• 81% of employees say their technology helps them be productive
  • Qualtrics opens first office in Dubai, supporting businesses across the Middle East, including Majid Al Futtaim, Chalhoub Group and Choueiri Group to manage and improve experiences

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Qualtrics, (Nasdaq: XM), the leader and creator of the experience management category, announced today results of its 2023 Employee Experience Report. Led by Qualtrics XM Institute, the report surveyed nearly 29,000 working individuals across 27 countries in the third quarter of 2022. For the first time, the report included respondents from the UAE, providing insights into how employees feel about the state of the workplace and how their changing relationship with it will define the future of work.

The report found that employees globally are showing symptoms of burnout and are looking for more support. On the other hand, organizations are searching for ways to streamline budgets without sacrificing productivity. The pandemic disrupted entrenched organizational practices, opening the door for a new employee experience that meets the needs of today’s workers. 

Qualtrics’ leading workplace trends in the UAE for 2023 are: 

  • Employees are looking for assurance that both their job and their employer are on solid footing.
  • Organizations that support work-life balance will be rewarded with employees more willing to go above and beyond. 
  • The UAE fares higher in process efficiency and technology productivity compared to the global average.        

“Employee expectations have fundamentally changed, and the progress we’ve made cannot be undone,” said Sarah Marrs, Head of EX Product Science. “But as the economic picture shifts and people focus on their basic needs, clear and open communication are essential. Employees want reassurance that their jobs are secure, and that they’ll get some relief from burnout after the disruption brought on by the confluence of COVID, an economic downturn and geopolitical events.” 

Employees are looking for assurance that both their job and their employer are on solid footing.

Employees who are satisfied with their pay are 74% more likely to stay at a company for three or more years than employees who are not, so the decline in satisfaction could push top performers to look for other opportunities. 

“Pay is understandably top-of-mind for employees, but organizations should also understand what tradeoffs they may be willing to make when it comes to pay to retain top talent,” said Marrs. “Additionally, companies should conduct regular analyses to make sure employees are paid fairly with their industry peers.” 

Organizations that support work-life balance will be rewarded with employees more willing to go above and beyond.

When employees believe they have a good work-life balance, 85% are willing to go above and beyond for their company. Conversely, only 35% of employees with a poor work-life balance would do the same.

According to Marrs, “work-life balance is essential to sustainable business performance. It’s in the best interest of the entire organization for employees to take time off seriously and recharge.” 

The UAE fares higher in process efficiency and technology productivity compared to the global average  

While the pandemic exposed and elevated broken processes that impede worker productivity, and introduced new challenges at the same time, the UAE demonstrated strength in its digitization efforts and robust technology ecosystem, with 81% of workers saying work processes enable them to be productive, compared to the global average of 65%. 

Similarly, 81% of employees say their technology helps them be productive compared to the global average of 63%.

Despite the efficiencies and technological capabilities, 36% of employees surveyed feel burned out, and 43% say they are emotionally drained from their work. 

Read the full Employee Experience Trends report here.

Qualtrics also announced the opening of its first office in the UAE, to support clients seeking to close the experience gap through world best experience management programs and technologies. With over 16,000 customers worldwide, Qualtrics boasts some of the region’s leading brands as its clients, including Majid Al Futtaim, Chalhoub Group and Choueiri Group among others.

“We are excited to be opening our first office in the UAE to support the demand we are seeing for experience management in the Middle East”, said William O’Neill, Middle East General Manager, Qualtrics. “By leveraging our unique in-market findings and our world best experience management programs and technologies, we are in a strong position to help companies create great work experiences.”

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About Qualtrics

Qualtrics, the leader and creator of the experience management category, is changing the way organizations manage and improve the four core experiences of business—customer, employee, product and brand. Over 18,750 organizations around the world use Qualtrics to listen, understand and take action on experience data (X-data™)—the beliefs, emotions and intentions that tell you why things are happening, and what to do about it. The Qualtrics XM Platform™ is a system of action that helps businesses attract customers who stay longer and buy more, engage employees who build a positive culture, develop breakthrough products people love and build a brand people are passionate about. To learn more, please visit qualtrics.com.

Media Contact:
Noora Fairooz
Edelman
​​​​​​​E: noora.fairooz@edelman.com