Dubai : Higher pay in jobs isn't the only deciding factor anymore for employees in the GCC. A recent Global Workplace Study showed that more and more workers are searching for effective leadership from companies. Apparently people are not that bothered about taking home a fat pay cheque.
Gulf News spoke to its readers, through personal interviews, to get their thoughts on leadership, good career planning and competition in the workplace.
Noel Malicdem, an Al Ain-based senior designer in the urban planning and design field, says it is important for companies to offer good career planning to its employees.
"This would ensure your future [in the company], and would benefit you more in your professional career [overtime]."
However, he thinks that leadership is key, when it comes to keeping a company moving in the right direction.
"It is important to have proper direction, especially proper coordination and communication."
According to the survey, 68 per cent of employees in the GCC say they feel better when senior leaders explain the company's mission and vision.
A Sharjah-based business student, Vaishali Bharadwaj agrees that leadership is a necessity.
"[It's] pretty important. Without leadership you don't have targets and goals and you don't know where you are going; Communication is like the backbone of any organisation," she says.
Nilmereneaus Maratas, a Dubai-based structural engineer, explains that a good workplace is a mix of different factors.
"It's a combination of all these factors, money, leadership, communication with management; It's not always about the money, it's somewhere in the middle," he says.
Maratas also shares that if he had to choose between going to a company that offered him more money but didn't have good leadership or career planning, or staying in a lower paid job, he would stay where he was.
"If [both companies'] situations are the same, of course, you go to the higher [paid], but if they are not the same then I would stay. It's much more than the money; I would not be happy working at a job that pays but degrades me as an employee," he explains.
However, while leadership and a productive working environment are important in deciding where to work, money is still a main factor.
The survey reported that 62 per cent of GCC workers would prefer to be paid based on their individual performance rather than on how well the company does.
Latha Siby, a director in the energy services field, living in Dubai thinks this is a good idea and will promote healthy competition in the workplace.
"Naturally I think that people who do a better job deserve better pay."
According to the survey, workers are prepared to start taking responsibility for their own work, and any company that incorporates these factors will come out on top.
Crispin Marriott, Managing Director of Towers Watson, was quoted in the survey: "Companies that simplify and communicate reward structures and differentiate on performance will have an edge in engaging top talent."
Workers value leadership more than money
