Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) honoured 30 employees for their innovative ideas to improve the companys business efficiency, health and employee morale presented to this years INNOV8 employees suggestion programme.

Speaking at the ceremony, Saif Al Falasi, Group Chief Executive Officer of ENOC, said: Our growth is led by the strong support of our employees, who have demonstrated continuous excellence in their performance throughout the year. Underlining our strong people focus, we created the INNOV8 suggestions scheme around 3 years ago with the aim to promote a culture of innovation at ENOC Group, aligned with one of the key themes of Dubais vision for 2021, which aims to create a City of Happy, Creative & Empowered People.

The suggestion scheme also highlights our commitment to innovation. Over the years, we have encouraged innovation within the group in line with our leaders vision, Al Falasi added.

Since its inception, the scheme has received 1,200 suggestions and has helped the organisation save over AED 52 million with the implementation of 84 winning ideas to date. More than AED 345,000 has been paid out to employees as rewards for those suggestions.

ENOC won the Gold award in technology during the Ideas Arabia competition and the submitted scheme was named a Top 30 best practice at the international best practice competition. The innovative ideas have changed the workplace and lifestyle of the Groups employees, with some making employees healthier, like the Move it, lose it programme, a healthy living campaign initiated in association with VLCC, the leading wellness brand in the Middle East and South Asia, with the aim to enable the employees of ENOC adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Other ideas have helped manpower be more efficient through man-hour saving, such as the ENOC Aviation Log; made employees more engaged, through the implementation of vending machine for drivers; and even made Dubais roads safer, through ENOC Tasjeels 2nd hand car testing, among others.

At the ceremony, employees received a surprise visit from the young Emirati innovator Adeeb Al Balushi, one of the worlds youngest inventors who at 11 years of age created a lightweight prosthetic limb for his father and a cleaning robot for his mother. Interacting with him was inspirational for all as they got to hear from him first-hand about his work.

ENOCs overall strategy places a strong focus on human development. Over the years, the company has established various workplace CSR activities, such as training programmes, to guarantee that employees enjoy working conditions where they can develop and fulfil their individual potential. As a wholly-owned government organisation, ENOC is also committed to building local talent and Emiratisation. Through its National Development Programme, for example, the company runs a comprehensive professional training programme to develop the functional, behavioural, professional, managerial, and leadership skills of ENOCs national workforce.