What your employees are looking for in 2020

In September 2019, Tiger Recruitment conducted a survey of 149 UAE employees to ask them about their salaries, favourite benefits, and overall satisfaction at work. While the results found that 54% of respondents are currently ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’, a significant 45% are planning to leave their role within a year. If you want to hold onto your valued employees, it might be worth examining what you can offer. Here are a few worth considering.

Competitive salary

It comes as no surprise that 26% of respondents left their last role because they wanted a salary increase as, in 2019, higher salaries were expected by many employees across the region[1] but weren’t delivered. If your organisation is looking to recruit a permanent employee and in a position to offer a competitive salary, it’s a sure fire way to attract your chosen candidate. It’s also worth keeping in mind that your current staff may expect a salary increase in 2020, as our survey found 73% of respondents do. If, for whatever reason, you’re not in a position to offer what they want, be up front with your employees in order to manage expectations.

Clear progression path

A lack of progression was found to be an important factor in 21% of respondents leaving their last role. If you need to clarify what progression means to them, it may be worth sitting down with your staff at appraisal time to discuss their goals. If they’re looking to climb the ladder, work out a realistic plan on how they can achieve that next step. This could be anything from taking on new project or mentoring someone in the team, but it pays to find out exactly what they want, as they may otherwise start looking elsewhere!

Flexible working

As one of the top PA recruitment agencies in Dubai, we know how much our candidates value flexible working options. Whether it be working from home, flexible hours around a core day or job sharing, flexible working comes in so many different forms, and has some fantastic benefits for both employees and employers. Despite this, only 43% of survey respondents are offered flexi-working options, and unsurprisingly, 22% aren’t happy about it. If you’re thinking of implementing flexible working in your workplace for the first time, it may be worth sending a company-wide feedback survey to gauge which options you should explore.

Great work environment

According to our survey, work environment ranked as one of the most important factors in attracting respondents to their current job. Work environment can mean both a great physical office and a positive culture. When it comes to the work space, the environment should be bright and airy, with breakout spaces for employees to work independently or enjoy a break. In Dubai, employees also value an office in a convenient location, as respondents ranked this at 3.73 out of five in terms of importance. There are a few great co-working spaces popping up around the city, so it may be worth investigating using of these if your current office isn’t up to scratch.

If you’d like to learn more the results of this survey, request your copy of our 2020 Salary and Benefits Review today!

[1] http://dubaiforum.me/nadia-globals-salary-survey-2019-predicts-3-5-per-cent-salary-increase/

Author Zahra Clark Tiger Recruitment Team