UAE offices: Noise, lack of space biggest concerns for employees

Dubai: A majority of UAE’s employees are not quite satisfied with their workspaces, with noise issues and lack of room availability as their biggest issues.

In fact, only 31% of office staff polled in a new report ‘strongly agree’ their current workplace enables them to ‘do their best work’. This is according to the Global Workplace Survey put out by the design consultancy Gensler.

The numbers are quite a surprise because UAE employers had spent extensively on upgrades to office environments and value-added features after the peak Covid phase. Also, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, new office buildings had come to market and were met with instant demand.

And yet, ‘noise, lack of room availability, and layout inefficiencies remain common challenges’, as far as UAE employees are concerned. “Top improvement priorities include quiet spaces for focus, better meeting room acoustics, and access to informal collaboration zones,” says the Gensler report.

The 31% of UAE staff who are satisfied with their current workplaces puts them higher than those in France and Japan, but ‘behind the UK, India and the United States’, according to the report.

“Our research reveals a clear gap between what employees need to thrive — flexibility, creativity, and connection — and what their current spaces provide,” said Edith Eddy, Senior Interior Designer, Workplace, at Gensler Middle East.  

“Bridging this gap will be essential for organisations aiming to attract talent, foster innovation, and design workplaces that truly support the future of work in the Emirates.”

Now, this may be a difficult wish for most organisations to fulfil - only 15% of UAE staff wanted to work in what can be described as a formal 'business hub'.

Instead, the employees' would ideally prefer being in 'creative labs' or 'nature retreats'. In other words, be in 'flexible, tranquil, and purpose-driven environments that better support innovation and wellbeing'.

In feeling this way, UAE office staff are not alone. "This reflects a global trend away from rigid corporate settings," says the Gensler report.

In fact, the UAE ranks among the Top 5 countries globally where employees prefer imaginative and wellness-focused spaces," it adds.