Workplace productivity at risk as survey shows 55 per cent of GCC employees are not engaged at work

Employee engagement has emerged as a significant growth inhibitor in the global business community as a recent international survey has shown that more than half of employees are not engaged at work, while nearly two out of 10 employees are actively disengaged. A similar survey in the GCC conducted by Towers Watson revealed the same findings, showing that around 55 per cent of GCC employees are not engaged or inspired by their managers and that highly engaged employees help improve financial performance by up to 5.7 per cent in operating margins and 3.4 per cent in net profit margins.

Employees who are not engaged are those who go through each workday putting time but no passion or energy into their work. Actively disengaged employees are worse as aside from being unhappy at work, they also manifest their discontent through their actions.

SKOPOS Consulting Group, a leading Organisation Development (OD) solutions firm in the Middle East and Africa, has pointed out that a growing number of companies in the region are now actively seeking support in light of the growing threat of employee disengagement. SKOPOS further noted that companies are particularly interested in advanced executive coaching, corporate team building, conflict management, and soft and hard skills development solutions, which are customized to match the specific requirements of the GCC business environment.

Dr. Hussein El Kazzaz, Managing Director, SKOPOS Consulting Group, said: “Motivation remains a crucial factor in cultivating a dynamic and productive workplace. It helps realise the full potential of all members of the organisation, while preventing employees from becoming disengaged at work. While leaders play a very important role in motivating employees, some company officials in the region may lack the necessary skills to accomplish this critically important task. This can result in missed opportunities and a substantial decline in business performance. SKOPOS has therefore been actively helping business organisations address this key issue through Organisation Development. Moreover, we are very pleased with the outcome of efforts to reach out to businesses across the region as we are now seeing a positive transformation in the organizational culture of our business clients.”

SKOPOS Consulting Group is leading provider of advanced executive coaching, corporate team building, and soft and hard skills development solutions across the MEA region. It was founded in 1991 in San Jose, California, USA but then moved to the Middle East in 2002 to focus on delivering high-quality Organization Development solutions to the region. SKOPOS has offices in Dubai, Cairo and Bahrain.