The Bayt.com ‘Job Satisfaction in the Middle East and North Africa’ survey, recently conducted by Bayt.com – the Middle East’s leading career site – and YouGov – the pioneer of online market research – has revealed that84% of respondents in Lebanon find the sense of achievement the most important factor in a job.
Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction
The most important factor related to job satisfaction in Lebanon is “the sense of achievement”, according to84% of respondents. This is followed by “learning and personal growth” (83%), and “team spirit” (82%). Other important factors are “doing what I love” (79%), “the pay” (78%), and “exercising my creativity” (76%).65% of respondents also believe that “contributing to the community” is a matter of importance.
Overall,41% of respondents enjoy coming to work every day;42% are satisfied with their present job, with14% of them being “very satisfied”.31% of respondents see themselves working for the same company for the next two years, while55% are actively trying to move to another organization.37% of respondents strongly believe that they could easily find a similar job in another organization. Lack of career growth (74%) followed by low base salary (67%) are the main reasons for leaving an organization.
One quarter strongly believe that their company’s environment is happy and pleasant, and only2 out of10 strongly think that the morale in their company is high;30% have an opposite opinion.
In general, trust levels towards both senior management and line managers are low. However, professionals show more confidence in the decisions made by their line managers (45%) than those made by senior management (38%).
The majority of respondents (61%) say that the performance of their organization is either stable or improving.36% believe that their company shows an interest in the wellbeing of its employees. Close to half of respondents (46%) claim that they have a good work-life balance, while22% strongly believe the opposite.
Job Benefits and Training
On average,46% of respondents in Lebanon have medical insurance for themselves;48% have holiday pay; and less than1 out of2 receive a sick pay. In terms of preference, medical insurance for family (44%) and self (44%) are the most popular benefits. Employees in Lebanon also prefer the following benefits: flexible working hours (32%), pension contribution, and school fees for children (29%).51% of respondents believe that they use their skills and knowledge to their full potential. On the other hand, only31% say that they have a clear career path within their company.44% strongly think that training in their company is not designed in a way that would help them grow professionally.
Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com said: “It is interesting to see that only31% of respondents are happy with training in their company, when the most important factor related to job satisfaction in the region is learning and personal growth. Companies should thus invest more time and effort in training their employees, ensuring that they have a clear career path, satisfying pay, and a job that gives them a sense of achievement and the opportunity to give back to their community.”
He continued: “At Bayt.com, our mission has always been to empower people with the tools and technologies to build their lifestyle of choice, and we want to empower employers by sharing valuable insights into the minds of professionals in the region so they can make better decisions when it comes to hiring and retaining their top talent. Tools like Bayt.com’s Company Profiles are a great way for companies to push their recruitment efforts through effective corporate branding.”
“It is through this kind of market research that the job landscape can begin to change from both the employer and the employee’s perspective,” said Elissavet Vraka, YouGov. “Results from the survey show that salary is indeed one of the most important factors for job satisfaction throughout the region, but other attributes – such as personal learning and growth – are of equal importance. Such results should provide a clear idea to companies who want to build a happy, engaged and loyal workforce – one that wants to stick around and come to work every day.”
Data for the Bayt.com “Job Satisfaction in the Middle East and North Africa” survey was collected online throughout March2015, with5,774 respondents, all of whom were employed men and women over the age of18 years old. The survey polled people from varying nationalities including GCC Arabs, North Africans, Levant, and Western and Asian expats from the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.