70pc employees 'want to change jobs in ME'

An overwhelming 70 per cent of employees in the Middle East are either in the process of trying to leave their current job or actively looking for a new job, according to a study.

The figures indicate that the region’s professionals believe that it’s either time to move on, or they can do much better elsewhere than in their current position, according to the study by Bayt.com, a leading Middle East job site, conducted in conjunction with research specialists YouGov.

However, a majority of professionals in the Middle East remain motivated at work despite the current recession and its negative impact on the workplaces, the Employee Motivation study said.

About 63 per cent of employees stay motivated in their work in the region, according to the latest study by Bayt.com, a leading Middle East job site, in conjunction with research specialists YouGov.

Lebanon and Tunisia significantly exceeded the regional average with almost three-quarters of employees, 72pc in each country, saying they are motivated in the work they do every day for their organisation. The figure for Saudi Arabia is 57pc.

The study asked respondents how important they consider their work-life balance to be, and whether such a balance is encouraged by employers: an overwhelming 73pc of the respondents said that achieving a good work-life balance is very important for their levels of motivation at work. The results do not vary significantly from the average across the region – the lowest figure being 66pc of respondents in Morocco, and the highest 77pc in Egypt.

Asked whether their organisations support them to achieve a good-work life balance, the majority of respondents, 65 per cent stated that they do receive such support from their work – albeit to differing degrees. The study found that those receiving the most support are respondents in Lebanon, 76 per cent of all those questioned, compared to 61 per cent of professionals in Saudi Arabia and – at the lowest end of the spectrum – 55 per cent in Morocco.

Around the rest of the Gulf, support for work-life balance is relatively consistent across the countries, reaching 70 per cent for employees in Oman, 69 per cent in Bahrain, 68 per cent in the UAE and 65 per cent in Kuwait.

The Employee Motivation study was conducted to understand how the current economic climate is impacting the satisfaction levels of employees in the Middle East, and to identify the drivers that motivate them in their work.

“When it comes down to the factors that make employees content and motivated, or the factors that make them distressed and de-motivated, more often than not it is the basic, straightforward elements such as being able to achieve a good work-life balance that matter,” explains Amer Zureikat, regional manager, Bayt.com.

“It is extremely beneficial for organisations to focus on improving and maintaining  motivation, as it is highly valued by employees,  does not have direct costs attached to it and has a positive impact on productivity and returns,” says Joanna Longworth, chief marketing officer, YouGov.

“While this is less a case of rocket science and more a case of common sense, it still goes neglected by some employers who favour profit making at the expense of a happy workforce. By pointing out these pain points through research such as this, it provides all employers with a general picture of what lies behind employee motivation, and serves as a reminder of how important the ‘human touch’ is for employee wellbeing and motivation”, adds Zureikat.

The drivers of motivation at work, aside from a good work-life balance, are varied, with opportunities for long term career growth topping the table in importance, as agreed by 36 per cent of employees. Also important according to the employees surveyed are the company’s or brand’s reputation (33 per cent), while interestingly, only 5 per cent of respondents said that they are primarily interested in pay.

The feeling of ‘belonging’ to an organisation is often cited as an important motivational factor, and one way this is accomplished is by maintaining strong internal communication channels. While 64 per cent of employees feel informed – to varying extents – of their company’s activities, only 20 per cent of employees stated they always believe what is formally communicated to them by their company regarding internal plans and developments. Surprisingly, 25 per cent of respondents said they seldom believe their company, while 8 per cent said they never believe what they are told.

“That only a fifth of employees believe what their companies tell them and a significant percentage rarely do, is indicative that many of the region’s organisations are not trusted by the people that really matter – their employees. This is an issue that could have a major impact on their business going forward, in terms of attrition rates or even reputation; in such organisations, action is definitely needed to address this, and fast,” comments Longworth.

The study went on to ask the respondents whether they feel that the work they do in their job is significant and important to the company. The majority of respondents across the surveyed countries, 76 per cent, strongly agreed it is important, with those in Syria (84 per cent) and Morocco (83 per cent), the most positive about the work they do and the contributions they make. Interestingly, the Gulf countries are less upbeat about the contributions they make to their workplace; 63 per cent of respondents in the UAE and Qatar and 67 per cent in Bahrain strongly agreed that the work they do is important, compared to a high 78 per cent of employees in Saudi Arabia.

Clearly, the region’s employees also agree that the work they do is important to them - to varying extents. The countries with employees most positive about the work they do are Algeria and Tunisia with 92 per cent agreeing that their work is personally important, followed by Oman (90 per cent), Syria (89 per cent) and 88 per cent in Saudi Arabia.

As part of the study, respondents were asked a series of questions relating to their satisfaction with work and their organisation, two key elements that drive employee motivation in the workplace. The majority of the region’s respondents (79 per cent) stated they are satisfied to varying extents with the job responsibilities they have to fulfil. The study found that 84 per cent of respondents in Bahrain are satisfied; the highest among the surveyed countries, followed by Tunisia (83pc) and Egypt (82pc). In Saudi Arabia, 78pc of respondents confirmed their satisfaction vis-à-vis their job responsibilities.  

When it comes to recognition and appreciation for good work, 59pc of respondents said they are satisfied or very satisfied. In Saudi Arabia, 56pc of respondents said they are satisfied or very satisfied, while 29pc confirmed they are dissatisfied. This sentiment prevails around the rest of the region, suggesting little is done to appreciate the hard work of employees, with 31pc of employees in the UAE and 30pc of employees in Bahrain and Qatar dissatisfied, followed by respondents in Kuwait and Jordan at 29pc each.

Employees in the region were also largely unhappy with the opportunities for personal and professional growth within their organisations: 52pc said they are satisfied to very satisfied, while 45pc of respondents stated they are dissatisfied to varying extents. Only 47pc of professionals in Saudi Arabia are content with the development opportunities they are offered, with 31pc dissatisfied and 19pc very dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction levels are similarly high around the rest of the Gulf region – reaching 50pc in Kuwait, 49pc in the UAE, and 48pc in Bahrain.

“Career growth and development is hugely important to an employee’s sense of worth and what we are seeing from these figures is that development opportunities are not generally on offer, or if they are, they are not good enough or are not geared to an employee’s needs. However, it is well known that if employers invest in their employees and encourage them to develop their skills or personality, then employees are much more likely to be committed to their work and their organisation. It is a relatively minor expense that can be addressed in an organisation, but it is one that holds weight with employees,” states Longworth.

Levels of stress at work – a significant de-motivating factor – were found to be reasonably high among the region’s employees. Almost a fifth of all respondents (19pc) said that they are under severe stress, while another 66pc feel stress in some form. Countries with the most ‘stressed’ employees are Jordan and Egypt, where 90pc and 88pc of employees respectively are suffering some form of stress at work. In the Gulf, the UAE and Bahrain are the most stressed countries: 87pc of employees in each country stated they are stressed, followed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait respondents at 85pc each, the study said.

Data for the Employee Motivation study was collected online between August 3 and 17 with 13,376 respondents from across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Pakistan. Males and females aged 21 years and older, of all nationalities, were included in the study, the statement said.