43% of GCC workforce are ‘dissatisfied with their jobs,’ says new study

Around 43% of employees across the GCC are dissatisfied by the jobs they are currently in, a report said, adding that job mismatch, or a poor fit between employee and job, is the biggest culprit in harming job satisfaction.

This means roughly half the region’s workforce is waking up, unhappily going to work and underperforming in jobs, which in turn negatively impacts aggregate productivity, according to the comprehensive survey conducted by social recruitment platform Bloovo.com, which polled 20,000 jobseekers.

“Bloovo.com conducted a far-reaching survey to better understand attitudes to employment and hiring in the region,” said Bloovo.com’s CEO Ahmad Khamis.

“We found an alarmingly high level of dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction reduces aggregate productivity, leads to churn, and also increases the cost of finding replacement talent. It’s startling to find that half of the GCC’s workforce is dissatisfied and potentially ready to switch jobs.”

Meanwhile, 33.8% of dissatisfied employees felt that low pay was the largest factor in their low motivation.

“For most employees, a salary is a direct indicator of their worth in the company. Importantly, academic research has shown time and again that salary expectations are relative — employees become far more dissatisfied if they feel their peers are being paid more than them. It’s very important for organisations to be transparent about pay grades and scales,” Khamis explained.

Around 8.5% of respondents said poor organisational culture played the biggest role in dissatisfaction.

“Organisational culture is a very important factor in employee motivation, and one that companies sometimes don’t stress on enough. In 2015, the Harvard Business Review surveyed 20,000 employees worldwide and found that creative play, job purpose and the potential to make a genuine difference were key elements of a strong organisational culture,” Khamis added.

About 7.7% of respondents to Bloovo.com’s survey put job dissatisfaction down to a lack of career progression.

“Career advancement is a very important non-monetary motivator. It makes great business sense for organisations to have formal career paths so employees have something to aim towards,” Khamis said.

Finally, 6.6% of respondents said that not getting along with their immediate supervisor was the main cause of their job dissatisfaction.

“While diverse multi-cultural organisations can sometimes see friction between employees, the most successful employers have proven strategies in place to de-escalate and address conflict. Good employers also have regular 360-reviews where concerns can be brought to light,” Khamis noted.

“Our survey shows that getting the right employees into well-fitting jobs is only the first step. There’re a number of other factors employers need to consider in terms of job satisfaction so they can successfully retain talent and reduce recruiting costs. We’re hoping the insights generated by our research will help employers successfully find, hire and retain top talent,” he concluded.

Courtesy: tradearabia.com