A recent survey on the various aspects of a company that lead to attracting, retaining and engaging employees, found that in Kuwait the most important aspect that workers looked for was the salary and compensation associated with a job.
The survey by Bayt.com, the leading job site in the region, in association with YouGov, the internet-based market research and data analytics firm, revealed that the top-three drivers of employee attraction in Kuwait are salary and compensation (68%), workplace environment (54%) and company’s financial stability (49%).
The MENA Talent Attraction and Retention 2022 survey, conducted from 17 November to 14 December, 2021 across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, also showed that the least important factors are aesthetics of the company such as the logo and website design (11%) and positive media presence (11%).
Additionally, more than 7 in 10 respondents in Kuwait find an employer attractive if they follow good ethics and practices. Further, 64 percent of respondents look for a friendly company culture and 51 percent look for companies that engage in corporate social responsibilities.
“Our survey demonstrates that organizations in the region should continue engaging their talent and seeking their feedback to improve their ability to attract top talent and to drive up their loyalty in 2022 and beyond,” said Ola Haddad, director of human resources at Bayt.com.
Attracting talent is an important step that employers need to remain aware of and proactively work on. When asked to what extent companies do a good job at exciting job seekers about their culture and attracting them to apply, 29 percent of respondents said ‘to a great extent’, 24 percent said ‘somewhat’, 23 percent said ‘very little’, and 9 percent said ‘not at all’.
Social Media (36%) and online company pages targeting job seekers (16%) are considered to be the most effective medium to promote a company’s culture to job seekers. When asked ‘what type of information would most excite you to join a company as an employee’, 72 percent of respondents voted for highlighting company’s perks and benefits, 50 percent said employee testimonials and reviews and 38 percent% said company events and socials.
When it came to retaining employees, the survey showed that the most important drivers of loyalty for Kuwait professionals are job security (45%), opportunities for long term career development (37%) and independence and control over work (33%).
Workplace culture is instrumental in retaining employees by improving motivation and organizational commitment. Positively, 82 percent of respondents have been working in their current organization for more than two years. In fact, more than 6 in 10 of the working population in Kuwait are happy at their current workplace and 62 percent would recommend their current workplace to someone looking for a job.
About 6 in 10 agree that the company regularly takes feedback from their employees to understand them and 58 percent agree that the leadership takes their feedback seriously. Further, 7 in 10 respondents said they would apply in the current organization for their current role if they had to do it all over again.
Zafar Shah, Research Director at YouGov said: “Our latest survey aims to promote understanding of Kuwait professionals’ motivations and expectations. Data shows that multiple factors drive employees’ commitment to their work including the work environment in which they work, opportunities to grow and develop and their relationships with their companies.”