Retaining talent in the workplace

Our Emirati society is developing and increasing in the sense that our youth is well educated, smart, driven, and talented. Therefore, organisations should create a unique employee retention strategy to keep their Emirati employees. It doesn’t matter whether employees work in private or public sectors, if they are talented, they need to be recognised and valued. Presenting our local talent with recognition and respect, enhances their performance, satisfaction, and motivation.

Most common strategies are through monetary awards. It is true that monetary awards can be a motivator for work, however, it is not the sole motivator to encourage employees to stay in their current positions. First and foremost, employers need to express their gratitude towards employees and provide a transparent method of communication. Constant constructive feedback ensures that the employees are on the right track. In fact, feedback is the cheapest method to strengthen the employee’s learning process and performance. Besides, feedback should not only be limited to an employee’s performance in the organisation, but also directed towards their personal development.

Those who receive career development plans, tend to be loyal towards their organisation, hence, an employee who is satisfied with his or her individual career needs to have more job satisfaction and often gets attached to the employer, which helps the organisation retain its employees. On another note, having a strong employee and employer relationship provides a sense of being involved in the workplace. Although the UAE has a high power distance gap by nature, young Emirati employees would appreciate a transparent relationship with their direct managers.

Hence, mutual understanding and respect triggers the intention to work hard and to stay within the workplace. The current generation prefers a workplace where training and development programs are available to enhance their skills as well as to develop new skills that may serve him or her in the future.

Young talented Emirati employees should be involved in the decision-making process within the organisation as it makes them feel part of the organisation and valuable. As a result, the level of commitment will increase and in turn, increase the want to stay within the organisation and perform the best they could. In conclusion, respect, collaboration, mutual understanding, and effective leading are core factors that employers need to implement as it will increase the level of satisfaction among the employees. As the UAE is striving to be number one in the world in terms of economical development, it is vital for organisations to constantly develop by first developing their employees.

- The reader is an Emirati student based in London, UK.