Most UAE business leaders (97%) believe their organisations will adopt a more hybrid way of working for the foreseeable future, according to Microsoft’s Work Reworked study for 2020.
Since the pandemic-led work-from-home (WFH) trend started, managers and employees in the UAE now expect to spend just under half (42%) of the work week outside of the traditional office setting, found the report, which was commissioned by Microsoft and carried out by the Boston Consulting Group and KRC Research in the Middle East and Africa.
A more permanent change around ways of working is already evident, with 83% of companies now having a set remote work policy in place. The research also found that 82% reported equal or increased productivity with remote working and a vast majority see it as a powerful way to help retain their best workers.
Most Emirati business leaders (76%) also reported additional cost benefits such as a reduction in spend on business travel.
However, remote work is not without its challenges. The research discovered that many people feel disconnected from their teams and 61% of managers in the UAE said they had trouble creating a strong team culture.
The link to the full white paper can be found here
