Pay rises, flexible work environments, trust, and transparency top employee demands in 2022: survey

The survey, which gathered information from 1,565 workers across the region, found that Middle East employees prioritise upskilling opportunities, transparency, flexibility and wellbeing at work.

Key themes emerging from the report included that younger people have a stronger preference for full-time remote and hybrid working arrangements, and that employees in the region are confident asking for pay increases or promotion.

The partner for Government & Public Sector at PwC Middle East, Randa Bahsoun, said: “In the age of the ‘great resignation’, it is imperative for employers to keep pace with the demands and wishes of talent or they will look elsewhere to get what they desire from their workplace.

“With 30 percent of respondents in the Middle East very likely to look for a new job within the next year – vs 19 percent globally – factors such as flexible working, trust and transparency, wellbeing, and promoting a culture of openness are increasingly integral to the war for talent”

Pay rise

When it comes to asking for a raise, 54 percent of Middle East respondents are more likely to do so than their international counterparts (35 percent).

Meanwhile, while 54 percent were “extremely” or “very likely” to ask for a promotion, almost double the global average.

Across the region, millennials were the most likely age group to do both – or leave to seek a new employer.

Hybrid and flexible work environments

Coming out of the pandemic, 63 percent of respondents said they can perform their job remotely.

Yet, almost three out of 10 (28 percent) – which is more than double the global average – said that they are working full-time in-person, highlighting the complexity of adjusting work models to suit all employees.

The potential mismatch between employees’ and employers’ expectations is evident in the Middle East, where 31 percent of Middle East employees said their companies want them to work full-time in person.

Only 23 percent stated that this was their preferred method of working. Up to 77 percent stated that they would prefer at least some hybrid working flexibility.

Around 43 percent of Gen Z respondents in the Middle East preferred a remote or mostly remote full-time arrangement, with only 15 percent opting for full-time in the office or other workplace.

Transparency

Proportionately more Middle East respondents than the survey average (62 percent in the Middle East vs 50 percent globally) believe that their employers are more transparent about workplace health and safety, diversity and inclusion, and economic and environmental impacts.

An even higher proportion of regional respondents (71 percent vs 58 percent globally) stressed the importance of transparency by employers on these issues.

Bahsoun concluded: “It is vital for employers across the region to identify the key drivers of employee turnover and retention. Increasingly this is a question not just of financial reward alone but also personal fulfilment, and how the wider values, governance and impacts of the organisation affect the culture and opportunities in the workplace.

“Employers need to address these hopes and fears head-on, both by doubling down on the upskilling agenda and making meaningful and lasting change to attract the top talent and close the skills gap. In a time of great recent volatility, both the way of work and the skills needed have transformed, and employers must adapt to ensure that their workforce is fit for the future.”