Remote job postings have more than doubled in the UAE, LinkedIn reports
Remote job postings have more than doubled in the UAE as companies adapt to changing preferences in the workforce caused by the coronavirus pandemic, research by professional network service LinkedIn revealed.
But the biggest concern for business leaders is that employees working from home may feel it is harder to climb the career ladder, the survey found.
LinkedIn polled about 110 executive-level managers in the UAE at companies with more than 1,000 employees and $250 million annual turnover.
About 33 per cent of business leaders said a “proximity bias” may arise, where decision makers in an organisation positively favour employees who are regularly seen at work, the research found. Nearly 35 per cent said they found it difficult to trust employees to do their work and collaborate effectively when they are not physically present in the office.
“Even as most companies rethink their work models, we are seeing a rise of presenteeism that is threatening the greater flexibility we have achieved over the last 20 months,” said Ali Matar, head of LinkedIn Middle East and North Africa and Europe Middle East and Africa emerging markets.
“The only way around this is by putting people first and making them feel included, regardless of their location.”
After the onset of Covid-19 in March last year, many organisations around the world switched to remote working to enforce physical distancing restrictions that were necessary to curb the spread of coronavirus.
More than half of working professionals in the Mena region believe that remote working will increase after the Covid-19 pandemic has been brought under control, a recent survey by jobs site Bayt.com and market research company YouGov found.
Forty one per cent of employees said frequent technical glitches were one of the most common challenges associated with remote work, according to Bayt.com. About 36 per cent said they found it challenging to separate work and personal life when working remotely, while 34 per cent cited frequent interruptions.