On the occasion of the World Day of Happiness, the Chief Executive Officers
of Happiness and Quality of Life in government departments underscored that UAE
has furnished all means to delight all its customers. They all highlighted that
they are reflecting such a trend by launching qualitative initiatives with
sights set to make customers happy and simplify procedures that enable them to
receive their document in the easiest and finest possible ways. They also
stated that customer service departments mark this international day by
ensuring providing its services around the clock to ensure providing top-notch
customer services.
Scientific Methodologies
On his turn, Mr. Tariq Al Janahi, Deputy Executive Director of Dubai
Statistics Center (DSC) stated that happiness is the ultimate result of an
elaborate system of policies and plans based on scientific principles and methodologies.
“Indeed, such system is meant to motivate the psychological factor, i.e.
happiness through main two tracks. The first track is designed to develop the intellectual
and cognitive pattern and to promote positive behavior and values and
lifestyle. The second one is to provide external factors of a positive impact
by meeting the individuals’ needs with the aim to give a push to the level of
well-being and leading to leverage levels of happiness.” Al Janahi stressed
that these two factors complement each other and they by no means can be used
discretely to create happiness.
Al Janahi addressed a question with regard to the priority that should be
taken into account with regard to happiness. “Many wonder what must come first?
Should it be the well-being factors such as tangible needs or the happiness culture,
the way of thinking and lifestyle?”. He pointed out that he sees the quality
and positive thinking and lifestyle comes first. “The greater the volume of
such a factor, the greater the impact of tangible factors on human happiness.
For example, if the individual is positive, grateful and satisfied, his or her
appreciation of the tangible well-being factors available to him, such as
income level, housing level and educational and health services level … etc.
will be highly appreciated he or she will feel happy as a result of his or her positive
perspective and appreciation of what he or she owns and enjoys.
In this context, Al Janahi stated another example that emphasizes the
values and positive behavior has a priority over other factors. “If the
individual is featured by being generous, helping others and showing genuine
feelings of compassion, sympathy and respect, then this should absolutely
reflect positively on their level of happiness even prior those who benefited
from their good deeds and positive values.” He stated that such cases are
evidence-based and are confirmed by many studies and psychological research.
“Factors of culture, values, behavior and way of thinking are superior to factors
of tangible well-being. As for the lifestyle, such as practicing sports continuously,
healthy food, religious practices and professional and social balance, they
also are critical to the individual’s happiness and so closely related to the
biological hormones responsible for happiness.”
Giving a Boost to Services
Eng. Hamad Al Dhanhani, Director of Customer Happiness Centers and CEO of Happiness
and Quality of Life at Sheikh Zayed Housing Program (SZHP), stated that they
are constantly seeking to develop the SZHP executive regulations, including the
introduction of new categories to benefit from the housing services according
to their needs. “Such a trend is turned to concrete
steps by serving orphans, Emirati females married to expatriates, elderly
people and other categories. There are always developments we adopt to overcome
any obstacles that might face all these segments.”
He added that serving customers and ensuring that they are happy is the
core business of all government entities that seeks to excel all the time while
serving their customers. “SZHP in particular is constantly developing its
services to ensure keeping its customers happy and satisfied by developing
procedures meant to serve new segments of customers.”
“The equation of the customer happiness adopted by SZHP, include the
employee who is proud of providing a distinguished service, a dedicated entity
in making its customers happy and a positive and initiative customer,” Al Dhanhani
said. He noted that SZHP deals with many humanitarian cases with the spirit of
law in respect of certain clauses of law and regulations that might in certain cases
keep a tight rein on taking decisions to sort out issues which are humanitarian
in the first place. “We usually provide recommendations to amend such clauses
of law or regulations once they are perceived as an obstacle that hinders
providing customers with significant and distinguished services.”
Quality Initiatives
Mariam Al Arri, CEO of Happiness and Quality of
Life at the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, said: “The UAE government
has paid great attention to ensure that the citizens and residents are happy as
it is one of the main goals of the institutional work in the public entities.”
She added: “Based on this, the Ministry of
Infrastructure Development focused on several initiatives that are in line with
the directives of the UAE wise leadership who also concentrates on the theme of
happiness of the employee, customers and the UAE society as a whole through launching
quality initiatives that meet their needs.”
She also highlighted the efforts paid by the Ministry to further boost the
principles of happiness by saying: “The Ministry of Infrastructure Development
has incorporated the principle of promoting and enhancing the concept of happiness
in its strategy, programs and policies. We are so keen to create a happy work
environment through launching relevant initiatives and promoting the concept of
innovation and creativity at workplaces among its employees. This surely will
support achieving the goals that lead by the end of the day to the realization
of UAE Vision 2021 by being ranked first in global competitiveness indicators.