66% of professionals in the MENA feel that their HR department effectively promotes employee wellness

According to a recent ‘The Role of HR in the Middle East and North Africa Workplace’ poll conducted by Bayt.com, the region’s number one job site, Human Resources (HR) practices in MENA are flourishing. 

According to 73.4% of polled professionals, in terms of alignment, there is a strong alignment that exist between their company’s overall business vision and that of their HR department. However, a large portion of the interviewees (26.5 %), disagree, stating that, to varying degrees, there is not alignment. 26.6% of the poll’s respondents rate their company’s overall HR performance as ‘excellent’; in parallel, 43.4% brand their organization’s HR function as ‘average’ or in need of improvements.

When asked which areas their HR department needed to improve the most, 17% of MENA’s jobholders answered ‘recruiting and interviewing’, 5.3% said ‘compensation and promotion’, 18.3% responded with ‘training and development’, 11.5% specified ‘communication with staff’, 1.6% mentioned ‘terminations’, and 11% cited ‘handling complaints and staff problems’. 35.2% of respondents admitted that enhancements were needed across all areas.

49.8% of polled professionals claim that their company’s HR department has a clear HR policy to hire and retain national talent – which, today, is considered a high priority across organizations in the MENA region.  Interestingly, 30% of employees say the opposite. When it comes to hiring, 33.1% of MENA professionals state that their HR department is doing a good job of hiring and retaining talent to a great extent, 33.5% to a small extent and 33.5 % say they are not. In addition, 45.7% of interviewees say that their company’s HR division is sufficiently breeding and developing leaders. Only 31.7% disagree, and another 22.6% admit that this is taking place but only ‘to a small extent’. 

A total of 66% of respondents feel that their HR department is effectively promoting employees wellness. The remaining 34%, however, disagree. One-third of respondents (33.8%) don’t think that their company’s HR division shares enough information with them. On a positive note, 66.2% share different views and believe that they mostly receive all the data that they need. 50.8% of interviewees say that their HR department does not consistently or ever provide new joiners with company policies and procedures (for example, an employee handbook). 

To top it all, 46.1% of professionals think that their company is a good place to work.

“It is no surprise that a company’s HR practises greatly impact employees’ performance, job satisfaction and engagement levels,” said Suhail Masri, VP Sales, Bayt.com. “Today, a jobholder’s workplace behaviour is strongly dictated by the very policies, procedures, and goals that stem from the HR division. According to the survey results, in this regard, although the HR departments are doing well, there is still room for improvement.”

Suhail also added, “At Bayt.com, however, we have long made it our mission to work hand-in-hand with HR departments in the region to provide them with innovative, effective solutions designed to increase employee productivity, improve workplace morale, and streamline HR processes and services. Our ultimate objective is to bridge the gap between employee and employer by not just assisting companies in recruiting and retaining the very best talent – but also helping them build the cornerstones of a successful organizational and corporate culture. Our HR-services portfolio has evolved over the years to include the full repertoire of employer offerings including basic, assisted and verified recruitment at all career levels; nationalisation and diversification advisory; company profiles; specialized research including salaries benchmarking; Talentera, an A-to-Z applicant tracking solution; virtual career fairs and more. Our HR services are tailored to specific company needs across the recruitment cycle continuum.” 

Data for the Bayt.com ‘The Role of HR in the Middle East and North Africa Workplace’ poll was collected online from October 14 – November 4 2015, with 5,270 respondents covering more than 19 countries in the MENA region.