Valentina von Lutterotti, a director at Dubai communications consultancy Kekst CNC, is nine months pregnant.
But she is far less stressed than many other expectant mothers in the UAE because her company has launched a maternity leave policy that offers employees up to one year off.
That is one example of how some employers in the UAE are offering creative and effective benefits to retain and attract top talent. The standard maternity leave in the UAE private sector is just 60 days.
Employees who have completed at least one year of continuous service with Kekst CNC are eligible for maternity leave under the policy. The first six months will be fully paid leave and the next six months will be unpaid leave, offering flexibility for employees who wish to extend their time away from work.
The employee’s position will be retained for the full one-year maternity leave period. Upon returning to work, the employee will resume their original role or an equivalent position with comparable responsibilities and compensation. Employees can request a phased or flexible return-to-work arrangement, says Kekst CNC.
“The driving force behind this policy is to make sure that mothers are offered the opportunity to stay in the job, progress their careers and to recognise their loyalty and support to the company,” says the mother-to-be, who has been with Kekst CNC for nine years.
“I’m excited to go back to a place where I'm valued and given an opportunity to take time off without any financial worries or concerns about my role. Instead, it will be a smooth re-entry into the work life.”
Easing mothers' return to work
About a quarter (24 per cent) of women in the UK go back to full-time work after having children. However, close to 80 per cent of those women who return end up quitting because they cannot combine full-time employment with caring for a newborn, according to 2023 research by That Works for Me, an organisation that aims to keep women in the workplace.
Those who did try to work were often made redundant or were forced to leave their jobs because the dual pressure of professional life and motherhood affected their mental health, the study found.
Abbie Kadom, head of people and culture at the Kekst CNC, says the new maternity leave policy ensures employees have enough time to recover and bond with their children while maintaining job security and financial stability.
“We didn't want our young female employees to quit working altogether because 60 days of maternity leave was insufficient. I also didn't want them to consider working for our competitors because they offered a different structure,” she says.
The company also offers 10 Keeping in Touch (KIT) days where employees on maternity or adoption leave may work without impacting their statutory maternity pay or allowance. This aims to ease their transition back to work and to keep the employee in the picture throughout the year of maternity leave, Ms Kadom says.
Benefits boost staff retention
Besides remote working and career development programmes, the company also offers initiatives such as sound healing and “bring your dog to work” days to uplift employees. Paternity leave consists of two weeks of paid leave and two weeks of work from home, she adds.
A strong benefits package is becoming increasingly important and may ease employees’ emphasis on a high salary, according to Tiger Recruitment’s Mena Salary and Benefits Review 2025 report. About 47 per cent of 2,100 respondents in the Middle East and North Africa expressed satisfaction with their benefits packages, while 28 per cent reported dissatisfaction, suggesting employers have room for improvement, the report said.
A comprehensive benefits package could also boost employee retention. Among respondents who were “very satisfied” with their perks, 24 per cent said they had no plans to leave their role, the research showed.
“Flexible working models that offer hybrid arrangements and progressive benefits, such as annual flights to a worker’s home country, remain a significant draw for professionals who are prioritising their well-being,” says Zahra Clark, director and head of Tiger Recruitment for the Mena region.
The benefits most commonly requested by employees include a pay rise in line with cost-of-living increases, professional development and training opportunities, better health insurance, and more mental health and well-being support from employees, according to the consultancy.
Higher pay for full-time office work
There was an overwhelming consensus among Mena professionals that if employers expect staff to work in the office full-time, they should be prepared to pay higher salaries, a sentiment expressed by 84 per cent of respondents.
Interesting financial benefits offered by employers in the Mena region include a baby bonus, an annual leave buy-back scheme, an employee savings scheme, financial support for professional studies, pension provision above the legal minimum, a performance bonus up to 14 per cent of annual salary, profit sharing and referral schemes, and share incentives, the report said.
Popular health benefits being provided by employers include access to well-being apps or specialists, beauty services, ergonomic home office equipment, gym membership, life insurance, miscarriage bereavement leave and personal well-being days.
Leisure benefits offered are above-statutory paid annual leave – excluding national holidays, access to event season tickets, annual plane tickets to home countries, company-wide all-expenses-paid holidays, subsidised memberships of associations, networks or professional institutes, and travel insurance, according to Tiger Recruitment.
Popular soft benefits offered by Mena employers include birthday annual leave, company car or car allowance, Christmas leave (in addition to annual holiday allowance), education allowance, soft skills training, technical skills and functional training, paid sabbatical, paid volunteering days, daily meals (supplied or reimbursed), professional certification support and unlimited paid time off, the report revealed.
