Vacation policies impact decisions of jobseekers

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Vacation policies impact decisions of jobseekers
A survey showed that 36 per cent of working professionals in the UAE expressed an interest in taking a pay cut in exchange for more vacation time.

Dubai - 43% of those surveyed in UAE said that they find vacation entitlement extremely important when looking for a new job

by

Rohma Sadaqat

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Published: Sat 10 Aug 2019, 8:32 PM

Last updated: Sat 10 Aug 2019, 10:34 PM

Close to 50 per cent of working professionals in the UAE have stated that they would consider turning down a job offer if the vacation policy does not meet their expectations, a recent survey has found.
According to an online study conducted in the UAE and Saudi Arabia by LinkedIn, 43 per cent of those surveyed in the UAE said that they find vacation entitlement extremely important when looking for a new job.
The research has also revealed that in the UAE, 80 per cent of men and 76 per cent of women are comfortable sharing their holiday plans with their co-workers.
The results of the survey also showed that 36 per cent of working professionals in the UAE expressed an interest in taking a pay cut in exchange for more vacation time.
Among millennials, 38 per cent in the UAE would choose this option; this number rises even higher among baby boomers between 54 and 74 years of age, with 50 per cent saying that they would do so.
However, the survey also revealed that most working professionals in the UAE are hesitant to take time off. This is due to various factors, including work FOMO (fear of missing out), bosses that refuse to grant leave, mistrust in colleagues' ability to hold the fort, and large workloads that deem it nearly impossible to plan a holiday.
It was found that only 37 per cent of UAE respondents took 26-30 days' leave in 2018, and when on leave, a mere 5 per cent did not actively engage with work e-mails or receive phone calls. More specifically, 45 per cent of millennials in the UAE did not use all their holiday time, while 65 per cent of employees of all ages felt overworked.
Experts have voiced their concerns about how high stress levels at work are impacting employees and their mental and physical health. Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised 'burn-out' in its International Classification of Diseases, which is widely used as a benchmark for diagnosis and health insurers.
In the latest update of its catalogue of diseases and injuries around the world, the WHO defines burn-out as "a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed".
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com


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