Figuring out hybrid work key, say most UAE firms

According to a new study, 23 percent of UAE-based firms would like their employees to work from the office at least three days a week.

The study by Poly, Recruit, Retain and Grow, analyses work policies, culture, and wellness through the lens of over 2,500 global business decision-makers. Post-pandemic attitudes and expectations highlighted in the research show that workers are visiting the office three days per week, with Wednesday being the most popular day.

The report also revealed that 88 percent of UAE companies believe that employees should be given an opportunity to request flexible working hours from day one. Thirty-five percent of these companies are also seriously considering reimbursing hybrid workers who work from home while 33 percent are considering offering flexibility to allow its workers to commute outside of rush hours.

“At Poly, we believe that being able to enable a hybrid working environment is not the endgame, but a starting point for the competitive organisations today. Our latest research validates Poly’s point of view,” says John Goodwin, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Poly. “We found that employees are supportive of companies that take a holistic approach to defining their culture, offer flexibility in where and how they work, and are provided with the right tools to succeed.”

Key findings from Poly’s new research include:

• Recruitment and retention are at risk: Over half (56 percent) of all organisations, and 69 percent of UAE-based organisations, believe that if they don’t address their hybrid work processes and plans, they’ll start to lose staff and will be unable to attract new talent. This was particularly pronounced in the APAC region (60 percent), compared to 55 percent in EMEA and 53 percent in the Americas. Globally, organisations have already felt the effects of this, with 58 percent seeing a greater turnover in staff since the start of the pandemic.

Exiting employees disclosed that the top reasons for leaving are tied to their employer’s approach to hybrid work:

• Employees discovered better suited jobs (19 percent globally vs 26 percent in UAE)
• Employees did not get the desired flexibility of hybrid working (16 percent globally)
• Employees were unhappy about the way employers handled COVID (9 percent globally)

• Strategy and equality are misaligned: More than half (54 percent) of UAE organisations are fully prepared for hybrid working (as opposed to 48 percent globally), while 34 percent are only prepared in the short-term. A further 68 percent think that hybrid work is a blip. Meanwhile, 24 percent each of the Americas and APAC employers, and 17 percent of EMEA employers are demanding that their employees return to the office full-time.

Other prominent perspectives of employers globally are:

• Employees should be given right to request flexible working from day one (80 percent)
• Employees are being given rules on the number of days they are required to be in the office (84 percent)
• Employees are being given rules on the number of days they are required to be in the office (84 percent)

• Culture and workforce wellness shortfall is causing productivity lags: 85 percent of surveyed companies in the UAE saw an increase in productivity as a result of the shift to hybrid work, with a global average increase of 27 percent. However, 62, 61 and 56 percent of organisations in APAC, EMEA and Americas believe that if employees aren’t in the office, they won’t build the relationships they need to progress their career.

Other key concerns on a global level included:

• Employers worry there is an unhealthy culture of overworking (49 percent)
• Employers aren’t taking steps to prevent people feeling like they need to be always-on (51 percent)
• Employers are concerned that remote working has made fostering and retaining work culture harder than ever (74 percent)

According to Poly’s research, technology and experiences are viewed by majority of companies as the face of the company, and not the office space alone (64 percent). Expanding the quotient of spaces available rather than the definition as to whether the space is virtual, offsite, remote or hybrid, will help employers develop a robust hybrid work strategy.

• Equalise virtual experiences through meeting equality for your workforce

Forward-looking companies are investing in software and devices equally with cloud applications and collaboration software at 92 percent each, and headsets, cameras, and speakerphones at 89, 86 and 83 percent respectively.

• Equalise office experiences through redesign

83 percent of UAE-based companies are redesigning their office with more open plan areas, collaboration spaces, quiet zones, and areas to socialise. Ultimately, employees are employers’ business, and employees will be the ones mainly utilising these spaces.