Many office workers in the United Arab Emirates are spending longer at their desks but find that poor working environments are impeding their productivity, new research has found.
The research was conducted by YouGov on behalf of Herman Miller, which has a century-long heritage in workplace design.
A third of male office workers (32%) and a fifth of their female colleagues (20%) report that they spend longer at their desks than five years ago. A fifth of western expats say that they now routinely spend 10 hours or more a day at their desks, whilst four per cent of Emiratis clock up over 12 hours a day.
However almost a third of office workers (28%) in the country say that their poor working environment decreases their motivation and makes them seek out alternative places to get their work done.
Some 45% of workers believe that they would be more productive working at home rather than coming into the office at all. Men are more likely to favour home working than women (48% compared to 40%).
Many also find that their offices are not properly designed to enable them to work with colleagues. Around two-in-five report that their workplace design makes it either difficult or very difficult to collaborate effectively.
This includes both informal collaboration and formal meetings. Some 88% report that they waste at least some time in a typical day searching for vacant meeting rooms and one-in-10 wastes more than 30 minutes a day in this way. That adds up to an entire working day per month.
Nearly a quarter of Emirati workers (21%) prefer to abandon the office altogether and hold meetings with teammates outside the office in coffee shops or restaurants.
Rob Keddie, Regional Director for Middle East & Africa at Herman Miller said: "The UAE is a hub in the 21st century global economy. Many UAE organisations are doing well, but these findings should be a concern for those that are not. Globalisation, mobile technology, and the increased pace of change have changed the way we work. The successful office plays a role in facilitating and maintaining a symbiotic relationship between individuals and their groups, which are not rigid any more but shift based on needs for different tasks."
Some 41% of UAE's female office workers find discussions at each other's desks the most effective way of communicating with colleagues. Over a third of male workers (32%) said the most successful discussions with teammates are held during more informal meetings over coffee breaks.
Some 45% of office workers are able to concentrate at their desks for less than an hour before requiring a break, although a fifth of women (20%) said they could put in three hours or more solid work in one go.
Herman Miller commissioned the research as it marks the formal opening of its new space in Dubai Marina Plaza, which is designed to showcase Herman Miller's emphasis on 'human-centred' Living Office planning and design as well as introducing the latest products to the Middle East & Africa.
Herman Miller developed Living Office to drive efficiency and creativity in the way office spaces are designed. The principle is to help people, as individuals in organisations, to customise their methods, tools, and places of work to reflect the way we work today. Herman Miller's Living Office vision is to create a more natural and desirable workplace that fosters greater connection, greater creativity, greater productivity, and ultimately, greater prosperity for employees.
About Herman Miller.
Herman Miller's inspiring designs, inventive technologies and strategic services help people do great things and organizations to perform at their best. The company's award-winning products and services generated approximately $1.9 billion in revenue in fiscal 2014. A past recipient of the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, Herman Miller designs can be found in the permanent collections of museums worldwide. Innovative business practices and a commitment to social responsibility have also helped establish Herman Miller as a recognized global leader. In 2014, Herman Miller again received the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's top rating in its annual Corporate Equality Index and was named among the 50 Best U.S. Manufacturers by Industry Week. Herman Miller is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MLHR.
Contact: Eman El Ahmar +971 (0) 4 818 9202 or eman.elahmar@bluerubicon.com
Internet: www.hermanmiller.com
© Press Release 2015
