Study shows how hybrid working has improved UAE employees’ performance

Hybrid working practices in UAE companies have improved several areas of employee performance, according to the findings of the new Cisco Hybrid Work Report.

The survey polled 1,050 employees across the UAE and discovered that nearly 90% of those polled want to work in a hybrid or fully remote model in the future. These findings are completely consistent with global sentiment, with slightly more than 91 percent of international respondents agreeing on the same question.

The findings come from the Cisco Hybrid Work Report, a comprehensive study that looked at the impact of digitization and hybrid work on performance, with a focus on productivity, work quality, new skills, and growth. It is part of a larger survey that looked at the role of the hybrid workplace on employee and company well-being and readiness across a range of company and individual factors such as company culture, technology, and cybersecurity, as well as financial, physical, and mental well-being.

Reem Asaad, Vice President, Cisco Middle East and Africa, said: “The traditional model that required employees to follow a strict timetable set out by employers has now changed. In today’s UAE workplace, employees are defining hybrid work and that has resulted in benefits for both employer and employees. As the findings of the Cisco Hybrid Work Report clearly show, employees are far more comfortable as a hybrid workforce and companies should take note and adapt accordingly – both from a technology and cultural readiness perspective. After all, they will be the ones to benefit through higher staff performance.” 

Those polled for the study said hybrid and remote working practices improved their work quality and productivity. Overall, 67 percent of those polled said the hybrid workplace model has improved the quality of their work. Almost two-thirds of those polled said their productivity had increased.

Employees are improving their skills as a result of the increased flexibility provided by hybrid working. Sixty-eight percent said they saw greater self-improvement in job knowledge and skills. Meanwhile, an impressive 86% reported being able to learn, grow, and succeed in their roles.

Several digital workspace and collaboration solutions are now in place, despite the initial challenges for businesses and employees in the UAE and around the world when organizations were forced to quickly switch to remote working at the outbreak of the pandemic. It’s not surprising, then, that nearly 79 percent of employees polled said their job can now be done just as well remotely as in the office.

The Hybrid work concept centers the work experience on the needs of the individual employees, giving them a choice to work from home, at the office, or elsewhere. Companies that empower their workers by giving them not only the choice, but also the right technologies to stay securely connected and be able to collaborate, can help to foster inclusiveness, engagement, and a sense of well-being among staff. Cisco’s philosophy is that work is “what you do” not “where you go”. As a result, it has implemented many practices aimed at supporting the company’s own employees to work remotely. This provides Cisco with extensive experience in deploying its extensive range of networking, security and collaboration solutions and workplace strategies to help other organizations fully realize the potential of remote and hybrid working.