Middle East Professionals Consider Flexible Working Vital

Business people in the Middle East consider flexible working a key ingredient to accepting a job offer with 74 per cent of them revealing it would be the selling point over another similar role.

The study by Regus, a global workplace provider, also revealed 71 per cent of those polled said flexible working improves staff retention.

The survey, which queried over 20,000 senior executives, showed 66 per cent of professionals in the region believe offering flexible working makes employees more loyal; 54 per cent said they would turn down a job that ruled out flexible working and 58 per cent said they would have stayed in a job longer had flexible working been an option.

“Hiring and retaining top talent is an age-old priority for successful businesses, but not all companies can afford to offer golden bonuses or salaries above market rate while remaining competitive,” said Kory Thompson, UAE country manager at Regus.

“Lowering staff turnover is also vital in reducing recruitment agency costs and the inconvenience of starting the hiring process.”

A recent report by the Hays Group found 52 per cent of the high rate of staff turnover in the Middle East could be attributed to a poor work:life balance.

“Other benefits of flexible working, which often costs less than fixed office working, can include lowering stress and improving work:life balance,” Thompson added.

“It’s also striking how mainstream the perk of flexible working has become, with many respondents actually choosing a job based on this factor alone.”