UAE professionals overworked, yet not taking time off: Survey

Dubai: A new online study conducted in the UAE and Saudi Arabia by LinkedIn has revealed that most working professionals are hesitant to take time off.

This is due to various factors, including work FOMO (fear of missing out), bosses that refuse to grant leave, mistrust in colleagues’ ability to hold the fort, and immense volume of work that deems it nearly impossible to plan a holiday, LinkedIn said on Sunday.

Running from June 20 to 26, 2019, by consulting firm Censuswide on behalf of LinkedIn, the study surveyed 1,005 respondents aged 18 and above who identified themselves as full-time permanent employees, full-time self-employed, or freelancers.

Feeling overworked

According to the research, 45 per cent of millennials in the UAE and 24 per cent in Saudi Arabia do not use all their holiday time, while 65 per cent of employees of all ages feel overworked.

Only 37 per cent of UAE respondents took 26-30 days’ leave in 2018, and when on leave, a mere five per cent did not actively engage with work emails or receive phone calls.

Sixty-eight per cent of millennials aged 18-38 have been contacted by colleagues while on holiday on more than one occasion.

In Saudi Arabia, 27 per cent of working professionals took 26-30 days of leave last year, and seven per cent managed to steer clear of work during this time.

With an overwhelming number of respondents complaining about feeling overworked, the study has found that in the UAE, 38 per cent of women and 30 per cent of men did not use all their vacation days in 2018, citing “too much work to do” or “there was no one to fill in for me” as the reasons. In Saudi Arabia, 74 per cent of men and 79 per cent of women used all their allocated vacation days.

Ali Matar, Head of LinkedIn MENA and EMEA Emerging Markets, said: “LinkedIn is more than just a mine of opportunities. It is also an invaluable source of data on market behaviour and it offers economic insights that help companies strategise for the future. This survey is an important indicator of the overall professional trends in the UAE and KSA markets, the two biggest and most attractive to talent in the region. I encourage companies to review the survey outcomes to be best positioned to attract and maintain talent”.

Burnout symptoms

The survey results also point towards employees experiencing symptoms of burnout when they have not taken a vacation in three months or more.

In the UAE, 27 per cent of the surveyed contacted their colleagues who were on holiday at least once while 23 per cent of Saudi holidaymakers did not disconnect from work at all.

Among professionals aged 39-53, nearly 47 per cent place high importance on vacation policies. Upon returning to work, they have mainly reported feeling refreshed, followed by the feelings of motivation and productivity.

Vacation vis-a-vis career decisions

Forty-six per cent of respondents in the UAE and 37 per cent in Saudi Arabia stated that they would consider turning down a job offer should the vacation policy not meet their expectations. In addition, 36 per cent of working professionals in the UAE and 26 per cent in Saudi Arabia showed interest in taking a pay cut in exchange for more vacation time. Among the millennial demographic, 38 per cent in the UAE and 22 per cent in Saudi Arabia would choose this option, and this number rises even higher among boomers between 54 and 74 years of age — 50 per cent in the UAE and 27 per cent in Saudi Arabia.

Forty-three per cent of the surveyed in the UAE and 46 per cent in Saudi Arabia find vacation entitlement extremely important when looking for a new job.

This is not the first study to highlight the negative impact of insufficient time off work on mental health, stress levels and overall productivity, and ultimately, its bearing on career advancement.