UAE workers more productive during holiday season

Employee morale and productivity are higher during end-of-the-year holidays than at other times, a regional workplace poll suggests.

The majority of those surveyed in the UAE felt that productivity was also moderately high, or at an all-time high, even when many people were on leave, said Roba Al Assi, spokeswoman for Bayt.com, the employment website that conducted the poll.

“You always hear that the holiday season is really bad for productivity,” she said. “The answers were not what we expected them to be.”

The poll found that 27.7 per cent of 2,773 respondents said productivity was at an all-time high compared to the rest of the year, perhaps because of end-of-the-year planning, said Ms Al Assi.

Nearly 59 per cent of respondents said morale was higher than the rest of the year during the holiday season, while 38.7 per cent said it was at an all-time high.

Figures for the UAE were similar to those around the region, Ms Al Assi said. The company also asked respondents whether they were expected to be accessible to their company while on leave, a figure especially high in the UAE, although exact percentages for each country were not available.

Ninety-three per cent of employees polled said their management expected to be able to contact them while on holiday. About 45 per cent said this was just for emergencies, while 48 per cent said they must be available at all times.

A majority said this was more true for senior colleagues, while 86.5 per cent said they would continue working while on holiday regardless of seniority, according to the survey.

“This number is high for the UAE in particular,” Ms Al Assi said. “It’s high for all countries for the most part.”

She noted that this demonstrated that employees cared about the job they do. “This is a very good sign of loyalty and efficiency to organisations.”

Most employees said they would like a salary increase for the end of the year, followed by cash bonuses, paid time off, an office party and gift cards.

Specifically, 49 per cent of respondents would like a pay rise for the end of the year, while 18.9 per cent would prefer cash bonuses. Seventeen per cent would like paid time off and 11.3 per cent wanted an office party, while 3.7 would opt for a gift card.

The company conducted the poll in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

lcarroll@thenational.ae