Business & Money | Wednesday 29 March, 2017 6:00 am |

A new poll by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, entitled ‘Communication at Work in the Middle East,’ revealed that almost all respondents (91.4%) from the Middle East prefer having a job where they can communicate “freely and frequently.” For respondents who are currently looking for a new job opportunity, the vast majority (79.7%) believe that online job sites make it “easier to communicate” with employers.

Communication with Job Seekers

When it comes to communication with job seekers, three quarters (73.4%) of respondents claim that the emails they receive from employers or managers are “clear and easy to understand”, while only 10.1% believe the opposite to be true. When applying for new jobs, 32.2% of respondents state that companies “always” communicate with them and more than a quarter (26.7%) claim that they “sometimes” do.

Still, four in 10 respondents claim that companies they apply to “never” communicate with them. Bayt.com asked job seekers about the ideal communication practices.  According to the poll, 59.6% of respondents in the Middle East believe that the HR department should always communicate with job seekers, even if they are rejected. 20.2% of respondents believe that HR departments should communicate with prospective job seekers only if they are qualified. Another 20.2% believe that companies should only communicate with the short-listed candidates.  

“It is very rewarding to find out that the far majority of job seekers (79.7%) find it easier and simpler to communicate with their prospective employers through Bayt.com and online job sites,” said Suhail Masri, Vice President of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com. “Communication is key, which is why our platform is intended to facilitate communication throughout the hiring process. Employers and job seekers on Bayt.com are empowered with an array of tools and technologies that allow them to contact each other, share documents and vital information, and connect in a way that would not have been possible in the past.”  

Communication with Employees

In terms of communicating at the workplace, and among employees, email is the main method of communication at work, according to 67.5% of respondents. 14.8% of respondents communicate in-person, 13.5% on social media, 3.3% through instant messaging, and 0.9% through audio or video conferences as other primary methods.

When it comes to the most effective methods for workplace communication, 48.4% of respondents voted for email, 37.1% for in-person, 6.3% for instant messaging, 6.0% for social media, and 3.2% for audio and video conferences.

The far majority of respondents claim to communicate often and effectively within their team or department (92%) and with their direct managers (92.5%) at work. Even with other teams and departments, 87.1% agree that they communicate often and effectively with them.

Masri adds: “Communication is the essence of employee satisfaction, successful team dynamics, and higher work productivity. It is critical that employers and managers frequently review their communication practices and regulations in order to guide their workforce towards success. At Bayt.com, we endeavor to provide the most accurate and relevant information regarding communication practices to ensure that both employers and job seekers have an overview of the communication landscape in the region.”

Discussing the rules in the workplace that pertain to communication, 71.1% of employees state that their workplace has communication guidelines that everyone is required to follow, while 13.5% state that they don’t have any rules. 15.4% are unsure.

41.7% of employees can use their mobile devices all the time at work, while 52.6% report using their mobile devices for work purposes or in the case of emergencies only. 5.7% of respondents are unsure about this rule.   

Data for the 2017 Bayt.com ‘Communication at Work in the Middle East’ poll was collected online from February 20, 2017 and March 20, 2017. Results are based on a sample of 6,961 respondents. Countries that participated are the UAE, Bahrain, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, Qatar, KSA, Yemen, and Others.