Business & Money | Monday 28 January, 2019 2:19 am |

A new poll conducted by Bayt.com – the Middle East’s #1 Job Site –titled What Makes the Ideal Manager in the Middle East,revealed that a whopping 81% of Middle East professionals choose jobs based on the company’s management structure and style. Most respondents (80%) prefer working for a company with very clear organizational structure and reporting lines whilst only 16% prefer flexibility in management structure and style. 

Although more than half of poll respondents believe that higher salary (51.3%) is more important than better management (12.7%), more than a third (34.9%) believe that both factors play an equal role in choosing a particular job. 

Managers Drive Employee Engagement 

Given that higher employee engagement reaps rewards for the organization, it is clear that the role of a manager is highly essential. According to the Bayt.com poll respondents, the most important aspect of a manager’s job is in fact “communicating vision and directing efforts” (80.3%), followed by “assigning tasks and responsibilities” (10%), “handling more challenging projects” (5%) and “providing feedback and training” (3.2%).

When asked how to tell a good manager from a bad one during a job interview, respondents said it is based on their “communication and personality” (71%), and on the “questions and information shared” (17.7%). 7.4% said they can tell based on a manager’s “knowledge and years of experience” while only 0.9% said they go with their “gut feeling”.

The survey reveals that perceptions toward management are evolving. Most respondents (87.3%) believe that hierarchy in organizations is necessary for clarity, 8.8% think it may be essential in large organizations, while only 1% believe that hierarchical structures are unnecessary and slow things down. 

“In addition to making online recruitment and job hunting more efficient and accessible to half of the region’s online labor force, Bayt.com always sheds light on the various factors that further enhance talent attraction and retention efforts”, said Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com. “There isa direct link between a happy, engaged workforce and a successful business – a content workforce performs at a higher level than unhappy, disengaged employees. An employee’s direct manager is always one of the biggest factors in how much they enjoy working for a company.”

Managers’ Approach and Character 

Managing or leading people in a business requires a core set of management skills which require time and experience to develop. In the Bayt.com poll, the most important characteristic of a good manager was by far “communication and listening” (71.6%), followed by “decision-making” (13.6%), “technical skills and knowledge” (8%), “flexibility” (5.1%) and “empathy” (1.2%).

A substantial number of respondents (65.8%) believe that the manager’s age matters to them as a professional whilst 32.2% do not have an opinion about their manager’s age group – 65.1% prefer having a manager who is closer to their age while only 3.9% prefer their manager to be much older. 

It is imperative to develop a happy and trusting team to create a strong corporate culture. For managers, the development of their employees doesn't stop with them, but expands in the valuable connections they make – the great majority (88.1%) of poll respondents says it is possible to foster a friendly relationship with their manager in the region as opposed to only 5.5% for whom it is not a possibility.

Strong managers focus on diagnosing individual employee needs and motivations – creating an environment that encourages transparency and skill sharing within their teams. When asked about their current or most recent manager, most professionals responded positively, describing their managers as “friendly and flexible” (86.2%) as well as “talented and knowledgeable” (87.3%).  

Data for the Bayt.com’s What Makes the Ideal Manager in the Middle Eastwas collected online from November 21, 2018 to January 09, 2019. Results are based on a sample of 10,109 respondents. Countries assessed include UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and others.