A Bayt.com and YouGov survey also found that most professionals value companies that adopt technology
Being challenged at work is the top job attribute that UAE professionals want to have, according to new research from Bayt.com and YouGov.
According to Bayt.com's "The Ideal Workplace in the Middle East and North Africa" report, 84 percent of UAE employees said they believe it is important that they are challenged at work.
Additionally, 83 percent said they believe that adopting advanced technology in the workplace is of great importance, while 87 percent of job seekers say that they look for advanced technology in potential employers. However, only 46 percent of workplaces reportedly promote the use of such technologies.
In third place came work-life balance, with 82 percent of respondents saying they believe it is an import factor of any job, placing it one percent higher than fair evaluations and innovations. Only 37 percent of respondents said they believe that their workplaces currently promote innovation to a large extent.
Other important factors identified by respondents include fair evaluation systems (81 percent), transparency in communication (79 percent) and team building and fun activities (76 percent).
Retention was found to be a difficulty for many employers. When asked about factors that promote loyalty, 37 percent of respondents said that opportunities for long-term career advancement was the most important factor, followed by 34 percent who said they most value training and development opportunities.
"It is essential to acknowledge what is most important to those employed in the UAE as well as what they look for in potential workplaces," said Bayt.com employer solutions VP Suhail Masri. "By understanding this, organizations can work towards boosting their attractiveness, retention, and even reputation and performance, all while meeting the needs of their employees."
In addition to workplace attraction and retention elements, many respondents identified workplace culture as being important to them. More than half (51 percent) said that company culture helps them determine when to join a company, with 39 percent saying that it is an important factor and only 4 percent saying it does not matter to them.
Notably, professionals in the region said they need to access information about the various factors they consider important. Of the respondents, 21 percent it is "very easy" to access information about a company, compared to "somewhat easy" (30 percent), "neither easy nor difficult" (27 percent), "somewhat difficult" (11 percent) and "very difficult" (5 percent).
"The ideal workplace survey allows employers to understand what they need to do to meet the needs of their employees and future talent as well as what types of information they need to make available," said YouGov associate research director Anjali Chhabra. "By doing so, companies and organizations can do a much better job at securing their talent needs and making more career opportunities available region-wide."
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