A new survey conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, and YouGov, market research agency,titled Ideal Workplace in the MENA, revealed that a whopping 74% of UAE professionals say that their potential workplace should promote the use of advanced technology.

The survey reveals that perceptions of an ideal workplace are evolving quickly, withnearly 6 in 10 respondents (59%) claim remote work option is an important aspect in their workplace.

What Matters Most to UAE Professionals

In addition to seeking advanced technology, a challenging work environment is highly desired among respondents in the UAE. In fact, 82% of respondents feel having challenging work is an important factor. Furthermore, 81% of professionals believe that transparent communication is an important factor in any work environment.

Other elements that were considered important in a workplace include work life balance (82% say it is important), fair evaluation (77% say it is important), and innovation and creativity (81% say it is important).

Besides attractiveness, retention is an element that many organizations strive to master. When asked about factors that mostly drive loyalty, opportunities for long-term career advancement (35%) and training and development opportunities (34%) emerged as key drivers of loyalty besides salary.

Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resourcesat Bayt.com said:“What professionalsreally want from their workplace is a great experience. Today’s workplace is an ecosystem, and the best workplace experiences are built on variety, choice, and autonomy.In our latest survey, we investigate the modern workplace and identify factors and design strategies that optimize effectiveness, experience, and performance.”

Business Values and Culture

In addition to workplace attraction and retention elements, respondents were asked about company culture and its impact when choosing a workplace. More than half (54%) the respondents said that company culture is a determining factor when joining a company.

UAEprofessionals look at a variety of elements relating to companies’ missions and impact on societies. When asked about business values that make a company more attractive, 50% cited good ethics and practices, 41% said friendly company culture, 26% said corporate social responsibility, and 17% said green consciousness / efforts.

Underlining the role of technology, 44% of respondents claim it is easy to access information about company culture and environment when applying for a job.Online company pages targeting job seekers (30%), social media (22%), and word of mouth (17%) are perceived as the best ways to promote company culture among job seekers.

To understand this issue further, respondents were asked about the most useful company information, to which 52% of UAErespondents said company benefits and perks, 38% said employee testimonials and reviews, 24% said awards and milestones, 19% said company events and socials, and 16% said photos and videos of the workplace.

Physical Attributes

Not only do values and cultural elements matter to professionals, physical elements have a significant role as well. In the UAE, there seems to be a higher preference for larger companies, as 58% of respondents feel that an ideal company size has more than 50 employees.

In terms of office layout, closed rooms (24%), followed by workstations (18%), open plan (17%), and cubicles (12%) are the most preferred office layout plan.

Talking about interior design, 51% of respondents feel a workplace should have an attractive design/layout. In fact, 52% of employees claim the interior design of their office reflects their company’s brand and values, while 41% of respondents feel they were allowed to personalize their workspace.

Zafar Shah, Research Director, Data Services at YouGov said: “There is a direct link between a happy, engaged workforce and a successful business. Our latest survey identifies the biggest factors that employees deem are crucial to an ideal workplace. We explore the playing field that companies and reporting employees engage on, to help identify the ways in which companies can attract strong talent.”

Data for the Bayt.com’sIdeal Workplace in the MENA Survey was collected online from May 3 – 26, 2021. Results are based on a sample of 3,536 respondents. Countries assessed include UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan among others.