Employees aim for worklife balance
dubai — Employees across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region are increasingly putting a healthy work life balance at the top of their list of priorities, and they won’t hesitate to look for a better job if they feel that their current job doesn’t afford it to them, a new study has shown.
Bayt.com ‘Work-Life Balance in the MENA Workplace’ poll showed that 65 per cent of respondents have considered leaving their current job to find better work-life balance at some point during the past 12 months. Balanced employees tend to feel more motivated and less stressed out at work, which increases company productivity and reduces the number of conflicts among coworkers and management.
Empowering professionals to take control over their lives can have a profound impact on job satisfaction and performance
Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com
Having a good balance between a personal life and career is the top priority for Mena professionals, with 66 per cent citing their family as the most important factor influencing their happiness, followed by their job at 16 per cent, salary at seven per cent, hobbies and activities at four per cent, and friends and colleagues at three per cent.
“Empowering professionals to take control over their lives can have a profound impact on job satisfaction and performance,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com, adding that finding a balance between work and home lives impacts employee happiness and a company’s ability to attract and retain talent.
Mena employers are playing an active role in the wellbeing of their employees — 74 per cent survey respondents said that their leadership respects their time and work-life balance; 79 per cent say that they have time to exercise and take care of their health; and 77 per cent have time to pursue their hobbies and passions. In general, 75 per cent of Mena employees feel that they maintain a healthy work-life balance.
However, not all workplaces are the same and workload fluctuates overtime– at one point or another during the past year, 65 per cent of employees have considered leaving their current job because of a lack of work-life balance.