This first appeared in HBRA
Employees value upskilling opportunities and fostering open conversations at work – however close to a third are considering switching jobs this year.
With so much volatility impacting employers and employees over the past two years, not least the revolutionary shift to remote and hybrid working, it is heartening that a significant proportion of UAE respondents to our Hopes and Fears Survey 2022 are very satisfied at work – 37% compared with 28% globally and 38% across the Middle East region.
Why do they feel this way? Our survey responses show employers in the UAE appear to be listening and responding to what their employees need – for example 63% now work flexibly at least half the time, compared with 54% globally. UAE companies are also taking practical steps to address skills shortages – 44% are upskilling workers, 38% are increasing wages, 34% are offering support for physical and mental well-being, and 31% are improving their in-house technology.
Our global survey also showed us that employees worldwide feel it is important to be able to have conversations with co-workers about the complex issues affecting the world today. Some 30% of UAE workers have discussed societal issues with colleagues over the past year, in line with the global figure of 29%, and UAE companies seem to be ahead of this trend in encouraging openness - 42% of respondents say they have the support and resources to work effectively with people who share different views, compared with 30% globally.
With all these positives, some 18% of the 522 UAE respondents (out of 52,000 in the global survey) would recommend their employer as a place to work, compared with 13% globally. However in a tight labour market, employers cannot afford to sit back – 32% of UAE employees are extremely or very likely to look for a new job in the next year, compared with 30% across the Middle East and 19% globally. This trend was particularly strong amongst the Gen Z and millennial respondents who made up the majority of our survey group.
In search of purpose – and a raise
Two reasons topped the list for seeking a new role - fair financial reward for my work, cited by 42% of respondents (with 25% of UAE employees are extremely likely to ask for a raise this year, ahead of the global average of 13%), and finding a job that is fulfilling, also cited by 42%. Not far behind was the desire to “truly be myself at work”, identified by 40% of respondents.
As our 2021 survey showed, there is also a strong desire among the young workforce in our region to acquire the skills they will need as the digital transformation of the economy accelerates. Some 41% of UAE respondents are concerned their job could be replaced by technology, ahead of the global average of 30%. And concerningly, 51% said they had limited opportunities to learn from colleagues with advanced technical or digital skills.
UAE employers are taking action to address the skills shortage by investing in upskilling. However, there is a clear opportunity to go further to both solve their own challenges in finding the top talent, and meet the wishes of the existing workforce to increase their skills and job satisfaction.
Despite the above-average proportion of people working flexibly in the UAE, there is also still a gap between employee and employer expectations. For example, it is expected that 48% of employers would prefer their staff to be at the workplace in person most or all of the time a year from now, whereas only 37% of employees prefer those options. Rather, 39% would prefer to work remotely most or all of the time.
How to address this gap in expectations, and both manage and fairly recognise workers in an increasingly hybrid world, is the one of the most pressing issues employers face today.
Building trust and transparency
Building trust is key to answering these challenges – taking employees with you through a digital transformation process, for example, by communicating what will happen and what is expected of them, and training them with the skills they need to meet the expectations of the future workplace.
Fortunately when it comes to trust, UAE employers outperform the global response - 29% of respondents are extremely confident that their employer is transparent about workers’ health and safety (21% globally), while 25% are extremely confident that the company they work for is transparent about its impact on the environment (16% globally), and 25% believe that the organisation is addressing diversity and inclusion at work (17% globally).
Employers need to address the hopes and fears of their employees and continue to build on this solid foundation, empowering staff to develop the digital skills and sense of purpose they seek, and manage the rapid pace of change and disruption dealt with everyday. By listening closely to their most valuable asset - their workforce - employers can create a culture of openness, opportunity and adaptability, where employee and employer alike can reach their full growth potential.
For more information, including the practical next steps to take, please see our Hopes and Fears survey 2022.
Contact us
Randa Bahsoun
Partner, Government & Public Sector Labour and Social Development Leader, PwC Middle East
Tel: +971 4 304 3487
Director, Government & Public Sector and New world. New skills. Driver, PwC Middle East
