Employees - Sustainability

Our ambition is to create a thriving workplace that attracts and retains talented and committed people.

Our employees are at the heart of our long-term success, and we are dedicated to attracting and nurturing a diverse and highly skilled workforce – with the development of Emirati nationals as a strategic priority.

Our commitments

Continue to improve diversity and inclusion metrics, and maintain best-in-class employee satisfaction
Enhance employee learning through high quality content and dedicated training

Workstreams

Selected list category

Employee engagement and well-being

Our employees personify our values and represent the Bank to our customers, clients and other stakeholders. Their well-being and engagement are vital to the sustained success of our business.

Our Approach and Progress

We empower our people to achieve their full potential, nurturing both their well-being and professional development. We adhere to local labour laws across all our operating locations. We also uphold universal human rights, respecting and supporting international principles, including protecting employees from discrimination based on race, nationality, colour, ethnic origin, gender, disability, or religion.

To gauge employee experience and culture, we organise an annual Organisational Health Index (OHI) survey and twice-yearly Line Manager Index (LMI) survey. Our 2024 OHI survey results placed us in the top quartile against the global banking benchmark and all companies globally, indicating very strong loyalty, high confidence, and a trusting work environment.

Our approach to recruitment is centred on promoting equal opportunities for all. To enhance productivity and support a positive work-life balance, we have introduced flexible working hours, including a four-and-a-half-day week with an option for remote work on Fridays. We also revised our flexible working policy in 2024 to offer up to 10 days of flexible work leave annually and the possibility of extended remote arrangements.

With over 80 nationalities represented in our workforce, we ensure fair remuneration and development opportunities, with equal pay for equal work for men and women. Our 'Tamooha' initiative is specifically designed to empower Emirati women with flexible employment opportunities.

Employee grievances

Employees are encouraged to raise concerns through policies including our Code of Conduct, Employee Grievance Policy, and Whistleblowing Policy, alongside a formal grievance process that ensures they receive prompt, fair consideration and no retaliation. We introduced a dedicated email channel for grievances in 2024, and all grievances filed in 2024 were addressed or resolved. We also maintain zero tolerance for harassment, bullying, child exploitation, human trafficking.

We offer competitive, performance-linked remuneration and invest significantly in professional training, with a blended approach of in-person and online modules. Our ESG training framework includes Foundational, Role-specific, and Advanced levels, delivering over 21,300 ESG learning hours in 2024. Our robust performance management framework ensures 100% of employees receive regular performance and career development reviews.

View our sustainability disclosures for more information on our approach to Employees change and sustainability.

Emiratisation

We are proud to contribute to the UAE’s Emiratisation agenda, as part of the country’s vision for the development and growth of the economy and its people.

By supporting the national Emiratisation strategy, we help to create jobs and increase the number of UAE nationals with the necessary technical and vocational skills for employment and entrepreneurship.

Our Approach and Progress

Our aim is not merely to recruit and retain UAE nationals, but to empower them to achieve their career potential. We have seen positive results, with Emiratis increasingly taking on leadership roles through both internal advancements and strategic external recruitment. We are particularly proud to have already surpassed the 2026 Emiratisation targets set by the UAE Central Bank for the banking industry. In 2024 alone, we recruited approximately 400 UAE nationals, expanding our Emirati workforce to over 2,100 individuals.

Emiratis already constitute approximately 40% of our total workforce, placing us among the leaders within the UAE’s banking and financial sector. Our dedication to nurturing young Emirati talent is evident, with 41% of our Emirati employees being under 30 years’ old. Furthermore, senior Emirati leaders are strongly represented across our key management committees, where they play crucial roles in shaping our strategic direction and ensuring effective implementation. Emiratis make up 40% of the Management Executive Committee and 62% of the Risk Management Committee, while 98% of our branch managers are UAE nationals.

Gender and training

We also champion gender diversity within our national workforce, with 80% female representation among our Emirati employees. Our new banking operations centre in Al Ain employs around 300 people and is 100% staffed by UAE nationals. Our goal is to create 300 new full-time jobs for Emiratis in Al Ain by the end of 2026.

We support our Emirati employees' growth through dedicated training programmes, including Mawaheb for recent graduates, Ethraa covering critical areas like cybersecurity and AI, and training with the Emirates Institute of Finance. Our Emirati Training Academy further enhances soft skills and leadership capabilities. These programmes contribute significantly to the development of our national talent pool, with Mawaheb welcoming 69 participants in 2024, Ethraa seeing 121 participants complete over 19,000 hours of training, and the Emirati Training Academy recording over 7,000 learning hours completed by 596 participants.

View our sustainability disclosures for more information on our approach to Employees change and sustainability.

Learning and Development

Providing extensive learning and career development opportunities is crucial to enabling our people to achieve their aspirations and make valuable contributions to our growth. This investment not only helps us attract and engage the very best people, but also provides a competitive advantage and enhances our reputation as an employer of choice.

Our Approach and Progress

We invest significantly in professional training, employing a blended approach of in-person and online modules covering a wide array of technical and behavioural subjects. In 2024 alone, our Human Resources Department delivered more than 300,000 learning hours, engaging more than 8,000 employees and demonstrating our deep learning culture.

Around 48% of training was instructor-led, while 37% consisted of e-learning, providing flexible and efficient learning options for employees. This includes partnerships with leading learning institutions to offer employees access to a suite of online courses and world-class training. In addition, our in-house learning and development centre, Ambition University, provides strategically aligned, business-driven learning.

Training is also essential for executing our ESG strategy, where we seek to ingrain sustainability principles throughout the organisation. Our structured ESG training framework includes foundational awareness, role-specific skills, and advanced specialist courses, contributing over 21,300 learning hours in 2024. This includes targeted programmes to equip relationship managers with the knowledge to engage clients on sustainable finance and net zero topics.

Performance management

To support our high-performance culture and employee progression, we employ a robust performance management framework with clear KPIs, targets, and regular feedback. We are proud that this framework ensures that 100% of our employees receive regular performance and career development reviews.

We view succession planning as a long-term investment aimed at ensuring business continuity and empowering future leaders. This includes creating learning opportunities and focusing on developing UAE nationals for leadership roles, strengthening the pipeline of future Emirati leaders and contributing to our Emiratisation objectives.

View our sustainability disclosures for more information on our approach to Employees change and sustainability.

Equality, diversity & inclusion

Equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace provide us with the tools to create a more innovative, resilient business that is better able to respond to challenges, attract the best talent, and provide an enhanced customer experience.

Our Approach and Progress

Our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion is rooted in a deep respect for human rights, ensuring fair and equitable treatment for all, free from discrimination. With over 80 nationalities in our workforce, we adhere strictly to local labour laws across all our operating locations. When it comes to recruitment, we provide equal opportunities, applying no preferences related to a candidate’s nationality, ethnic origin, marital status, or gender, subject only to specific requirements set out in UAE law.

A key focus, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality, is enhancing gender diversity across ADCB Group. Women constitute 44% of our total workforce. We ensure fair and equitable remuneration and development opportunities for women, fully complying with UAE labour laws. We are actively working to increase female representation in leadership positions, with women holding 15% of roles on the Management Executive Committee and significant representation elsewhere. Our 'Tamooha' initiative, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024, is designed to empower Emirati women by providing access to careers in the banking sector through flexible employment opportunities. Tamooha has created opportunities for more than 400 women over the past decade, with 178 currently participating.

Supporting families

We also support our employees' diverse needs through robust parental leave policies, including maternity leave that exceeds the minimum UAE legal requirements, paternity leave and childcare leave. These policies reflect our commitment to supporting families and promoting shared parental responsibilities, contributing to employee well-being and retention.

This comprehensive approach to maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment underpins our goal of cultivating a culture of mutual respect where every individual feels they belong and can contribute fully to our collective success.

View our sustainability disclosures for more information on our approach to Employees change and sustainability.

View our other strategic ESG pillars

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