Marianna.
Today, new parents at Deloitte Middle East can benefit from the flexibility and support that makes a positive impact on their careers and well-being as they balance family and professional responsibilities. Returnity exemplifies Deloitte’s dedication to fostering an inclusive, supportive workplace that enable our people to thrive at every life stage.
Driving meaningful change through inclusion for all
At Deloitte Middle East, we understand the profound impact of providing an inclusive and accessible workplace, and the importance of empowering all our people to fulfill their full potential. Our commitment to inclusivity is not just about compliance; it reflects our core values of “Fostering inclusion” and “Taking care of each other.” These principles drive us to build an environment where everyone can thrive. With a strong commitment to Respect & Inclusion, Deloitte Middle East recognizes that disability and neurodiversity represent unique abilities. Each person brings personal strengths and challenges requiring tailored support for everyone to succeed.
In line with our commitment to supporting people of determination, we provide our practitioners with education and awareness resources to offer an accessible physical environment and create equal talent opportunities for all. Through strategic external alliances, and the launch of a new Disability & Neurodiversity Inclusion policy, Deloitte Middle East is taking meaningful steps to remove barriers and embrace an inclusive workplace culture that benefits everyone.
With an ongoing commitment to Disability & Neurodiversity Inclusion, we believe that individuals with disabilities and neurodivergent talents bring unique strengths to our team, enriching our collective capacity for innovation and making an impact. By welcoming all differences, we are cultivating a culture where every perspective is valued, helping to shape a truly inclusive future.
Celebrating an outstanding award on women leadership
Deloitte Middle East is proud to have won the Best Women Development & Leadership Program Award at the 2024 Future Workplace Awards, which is part of the HRSE (HR Summit & Expo), organized and hosted by Informa Middle East Limited. This recognition highlights our dedication and commitment to empowering women and advancing gender equality, showcasing impactful initiatives such as pioneering programs like Returnity, Allyship, and SponsorME. Each of these programs is a testament to our commitment to fostering growth and accelerating women to leadership roles.
In addition to this recognition, Deloitte Middle East was also named a Top 6 finalist in 3 other award categories: Best Diversity & Inclusion Strategy, Best Innovative Flexible Working Initiative, and Best Social Impact Initiative. The Future Workplace Awards serve as the regional benchmark for celebrating exceptional contributions by individuals, teams, and organizations in advancing the talent agenda across the Middle East.
Our efforts go beyond internal achievements, setting benchmarks for the industry through collaborations and partnerships that champion inclusivity. Deloitte Middle East remains committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace, and to continuously enhance the experience of our people at every stage of their career journey.
Leading the way with a commitment to mental health excellence
Deloitte Middle East’s dedication to mental health and wellbeing has been consistently demonstrated through its comprehensive initiatives, making a significant impact in the workplace. As a result, we were proudly recognized as the “Best Mental Health Care in Professional Services” in the GCC at the “mentl awards 2024” on 22 November at the Connect Conference Centre at Expo City Dubai.
The mentl awards celebrate outstanding achievements in the mental health and wellbeing sectors, recognizing individuals and organizations that demonstrate empathy, resilience, and innovation in their approach to mental health initiatives. By showcasing market-leading practices and solutions, the award amplifies the importance of mental health as a shared priority.
Deloitte Middle East's longstanding commitment to wellbeing is integral to its culture, prioritizing the employee experience across its 15+ markets and workforce representing over 100 nationalities through people-centric policies and business practices. Its adaptive wellbeing program is tailored to address the unique and diverse needs of employees while aligning with evolving business priorities. Central to this program is the firm’s shared value "take care of each other," which fosters a culture of support for employees and their families, creating a safe environment for addressing wellbeing challenges and encouraging open discussions about mental health.
Deloitte Middle East’s mentl submission this year focused on the firm’s commitment to the wellbeing of its people and their families, especially during challenging times in the region. The submission highlighted impactful flexible and mental health initiatives, including signature programs such as Deloitte Middle East’s Employee Assistance Program (DEAP), which provides emotional, financial, and legal counselling, as well as wellbeing webinars and online resource platforms. Deloitte Middle East also empowers a wellbeing-conscious workforce through certified internal Mental Health First Aiders and Advocates and promotes flexible and agile working policies and signature programs such as the Returnity program.
This recognition is a testament to Deloitte Middle East’s unwavering commitment to advancing mental health care. It also serves as an inspiration to set higher standards of excellence, driving meaningful change and fostering a culture where all individuals can thrive.
