The GCC People Pulse, the region’s first dedicated monthly workforce sentiment tracker, is out and survey results indicate that positive sentiment among employees working for organisations across the region outperforms global benchmarks.
The report, which has been launched by Employee Experience Exchange (EXE), a bold new community for business leaders and professionals working in people, culture, and communications in the Middle East, and Ipsos, one of the world’s leading market research companies, was based on data collected from a representative sample of 1,500 employees across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar via online survey.
Respondents were adults in full or part-time employment at the time of fieldwork, and the survey covered 11 questions across five themes: advocacy, confidence, wellbeing, inclusion, and AI.
A key result of the survey showed that 81 percent of respondents have indicated that they would recommend their organisations as a great place to work, which is higher than the global benchmark by nine points. In addition, 77 percent of respondents said that they are confident in the future direction of their organisation, with a higher margin of 22 points from the global benchmark.
“What this means for organisations is huge,” said Ruth Dance, Co-Founder of EXE. “Advocacy is one of the most telling signs of real engagement, and it’s directly linked to business performance and talent outcomes. When employees recommend their workplace, they become powerful brand ambassadors, which is a huge boost for recruitment and reputation. But when advocacy is weak, it gets a lot harder to attract and keep good people in a market this competitive and growing.”
“When people feel confident and clear about where their organisation is headed, they talk about it,” Lorna King, Co-Founder of EXE, added. “That confidence comes from clear communications and visible leadership. When employees understand the direction and see leaders walking the talk, they become genuine advocates, and that’s your strongest brand asset.”
Other notable positive indications from the survey results include more than a quarter of respondents (78 percent) saying they can be themselves in their organisations, as well as (77 percent) seeing an organisational commitment to nationalisation.
On the adoption of AI, 73 percent of respondents see AI as a critical business enabler and believe that AI will make their organisation more competitive. However, 49 percent or almost half of the respondents expressed concern on the impact of AI on job security.
Furthermore, the survey results have also indicated that 54 percent of respondents feel that they have been in constant strain in recent months, with only 18 percent reporting a complete absence of strain at work.
“Strain is what happens when employees come under sustained stress or pressure. It creates anxiety, fatigue, and eventually burnout,” said James Tarbit, Global Head of Employee Experience at Ipsos. “Our research shows strain has a hugely negative impact on decision-making, on team dynamics, and on overall employee performance. Strain might not lead to an employee leaving but, even if they stay, they won’t be performing at their best, contributing fully, or helping your business succeed.”
The GCC is one of the world’s most diverse and fast-evolving labour markets and the GCC People Pulse tracker provides a regular, region-specific lens on how what employees think, feel, and experience. This helps inspire genuine dialogue between employees and management, leading to better talent retention and organisational performance.
About EXE
Employee Experience Exchange (EXE) is a UAE-based community and consultancy on a mission to transform society by transforming work. We believe workplaces sit at the centre of our lives – and that when people thrive at work, communities and economies thrive too. We audit, advise and partner with organisations to create employee experiences that match their ambition. We bring together HR, internal communications, culture and leadership professionals across the GCC who share a belief that work can and should be better.
About Ipsos
Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing nearly 19,000 people. Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.
