More than 70% of respondents in the UAE said that their employer should focus on equipping the workforce with the best digital tools, according to a study by VMware.

Organizations in the UAE must pay close attention to the digital experience of their employees in order to find more success in terms of growth, the establishment of a healthy and progressive work environment, and the attraction and retention of top talent, according to new research from VMware.

Covering 12 countries within the EMEA region, the annual report included 200 respondents from the UAE and explored the impact of digital workspace technologies on organizations.

The digitalization of the workplace is a particularly important factor for prospective employees in the UAE, with 92 percent of respondents saying that the flexibility of digital tools usage would positively influence their decision to join an organization.

Furthermore, 70.5 percent of respondents in the UAE agreed that their current employer should focus their efforts on equipping the workforce with the best digital tools, while only 28.5 percent believe that current efforts were enough.

Part of the study also focused on the biggest challenges that hindered the delivery of optimal digital experience in the workplace. The top three issues selected by respondents in the UAE were funding (46.9 percent) time (45.8 percent), and a lack of understanding of what employees want and need (28.8 percent).

Possibly the biggest disparity is between how employees feel they contribute to their organization’s digitization efforts and the viewpoint of decision makers. More than half (58.7 percent) of UAE employees surveyed don’t believe they have a voice when it comes to what digital technologies are used in the office, while 86 percent of ITDMs believe they give their employees a voice within this area.

 “The research clearly shows that by offering modern, flexible digital tools, employers can help to deliver a positive experience for existing employees and promote growth. It can also help to attract the prospective talent who increasingly view digital workplace solutions as a key part of their work experience,” said Ahmed Auda, Managing Director, VMware METNA. “Companies would be well-advised to better engage their employees and gain new insights into how digital tools can benefit day-to-day activities and improve the workplace environment. This may open up new avenues for investment on other digital technologies that in turn could transform the business,” he added.

The findings of the survey are especially relevant given the UAE’s ambitious economic diversification plans and ambitions to capitalize on the digital economy. VMware is committed to helping organizations in the UAE to digitally transform and so contribute to these plans. Earlier this year, the University of Sharjah highlighted that VMware helped it create an immersive technology experience. By deploying VMware Horizon, the University has empowered students and faculty to be successful by giving access to anytime, anywhere learning. This was an important part of the university’s digital strategy to attract the best students and lecturers amid strong global competition.

About the research

In March and April 2019, 3,600 EMEA employees (1,800), IT decision makers (900) and HR decision makers (900) who use computer/smart devices for work purposes were interviewed. The number of respondents from each EMEA country were: UK (600), Germany (600), France (600), Italy (200), Netherlands (200), Russia (200), Poland (200), Norway (200), Sweden (200), Spain (200), UAE (200) and Saudi Arabia (200). They were from organizations in a range of public and private sectors and their organization had to have an employee size of 500 employees or more.