A new survey commissioned by the Middle East branch of the "Global Women in Public Relations" (GWPR) revealed prominent statistics and insights into the relationship between flexible work, productivity and talent preservation.
The survey, conducted in partnership with "Censuswide" with the participation of more than 200 specialists in public relations and communication from across the Middle East and North Africa, confirmed the need for employers to meet the needs of employees related to the work environment. Where 84 percent of male and female respondents said they are ready to move to other companies in exchange for more flexible employment options. 75 percent believe that flexibility also increases return on investment, while two-thirds of respondents believe that good talent is lost because of the poor benefits of flexible work.
The results are consistent with the results of the annual report of the International Women’s Organization in Public Relations for the year 2018. It concluded that reconciling family obligations with work is the biggest obstacle preventing women from assuming leadership roles.
“When we reviewed the results of the questionnaire, we unanimously concluded that there are strong commercial justifications for companies to provide any degree of Flexibility. The importance of job flexibility is likely to increase in the future, especially given the observed trends among the younger generation who are just beginning to enter the labor market. Flexible work practices are no longer an integral option but rather an imperative at all levels, such as providing employees with computers You see the notebook or check emails remotely. We believe that a flexible generation will ignore businesses and opportunities that are hard and inability to cope. ”
Inelasticity in the workplace, especially with regard to maternity leave, results in the loss of many women's talents and prevents them from climbing the career ladder. The survey revealed that 39 percent of female employees return after full-time maternity leave without additional benefits, while only one in five gets the advantage of flexible work. More than half of the respondents said they were treated differently at work after maternity leave, with 58 percent saying that assumptions were made about their schedules and priorities without consulting them.
In an environment in which many companies announced their intention to improve the psychological care of their employees and achieve a healthy balance between work and life, the research revealed a shocking result that 75 percent of the participants had to cancel social projects with partners, friends and family due to having to work late. Even concern for physical health was not safe from this environment, with 62 percent saying they had canceled their exercises due to working conditions. Almost half of the participants somewhat canceled their plans due to work stress.
Trust issues seem to be a major problem in slowing the spread of flexible work practices. Where respondents who are not in leadership roles believe that the main obstacle facing employers when introducing a flexible work approach is trust in employees (67 percent). On the contrary, only 41 percent of those in leadership positions said confidence issues were the main obstacle, and instead indicated that the main barriers they face include reduced face-to-face opportunities and the impact of employee accountability.
When asked about the advantages of current flexibility in the workplace, 43 percent of respondents said they had options to work remotely, 30 percent could take advantage of flexible start and end times, and 24 percent would receive compensatory leave when working overtime.