75% of UAE Professionals Agree That Loyalty Improves Performance at Work

A new survey by Bayt.com, the Middle East's #1 job site, and YouGov, market research agency, investigates the key factors driving employee loyalty towards the workplace. Data revealed that two-thirds (66%) of employees in the UAE feel loyal to their current company whilst 44% of the respondents have been working with their current company for four years or more. Only 11% reported not feeling loyal, while the remainder were neutral.

Benefits of Employee Loyalty

In the UAE, 86% of employees feel highly engaged in their daily work and 51% will stay in their current organization for a long time even though other companies might offer them better salaries. Loyal employees who are engaged and satisfied at work are the cornerstone of a business. A whopping 77% of employees feel proud when talking about their company’s products and services and 71% would recommend their company as a good workplace to others.

Engaged and loyal employees are more productive, creative, and lead to reduced costs. Better work quality (75%), increased productivity (65%) and going the extra mile (60%) are some of the top perceived benefits of employee loyalty, according to survey data. 

Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com says: “Our latest research sheds light on what connects employees to their current organisations. Factors such as recognition, salary and benefits play a major role in making employees feel that they are valued. The UAE’s most loyal employees not only bring success to their organisation, they are invested in their work and consistently try to improve themselves to drive better business outcomes.”

Factors Affecting Employee Loyalty

This latest research highlights that having an employee engagement strategy gives employers a competitive advantage in recruiting, retaining and engaging employees. Basic salary (48%), employee-job fit (34%) and additional benefits offered by the company (31%) are the top three factors perceived to impact employee loyalty the most across the UAE. 

The survey also showed that employees want their employers to develop a positive culture. In the MENA region, lack of trust in the management of the current employer (55%) is the top reason for not feeling loyal towards the company. This is followed by the lack of job security with 39% of the employees saying so.

When asked about what can employers do to increase the loyalty among their employees, a higher proportion of UAE respondents believe that creating growth opportunities for the employees (54%), rewards/ recognition (48%) and providing benefits (43%) are some of the major factors that can create an impact.

On the other hand, lack of opportunities to grow (54%), heavy workload at all times/ unequal distribution of work (52%), consistently disregarding employee suggestions (49%) and lack of open communication with direct managers (49%) are some of the top perceived catalysts that can cause damage to employee’s loyalty.

Zafar Shah, Research Director at YouGov says: “Employee loyalty is a key driver of workforce stability in today’s fast-changing professional landscape. As our survey data shows, several factors including compensation and benefits, career development, work environment and workplace relationships drive employee experiences and loyalty. Hence, becoming more competitive with employee compensation and total rewards would be a wise investment for most organizations.”

Data for the 2022 Bayt.com Employee Loyalty in the MENA Survey was collected online from April 14 to May 12, 2022. Results are based on a sample of 3,166 respondents from countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Sudan among others.