Great Place to Work, the global authority on high trust workplace culture, on Wednesday announced for this first time the 2020 Best Workplaces for Women in the GCC.

Sharjah-based Westford University College topped the list, followed by AlKhabeer Capital and Century Financial.

Ranking from fourth to 10th place on the list were Glander International Bunkering, THE One, Al Dabbagh Group Holding, Real Estate General Authority in Saudi Arabia, InterContinental Hotels Group, Landmark Group and Five Hotels respectively.

For the first time in the region, Great Place to Work has compiled a list of 40 of the top businesses in the GCC for female employees

Ibrahim Mougharbel, managing director, Great Place To Work UAE said: “Our research shows that men have a better experience at work than women, hence, we are very proud to be launching for the first time in the region the top 40 Best Workplaces for Women in GCC, and in line with our 2020 strategy of recognising organisations across the region that are working hard to close the gender gap and sustain a high trust, high performing culture for ALL employees.”

All certified organisations were considered for the list, but the 40 were selected by focusing on the Trust Index survey averages rated by female employees, while taking into consideration the female ratio in each organisation along with the fair treatment regardless of gender.

"Women today face a unique set of challenges both in and out of the workplace ranging from pay, fairness, empowerment, etc. The Best Workplaces on this list have created a greater sense of fairness, collaboration, and professional development for female employees. These positive experiences empower them to bring their full potential to the workplace and the world," said Tanzeel Rahman, managing director, Great Place To Work Saudi Arabia.

The annual benchmarking study assesses the level of credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie within an organisation, and forms part of the world’s largest employee survey.

Two-thirds of a company’s score is based on the confidential feedback of their employees while the remaining score is attained from an audit of management and HR practices.

Mazen Harb, managing director, Great Place To Work Middle East, said: “Employees told us how they felt about 60 different aspects of their workplace culture, including credibility, respect, pride and camaraderie. Among these, measurements of fairness and equity revealed the biggest gaps between womens’ and mens’ workplace experience; Women, more often than men, experience management playing favorites and handing out promotions and work projects unfairly."

The Best Workplaces for Women in GCC are represented by a diverse number of governmental entities and industries including logistics, technology, finance, media, retail, fashion, FMCG, hospitality, healthcare and manufacturing.