UAE managers are poorer communicators than they think

Key UAE Findings of GCC Study

• Only 54% of employees in the UAE feel that their organisation's business objectives are properly explained to them

• 49% of UAE employees surveyed do not feel that they receive the information they need to do their job well

• 33% of employees do not feel valued for the contribution they make

• 25% of managers in believe it is not necessary for staff members to understand how their job connects to their company's business objectives

• Only 25% of managers believe it is easy to find staff members of the right calibre

The findings are published in Middle East Corporate Reputation Watch 2008 - Getting the Message Across, a survey of more than 500 managers and employees in the GCC conducted by leading communications consultancy Hill & Knowlton, using YouGov Siraj.

The study found that while 77% of UAE managers believe they make a point of explaining their organisation's strategic objectives to staff, only 54% of employees in the UAE feel that these objectives are properly explained to them.

Almost half of all UAE employees surveyed (49%) do not feel that they receive the information they need to do their job well while a third (33%) do not feel valued for the contribution they make.

Only 54% of employees believe that their direct manager helps them to understand how their job connects to their company's business objectives.

While 95% of employees would like to develop their skills and advance professionally in their job, only 46% feel that the way to do this been properly explained to them.

Fran McElwaine, Director of Change and Organisational Communications, Hill & Knowlton Middle East, commented, 'The UAE findings are broadly consistent with the results in other GCC States. They suggest that, although managers in the UAE understand the importance of communicating with employees, many of them are failing to get the message across.

'This is a vitally important issue for corporate managers in this region. Companies are under pressure to lift productivity and it is becoming harder to attract and retain top talent. The ability to engage employees and align them with a company's strategic objectives is a key to better motivation, productivity and staff retention.

'International research suggests that highly engaged employees try 57% harder, perform 20% better and are 87% less likely to leave than the less engaged employees identified in the Hill & Knowlton study.'

The effects of this disengagement have a greater impact in the UAE than anywhere else in the GCC. Only 25% of UAE managers believe it is easy to find staff members of the right calibre, compared with 40% of all managers across the GCC who believe it is easy to do so.

Decision deficit

A possible reason for the disconnect between managers and employees may be that many managers do not feel empowered to communicate, or even make, decisions.

52% of UAE managers believe that making decisions increases the chances of being blamed if something goes wrong.

34% admit to following decisions made by others without fully thinking through the consequences.

26% of managers believe that keeping a low profile at work will help ensure their position is safe.

Many employees in the UAE also believe that their managers are simply not listening to them. Almost all managers (96%) agree with using staff feedback when making decisions. However, only 46 % of employees believe that their manager usually acts on employee feedback.

An information vacuum

The lack of effective communication by managers has led many employees to look elsewhere for the information they need.

Only 49% of UAE employees think their manager is very useful for obtaining important information, while 47% rely on external media and friends for information about their job.

Managers themselves admit that the responsibility for communicating with employees is often pushed off to specialised departments such as Marketing (20%), Human Resources (45%) or Internal Communications (18%).

7% of UAE managers say they don't know who is responsible for internal communications in their company.

25% of managers believe it is not necessary for staff members to understand how their job connects to their company's business objectives.

Dave Robinson, CEO, Hill & Knowlton Middle East, said, 'The findings of the Middle East Corporate Reputation Watch 2008 indicate that organisations in the UAE and in the Gulf generally can do a better job of structuring their internal communications effectively. There is real potential for companies across the region to improve morale and productivity by creating structures and systems for employee communication.

Importantly, there is also an opportunity to empower managers with the skills to cascade information down through their organisation. To achieve this, managers need practical advice and the right tools so that they can communicate with employees in a way that is meaningful, relevant and accessible.'