Encouraging employees to spend less time at work is one of the most important ways to get more out of a Middle East workforce, reveals research released today by Cielo, a global strategic recruitment & talent management partner.
In a finding that may be seen as counter-intuitive by more traditional business leaders, the research showed that pushing Middle East staff to practice leaving the office on time and turning off work cell phones at the weekend, has a positive effect on businesses’ overall productivity.
Middle East organisations considered to be high-performers are 25 times more likely than low-performing organisations to rate their support for employee work-life strategies as ‘excellent’; over three-quarters (76%) of high-performing companies make a significant investment in achieving work-life balance, compared to just 3% of low performing organisations.
The findings from the Cielo Talent Activation Index show the impact of superior talent strategies on companies’ business performance. The Index polled more than 750 senior HR and talent management executives worldwide in six global industries.
The study identified that high-performing organisations outperformed low-performing businesses by creating effective approaches to key areas including embracing cultural diversity, effectively motivating workers of all generations, and utilising effective value propositions to attract top talent.
High-performing Middle East organisations ranked themselves higher in all the most important talent management approaches than equivalent high-performing organisations in Western Europe and North America.
“From our own work with UAE clients, we know that business in the private sector is quickening at the fastest pace for five years, which means it is more important than ever for organisations to invest in a work force that can take advantage of the upturn in the economic cycle. The data clearly shows that high-performing businesses recognise the importance of talent management and the impact it has on the bottom line.”
Analysing the top five behaviours of high-performing organisations, the Cielo Talent Activation Index found that businesses in the Middle East ranked themselves highly in each area, with their approach to work-life balance being the most differentiated from that of their global peers:
