dvancing .women in the workplace have led positive changes to businesses, with more revenues being brought in as men and women work side by side.
As a leading national company with clear vision and goals, Omantel’s support for women in Oman is deep-rooted and the company has made significant achievements in this field after years of hard work and dedication.
Lately, Omantel has announced its collaboration with the Unicef by offering its smart telecom solutions to help making a more innovative approach towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to women and children in the country. As part of this cooperation, a workshop was held recently on ‘Gender Equality at Workplaces’ in collaboration with United Nation’s organisation. The event took place at Omantel’s HQ in Muscat, and it aimed at discussing the situation of women at workplaces in Oman and how to increase their role in leadership positions.
Laila al Wahaibi, CSR manager at Omantel, said, “Omantel implements many initiatives that contribute to the sustainable development in the country, and empowering women is one among many initiatives in this field. As a national company that seeks to enrich lives in Oman, Omantel is keen on making more partnerships with private and public sectors organisations that push the development forward.”
Alaa Ali al Aamri, computer programmer at International Tourism Restaurants ‘Americana’, said, “We have seen good examples today of how increased female participation in the workforce can contribute to the development of businesses. Our role is to support women on all levels and help them to unleash their potentials to maximise the benefits for the national economy.”
Ahmed al Ismaili, follow-up director at Nasim Ibra Group of Companies, said, “We trust women and believe that they have great capabilities; this is why, we have involved them in making strategic decisions in our business. Moreover, we have seen many female employees with great devotion to work and enthusiasm to excel, and I think that empowering women will definitely result in a positive outcome to the economy.”
During the workshop, participants have discussed the equality between men and women at workplaces in Oman, women leadership and how to make the work environment more appealing to females. Saeeda al Alawi, network engineer at TeO, said, “Longer maternity leaves, equality and supportive atmosphere are important factors for females to succeed.” Shaikha al Mamari, an HR specialist at TeO, agreed with Saeeda and said that being surrounded by positive and encouraging colleagues and managers is key to success for males and females alike.
To empower women in Oman, Omantel has carried out training programmes, workshops and initiatives. Among these initiatives is 'Mubadera' which seeks to encourage Omani women in various governorates to launch initiatives that add value to the society and recognise the efforts of active associations and members. The company has recently given ‘A Special Award’ to Jokha al Farsi, president of Ihsaan Association, to recognise her valuable cooperation in ‘Omantel Wal Awael’, a training and entertainment programme that aims to familiarise the elderly with the latest means of communication, information programmes and train them how to use smart devices, as well as her efforts in ensuring the welfare of the elderly through the association.