Burnout is no longer just a wellbeing issue. It has become a talent retention and recruitment challenge, and organisations that fail to address it risk losing high-performing employees at an increasing rate.

According to Tiger Recruitment’s UK Salary and Benefits Guide 2026, burnout is now almost as influential as salary when employees decide to leave their jobs. In our survey of almost 1000 UK professionals, 15% reported resigning due to exhaustion, only one percentage point behind those who left for a pay increase (16%).

For HR leaders, this signals a shift in the employment landscape: pay alone is no longer enough to retain talent. The ability of managers to protect their teams from unsustainable workloads is becoming a critical differentiator.

One of the most effective ways organisations can respond is by training and upskilling managers to recognise and prevent burnout before it becomes a resignation risk.

Burnout is becoming a structural issue in many workplaces

Several workplace trends are accelerating burnout across professional roles.

Our research shows that 84% of desk-based professionals now work overtime, while 68% regularly work weekends.

At the same time, economic uncertainty has led many businesses to operate with leaner teams. Fewer permanent hires and an increased reliance on temporary staff mean that remaining employees are often absorbing additional responsibilities.

The result is a workforce that is productive but increasingly stretched.

Even when companies respond with salary increases, the effect can be limited. The guide found that 39% of professionals who received a 5–10% pay rise still plan to leave their roles within the next 12 months, demonstrating that financial incentives alone cannot resolve deeper workplace pressures.

For HR teams, this reinforces an important reality: burnout is often driven by management practices, not compensation packages.

The role of managers in preventing burnout

Managers sit at the intersection between company expectations and employee wellbeing. When they are equipped with the right skills, they can identify early warning signs and rebalance workloads before employees reach breaking point.

However, many managers are promoted based on technical expertise rather than leadership capability. Without proper training, they may unintentionally contribute to burnout by:

• Allowing workloads to grow without reassessment
• Failing to prioritise tasks effectively
• Normalising excessive overtime
• Missing early signs of disengagement or exhaustion
• Struggling to communicate expectations clearly

Our research also highlights that culture and management quality continue to influence resignations, particularly among younger professionals and women.

Developing leadership capability is therefore not just a wellbeing initiative, it is a retention strategy.

What burnout prevention training should include

For HR leaders looking to strengthen their management teams, training programmes should focus on practical leadership skills rather than abstract theory.

Key areas include:

1. Workload Management and Prioritisation

Managers need to evaluate team capacity realistically and adjust workloads, particularly during hiring freezes or restructuring. This can be achieved by mapping tasks and holding regular check-ins to spot overload early. Reallocating or reprioritising work using frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix helps ensure teams focus on the most important and urgent tasks without becoming overstretched.

2. Early Identification of Burnout Signals

Recognising early signs of stress, such as disengagement, mistakes, or presenteeism, allows managers to intervene before issues escalate. Monitoring behavioural changes through short pulse surveys and having structured, low-pressure conversations gives employees the opportunity to raise concerns and receive support promptly.

3. Psychological Safety and Communication

Employees are far more likely to raise workload or wellbeing concerns when they feel heard and safe. Managers can foster psychological safety by leading through example, acknowledging mistakes and demonstrating openness. Establishing regular feedback loops ensures every team member has a chance to be heard and reinforces a culture of trust and collaboration.

4. Managing Hybrid and Flexible Work Effectively

With satisfaction around workplace flexibility falling to 54%, managers must ensure cohesion and productivity while supporting hybrid or flexible arrangements. Setting clear expectations and measurable goals for both remote and in-office work, along with maintaining consistent touchpoints, keeps teams aligned and connected regardless of location.

5. Supporting Mental Health and Absence Management

Empathetic leadership is increasingly important as employees expect better handling of mental health-related absence. Managers can support their teams by holding compassionate, non-judgmental conversations and planning phased returns or workload adjustments to ensure a sustainable recovery. These approaches help build resilient teams that remain engaged and productive even during challenging periods.

Why burnout prevention is also a recruitment strategy

From a hiring perspective, organisations that fail to address burnout risk damaging their employer brand.

Employees are increasingly prioritising work–life balance when evaluating new roles, with 73% ranking it as one of the most important factors when considering job opportunities.

In a competitive hiring environment, candidates are paying closer attention to leadership quality, team culture and workload expectations.

Companies known for strong leadership and sustainable workloads will naturally have an advantage when attracting top talent.

Building a more sustainable workforce

Burnout cannot be eliminated entirely, particularly during periods of economic uncertainty or organisational change. However, businesses that invest in leadership development can significantly reduce the risk.

For HR teams, the goal should be to ensure managers are equipped not just to deliver results, but to build resilient teams that can perform sustainably over time.

As our latest research shows, employees are willing to leave roles even when salaries increase if the underlying pressures remain unresolved.

Organisations that recognise this shift and act on it by strengthening their management capability will be better positioned to retain their people and attract the next generation of talent.

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Understanding Emiratisation and the NAFIS programme is vital for businesses looking to employ in the UAE. In this guide, we’ll explain what the initiative is, and how it will affect your hiring, training and retention strategies.

In 2019, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation announced plans to activate Article 14 of the UAE Labour Law, which mandates the prioritising of Emiratis over expats in the hiring process. This effort was bolstered in 2021 with the advent of the NAFIS (National Program for Emirati Human Resources Development) initiative. This renewed emphasis on hiring locally aims to increase the number of Emiratis in the workforce and hence, their contribution to the economy. So what does this mean for your hiring efforts?

What inspired Emiratisation?

The concept of Emiratisation was introduced in response to a consistently high unemployment rate amongst locals – official statistics from 2011, placed overall unemployment at 13%, with this figure rising to 23% for 15-24 year olds.

A report by the Federal National Council (FNC) identified 3.8 million jobs in the private sector, of which 800,000 could be filled by citizens. At the time of the report, only 20,000 to 30,000 Emiratis were employed in private businesses.

Since the activation of Article 14, the number of Emiratis employed in the private sector has massively increased, with statistics from June 2025 showing over 152,000 employed across 29,000 companies.

What does it involve?

There are a number of policies that fall under the Emiratisation umbrella. The most prevalent is a quota, which dictates that every private-sector company with 50 or more employees must progressively increase the number of Emiratis employed in skilled roles each year, in line with MoHRE targets leading up to and beyond 2026. As of 2025, businesses with 20 to 49 employees operating in designated sectors are required to employ at least one UAE citizen and retain existing Emirati hires. From January 2026, non-compliant employers are required to make financial contributions for each unfilled Emiratisation role, with compliance actively monitored by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.

There are a number of benefits to hiring locally – companies that satisfy certain requirements can save on fees from the Ministry, as well as residency costs, airline tickets and health insurance.

What does this mean for hiring in the UAE?

For those looking to hire in 2026 and beyond, Emiratisation should be high on their agenda. The UAE government has announced that hiring for the sake of meeting quotas will be frowned upon, so hiring managers will need to make a concerted effort to recruit local talent that can contribute and grow in their organisation. As the private sector can offer significant potential for career progression, companies need to focus on building pipelines for local Emiratis, demonstrating how they can help them get to where they want to be. This focus on talent development will assist with both attraction and retention efforts, ensuring a long-term organisational culture that features both Emiratis and expats.

However, attracting the right talent is not without its challenges. With the public sector generally offering higher salaries for shorter working hours and no cap on pensions, private companies need to counter this, offering competitive salary and benefit packages. In cases where salaries can’t be matched, businesses need to consider other attractive options, such as clear career progression, employee engagement and flexible working. Incentivising employees to stay within the company, with share options and legacy-in-service initiatives, is also worth considering for long-term retention efforts.

A recruiter can help conquer some of the challenges encountered in attracting Emirati talent. A great recruitment consultancy will have an ever-evolving database of fantastic talent, available both immediately and on notice. They’ll be able to pair your requirements with a shortlist of capable candidates, ensuring each one is both a personality and professional fit. They will also be able to provide advice on the market, advising on salary benchmarks and benefit strategies.

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As specialists in Emiratisation recruitment, Tiger’s Dubai office can help you hire exceptional Emirati talent. Our consultants have lived in the UAE for over 23 years combined so have a unique understanding of the cultural sensitivities of hiring in the region. Get in touch today! If you’re looking for more guidance around hiring, read our comprehensive interview guide for employers. 

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Living and working in Dubai offers a unique and exciting experience, with many opportunities for PAs in a thriving city environment. As one of the leading recruitment agencies in Dubai, Tiger Recruitment has put together a list of some of the skills that will help you as a personal assistant in Dubai.

Fluency in another language

As Dubai is a global business hub, it’s likely that the company you work for will either have offices overseas, or that you will liaise with people of different nationalities. As such, it’s fantastic if you have written and speaking fluency in another language. As Arabic is the official language of the UAE, it will be helpful if you have a working understanding of this, however English is spoken by many expatriates in the city. Other languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Farsi or Bengali may also come in handy, with significant numbers of expats speaking these in the region.

Prioritisation

As experts in PA recruitment in Dubai, we understand that the role is as much about prioritising your own tasks as it is your principal’s! For example, if you work in growing company, it’s possible you may also need to help out the marketing or events staff with special projects. You may also need to screen your principal’s emails and engagements in order to delete the things that aren’t important and prioritise the replies that need to go out.

Discretion

As support staff, you often have access to sensitive and confidential documents and meetings that aren’t privy to the majority of the business. As a result, you need to be able to explain to others that you don’t have permission to share information in a polite but firm manner. Show that you’re trustworthy and reassure your principal that you can manage these situations. For example, any financial or budget information that you may be privy to if you’ve sat in meetings with your principal would be absolutely priceless if it was known internally or externally. When in doubt, use absolute discretion.

Organisation

This one almost goes without saying, as efficient organisation is one of the most integral skills for business support roles in Dubai and globally. Not only do you organise your principal’s daily tasks, but you also organise anything that needs to be done to support them – from organising travel, events, and gifts, to sorting out day-to-day problems in the office. Whatever the request, you need to be across everything that comes in from your principal. Whether you keep electronic calendars and to-do lists, or you use a paper diary, make sure you find what works for you!

As one of the leading business support job agencies in Dubai, Tiger Recruitment can help you find your dream role! Submit your details, or look at our live job listings today!

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While recruitment activity has slowed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still job seekers who are being offered fantastic new positions. If you’re one of them, congratulations! This may well mean that you find yourself in a video call with HR for an exit interview soon.

Volunteering your general feedback about your employer can sometimes be an uncomfortable experience, so if you’re asking yourself “how should I handle an exit interview?”, we’ve provided eight do’s and don’ts to help you prepare.

What to do in your exit interview

Do: Prepare like you would for any interview

Treat this interview as you would any other and prepare accordingly beforehand. Google some sample exit interview questions that are typically asked and practise answering them. Regardless of why you’ve chosen to leave, it’s important to provide thoughtful answers that will help the company improve in the future.

Do: Act professionally

You should remain professional right through to the very end. It will keep the door open for potential opportunities in the future and won’t diminish your chances of receiving a positive employer reference.

Do: Discuss the positives

Try to highlight the positive aspects of the role you’re leaving, even if it’s been the worst job you’ve ever had. It can be anything from the benefits package to the office facilities. This will help to balance out any negative points that may become apparent during the course of the conversation. It also displays a high level of professionalism and awareness on your part.

Do: Exit on good terms

When all is said and done, the aim is to leave the interview room on good terms. Make it clear that you are thankful for every opportunity the company has provided. Even if there is some resentment on your part, it’s better to leave on a positive note and have a clean slate for your new job.

What not to do in your exit interview

Don’t: Vent with no constructive feedback

Avoid discussing colleagues and petty grievances. In fact, avoid mentioning colleagues unless you’re specifically asked to do so. If it does come up, stay clear of slander and only provide reasonable examples that support a valid argument.

You can discuss your ‘suggested areas of improvement’ for the company, but it’s important to remain tactful in your approach.

Don’t: Brag about your new role

Your interviewer will probably ask about your reasons for leaving. While you may be jubilant about leaving, it’s important to avoid boasting as it’ll come across as discourteous. Just keep it short and to the point. For example, if you’re excited that this move is a step up in your career (with a considerable salary increase), you could mention that the new position gives you more responsibility than your existing one.

Don’t: Raise issues that the company cannot address

Any good employer will be looking to improve the workplace using your feedback. As such, you’ll want to refrain from expressing sweeping statements with no rational explanation. They’re not actionable and don’t give off the best impression of you. While preparing for your interview, try to come up with suggestions for how certain situations could be improved in the future.

Don’t: Be unresponsive

You’re probably familiar with the term, “if you have nothing good to say, don’t say it at all”? While this may be great advice in general, don’t apply it to your exit interview. Being unreasonably tight-lipped could be viewed as patronising and won’t help the process. The interviewer will respect your honesty as long as you keep it relevant to the exit survey questions being asked.

If you’re looking for a job, we continue to update our live job listings daily. Make sure to also check out our insights page for helpful resources to help navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

Author bio: This article was written by Check-a-Salary^[1] . Check-a-Salary provides insight on earnings collated across multiple sources for every position in the UK.

^[1] www.checkasalary.co.uk

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At some point in our careers, we’ve all felt the creeping exhaustion of burnout. It’s that overwhelming mental fatigue or a loss of motivation. But here’s the thing: burnout isn’t just something that happens. It’s crucial to recognise the early signs, and taking proactive steps can help you regain control before it takes over.

With the line between working and leisure hours becoming fuzzier every day, separating the two concepts is becoming harder than ever. With the risk of burnout only continuing to increase.

Below, we break down the key indicators of burnout and practical strategies to prevent it so you can stay energised, motivated, and in charge of your well-being.

Recognising the Early Signs of Burnout

Burnout doesn’t look the same for everyone; what overwhelms one person may not affect another. Physical exhaustion is one of the earliest red flags. Feeling drained no matter how much rest you get. Mood swings and irritability can creep in, making it harder to stay positive or engaged. You might also notice increased anxiety at work, constantly feeling on edge about deadlines, expectations, or routine tasks. Over time, a lack of enthusiasm for your job can set in, making once-exciting projects feel like a burden. Recognising these warning signs early is key to preventing burnout from taking a serious toll on your well-being. If you’re experiencing any early signs, follow the methods outlined below to help prevent burnout before it escalates.

Methods for Managing Burnout

1. Establish boundaries and manage expectations

Once your late-night email habits become the norm, others will expect this of you. Therefore, it’s time to rein it in, letting others know of your designated hours of availability. If you have a work phone, leave it in your bag and out of sight outside of those hours. If your phone also acts as your work phone, hide your email app at the very back of your collection, so it’s not front and centre every time you open your screen.

Setting boundaries at work isn’t always easy, especially if you’re driven to succeed and genuinely care about your job. However, without limits, your workload can quickly become unmanageable, leading to stress and burnout.

Establishing boundaries means defining what is sustainable for you, whether that’s setting firm start and finish times, managing workload expectations, or simply knowing when to say no. By prioritising balance, you’ll not only protect your well-being but also improve your productivity and job satisfaction in the long run.

Some examples of how you can do this are:

• Resist the urge to dive into work outside your core hours – Avoid checking emails first thing in the morning or late at night. This helps maintain a clear separation between personal and professional time.
• Protect your focus time – Block dedicated work sessions in your calendar to minimise interruptions and boost productivity. This ensures you’re focused and staying on track with what you need to get done without overworking yourself.
• Communicate boundaries firmly (but politely):
  • With colleagues: “I’d love to help, but I have a full plate. Can we revisit this later?”
  • With your manager: If you’re at capacity, say, “I want to deliver my best work, but I need to focus on my current priorities. Can we discuss what’s most urgent?”
  • For work hours: “I’m available from 9 AM to 6 PM, but after that, I prioritise personal time.”

• Be consistent – Once you set a boundary, stick to it. If you make exceptions too often, colleagues may assume you’re always available.

By reinforcing these boundaries daily, you can create a healthier work-life balance, reduce stress, and stay in control of your workload.

2. Prioritise self-care

We often find ourselves constantly on the go, juggling multiple responsibilities and neglecting our need for rest and self-care. However, taking time for ourselves is crucial for managing stress, improving focus, and preventing burnout.

Burning the candle at both ends is the quickest route to complete mental collapse. Ensure you’re taking care of yourself by scheduling in self-care slots into your week – and not budging on them. Whether it’s going to the gym, running or yoga, practicing mindfulness or even spending a few hours on the couch with a new series will ensure that you are prioritising your needs, reducing your stress levels and giving yourself a much-needed mental refresh.

Incorporating physical activity into your daily routine is one of the most effective ways to combat stress and boost energy. Regular exercise releases endorphins, which not only improve mood but also enhance mental resilience, helping you navigate workplace pressures more effectively. Small movements throughout the day, such as stretching at your desk, taking quick walking breaks, or opting for the stairs instead of the lift, can go a long way in keeping your energy levels up and reducing mental fatigue.

3. Focus on your personal life

While you may not necessarily want to increase your commitments, finding something you love outside work will go a long way in helping reduce the extra hours you’re at work. Engage the creative side of your brain by booking language lessons or learning a new skill – is now the time to brush up on your calligraphy, knitting or wood-making skills? Instead of heading to drinks with friends after work, why not suggest a walk around the park or going to an interesting talk? You’ll be able to kill two birds with one stone by reducing your alcohol intake, increasing your chances of getting a better sleep while also doing something that’s physically or mentally stimulating.

5. Know when to ask for help

If you’re constantly exhausted, feeling alienated at work and feeling like you’re not performing at your best, then it’s time to seek help. There’s nothing wrong with scheduling a meeting with your boss or HR to discuss your workload and see if certain tasks can be delegated to other members of your team. In your personal life, consider outsourcing whatever you don’t have time to do – organise a food delivery box like Mindful Chef or Hello Fresh, find a cleaner or use a service like Airtasker or TaskRabbit to get those things you’ve been putting off done. With all of this off your plate, you’ll have time to focus on other, more important things.

6. Reverse Scheduling

Instead of planning your day around tasks and deadlines, try reverse scheduling. This approach starts by prioritising self-care activities such as relaxation, meals, and physical exercise and then fitting your work tasks around these commitments. By focusing on well-being first, you ensure that you don’t overextend yourself and that your mental and physical health remains a priority throughout your day.

7. The Pomodoro ‘Flow State’ Technique

A niche twist on the traditional Pomodoro Technique, the ‘Flow State’ method involves working in intervals that align with your natural energy peaks. By identifying when you’re most focused and productive, you can tailor your work blocks to these periods, maximising efficiency without pushing yourself to burnout. This strategy allows you to maintain a high level of performance while respecting your rhythms, ensuring you don’t overexert yourself and stay on track for long-term success.

Long-Term Strategies to Prevent Burnout

Prevention is about adopting long-term strategies that support resilience and balance over time. Building resilience through mindfulness and stress management techniques can significantly enhance emotional strength and improve how you handle workplace pressures. By taking a moment each day to focus on your mental and emotional well-being, you equip yourself with the tools to navigate stress more effectively.

What is equally as important is creating a balanced lifestyle that goes beyond work. Engaging in hobbies, creative pursuits, or social activities provides a much-needed break from professional demands and cultivates a sense of fulfilment and relaxation. These personal interests offer an opportunity to recharge, fostering a greater sense of joy and creativity that can carry over into your work life.

Finally, regularly assessing your job satisfaction and making necessary adjustments ensures that your career aligns with your values and long-term goals. It’s essential to check in with yourself and your work environment to ensure that it supports your well-being and growth. If you find yourself ready for a change of roles due to burnout, submit your CV, then browse our jobs to start your search.

The post The Ultimate Guide to Preventing Burnout appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

The world of Human Resources (HR) is rapidly evolving, and at the forefront of this transformation are two game-changing technologies: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation. As we venture deeper into the digital age, HR professionals and hiring managers find themselves on the cusp of a revolution that promises to improve processes, elevate candidate experiences, and unlock the full potential of their workforce.

In this article, we’ll explore the insights of two HR experts, Lorenzo Chiozzi, HR Director at Hikvision UK & Ireland, and Tess Hilson-Greener, CEO of AI Capability Ltd, as they share their experiences and visions for the integration of AI and automation in HR. Alongside this, the article looks at the wider HR function and how areas like talent management, administration and onboarding can be developed and improved by HR teams that are willing to embrace AI and automation.

Enhancing HR Processes through AI

OpenAI, the creators of Chat GPT, published a research paper estimating that “80 percent of jobs can incorporate generative AI technology”. In HR, there is great potential for companies to incorporate AI into performance reviews, talent acquisition, evaluating large pools of candidates, administrative tasks, and other repetitive and data-driven functions. This view is shared by a leading thinker of AI in HR, Josh Bersin, who remarks that much of the data taken by HR is numerically focused, involving surveys, feedback forms, and data” which is then correlated with “business results against various people metrics”. This data-driven approach to HR is one that AI and automation can support, from developing best-practice employee engagement surveys to evaluating large numbers of CVs against the job requirements and a profile of a desired candidate.

In simple terms, AI frees up HR teams to complete business-critical projects by automating administrative tasks. Lorenzo Chiozzi explains, “In recruitment, you can use predictive analysis, interview scheduling, chatbots and candidate sourcing to boost productivity. Reporting has changed with predictive reporting and automated report generation.” These AI-powered applications allow HR teams to work more efficiently, saving valuable time and resources.

Tess Hilson-Greener agrees, emphasising the diverse applications of AI and automation in HR. “These include talent acquisition and recruitment, employee engagement and performance management, workforce planning and analytics, learning and development, and HR operations and administration”. This showcases the wide range of opportunities that AI presents to HR teams, enabling them to strengthen various aspects of talent management.

Delving deeper, Workable mentions that AI can also help businesses “anticipate and plan for outcomes using predictive analytics and machine learning.” This can be especially useful for small businesses without the resources or expertise to map out detailed HR strategies. Utilising AI can help HR teams understand best practices and case studies that AI can digest and provide actionable ideas tailored to individual organisations.

Enhancing HR Operations and Administration

AI and automation have instigated a fundamental shift for HR operations and administration, significantly reducing administrative burdens and freeing up valuable time. Lorenzo shares, “I use AI daily in some HR processes, recruitment, and in a variety of different contexts.” Tools like automated applicant tracking systems, chatbots, and virtual assistants streamline candidate interactions and deliver seamless experiences throughout the hiring process.

For those new to AI, Tess recommends starting with “policy management and reporting” and to “use Chat GPT and other AI video/voice solutions.” AI-powered chatbots can answer employees’ frequently asked questions and provide prompt assistance, enhancing employee self-service options and fostering a more efficient HR service delivery.

The efficiency of operational tasks can be improved by using AI, which can help with speeding up the onboarding and acclimatisation process for new employees. An article by Oracle, referencing data compiled from 34,000 exit interviews, notes that “40% of new employees quit within the first year of being hired”. Whilst employees choose to leave their jobs for a multitude of reasons, delays and inefficiencies in the onboarding process can lead to employees feeling overwhelmed at work, unsuited to the role, or struggling to adapt to the company’s culture or way of working.

Utilising AI allows the onboarding process to support employees 24/7.

It can also ease the time-consuming administrative tasks involved. Furthermore, Oracle state that AI can “equip an employee with intelligent suggestions for courses or reading that will aid in day-to-day job duties”, which highlights the value that AI and automation can provide in career development too.

Mitigating Risks and Embracing Opportunities

Microsoft’s 2023 Work Trend Index Annual Report sheds light on employee attitudes towards AI. Whilst 49% of respondents noted that they have concerns about AI replacing their jobs, 70% would be in favour of delegating as much work as possible to AI. HR teams can leverage this curiosity and act as the champions of AI and automation, to upskill employees in its wide-ranging uses.

This view is echoed by Gosia Adamczyk, speaking to HR Magazine, who suggests that HR teams should build confidence, “starting with the acceptance that these tools are here to stay”. Companies and HR teams can jump on the AI revolution and develop programmes and initiatives aimed at allowing employees to harness the potential of AI in their work rather than allowing them to see it as a threat.

These initiatives still need to be developed with a degree of caution, and it’s important to remember that with any technological advancement, AI comes with risks and challenges. “It can be very dangerous if the model is totally trusted, as it can generate manipulation or systematic biases,” cautions Lorenzo. HR teams must ensure transparency, fairness and oversight when using AI algorithms to avoid unintended consequences. Tess adds, “To mitigate risks, organisations should ensure transparency and fairness in AI algorithms, regularly monitor and validate AI outputs, and have appropriate safeguards for data privacy and security.” Embracing opportunities with AI, while being aware of its limitations and risks, is essential to maximising its use within HR.

Ethical Concerns and DEI

As AI and automation continue to play a more significant role in HR, addressing ethical concerns becomes crucial. Tess reminds HR professionals that “Human oversight and review are important to catch and correct any potential biases or errors.” Ensuring AI algorithms are transparent, fair, and free from bias is paramount in upholding fairness and equality in HR practices.

Incorporating AI into DEI plans ensures that AI-driven decisions align with organisational values and promote a diverse and inclusive workplace.

By investing in AI-qualified consultants and experts, HR teams can mitigate risks and maximise the value of AI and automation in driving positive outcomes for both employees and the company.

Supporting this, Sameer Maskey remarks in a Forbes article that “AI-powered internal survey assessment tools can help HR teams conduct sentiment analysis and deploy data-driven organisation initiatives that focus on employee morale and things today’s workforce considers a priority, such as diversity and sustainability.”

There’s no doubt that AI offers an important, unbiased tool for HR and talent acquisition teams in assessing employee morale and diversity within a company. And for hiring, AI can assess a wide pool of candidates without unconscious bias, not to mention provide a fresh perspective on ideas for employee engagement, for businesses that are ‘set in their ways’.

The Human Touch in HR

While AI improves efficiency, it cannot replace human empathy, creativity, and critical thinking. As Tess explains, “Balancing automation with human interaction and personalised experiences is crucial.” Lorenzo emphasises the importance of strategic implementation, saying, “AI should be implemented strategically, always considering the human factor. AI can make happen what has always been missing in people management – the ability to read information and analytics in a holistic and meaningful way.”

Josh Bersin remarks that AI can pull together data that can be used to make better hiring decisions and likewise decide “who to promote, who to demote, and who should make it to the very top ranks of the company”. Regarding the internal movement of employees, it’s important not to rely completely on AI to make the decisions but to use human intuition and the insight of managers working with employees to ensure that balanced decisions can be made regarding an employee’s potential, suitability for a promotion, and other factors.

Likewise, AI is not yet advanced enough to accurately grasp the values, feel or culture of a company, and HR teams are best placed to decide whether benefits or initiatives are working well, rather than simply relying on data and figures to cast judgment. Small initiatives can have a large impact on employee engagement and morale, and soft benefits can be crucial in retaining and attracting talent that might be overlooked in a hiring strategy based on ‘hard data’.

The Future of HR

Both experts agree that the progression of AI and automation will have a significant impact on the future of HR. Tess predicts that, “There will be new professions, and organisations that manage to crack the AI code for a practical and useful HR approach will prevail.”

The seamless integration of AI and automation will empower HR teams to make data-driven decisions, optimise talent management, and drive employee performance, ultimately ushering in a new era of HR excellence.

As generative AI develops further and becomes widespread in the workforce, new regulations will be developed to ensure that it is safe and beneficial to society. There will be plenty of firsts when it comes to AI, and Jack Aldane, writing for Global Government Forum, mentions that Romania recently “unveiled the world’s first AI government adviser.” The working world will be moulded in the coming years to incorporate AI, and HR teams will be at the forefront of harnessing its capabilities while upskilling workers to utilise it fluidly, thereby firmly positioning it as an ally rather than a threat to job security.

Conclusion: A Journey of Progress

AI and automation have transformed the landscape of HR, promising to revolutionise talent acquisition, employee development, workforce planning and HR operations.

As HR professionals and hiring managers navigate this transformative journey, they must strike a balance between leveraging AI’s capabilities and preserving the human touch.

Embracing AI strategically, with a keen eye on ethics, transparency and fairness, HR professionals can unlock the true potential of their workforce and create a thriving, future-proof organisation.

As businesses embrace the power of AI and automation, HR’s role will evolve into a pivotal one, overseeing the co-existence of human expertise and machine intelligence in companies. Navigating this path with foresight will pave the way for HR to emerge as a strategic driver of business success, steering businesses towards a future of limitless possibilities. The journey towards HR’s AI-powered future has only just begun, and the possibilities are as exciting as they are limitless.

The post AI and Automation: HR’s Evolution into the Future appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Table of Contents

• A seismic shift
• The future is now: AI in HR
• Knowledge management and chatbots
• AI’s role in recruitment
• Improved onboarding and retention
• Data management and privacy concerns
• Leadership development with generative AI
• Tools and technologies in HR
• Future Trends

The post The Future of Artificial Intelligence in HR appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Coralie Fernando, Head of Marketing and Communication at Tiger, sits down with Laura Glendenning, Head of Tiger Private, to talk through how private household staff recruitment has changed during COVID-19. They discuss the high-quality candidate pool available, the popularity of certain household positions, consolidation of roles and how virtual technologies are speeding up the recruitment process. Listen to the podcast below.

You can find out more about private household recruitment here or email Laura directly for more info.

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Exercise and avoid the summer sun in Dubai and the MENA region

Unlike other cities in the world, staying active during the work day can seem impossible in Dubai during the summer months. With average temperatures during the day nudging 40°C, it’s not the ideal environment in which to take a walk around the block to get your legs moving after sitting at your desk all day, especially if you’re permanent staff based in the same office day in, day out. While there are many benefits to going outside during your work day, you don’t want to leave the air-conditioned bliss of your office. Here are some tips for staying active when you can’t leave your air-conditioned office.

Change your desk set up

Making a few simple changes to your desk can encourage you to stay active while working. It can be as easy as putting a couple of ankle weights underneath your desk to encourage you to get your legs moving while you’re sitting still. If your company has the scope, ask them for a standing desk or an exercise ball. These are two pieces of equipment that will keep you mobile for hours at a time, which will help burn calories and keep the blood flowing without leaving your desk.

Take advantage of the AC

When going outside in the heat to exercise is out of the question, why not take advantage of your cool office environment? Instead of going for a lunchtime run during a cooler time of year, utilise your office stairs for the same purpose. Running up and down stairs will get your heart pumping, and because climbing creates more resistance, you may get a better workout than jogging outside. If running isn’t your thing, for an hour a week, turn the office meeting room into a yoga or pilates studio. Organise a group of your interested co-workers and, if possible, bring in an external teacher to lead the session. It’s a great way to utilise space while everyone is having their lunch, and this gentle exercise means you can stretch and re-focus in the middle of the day.

Change phone habits

How long do you spend on the phone each day at work? What if, every time you took a call, you stood up or went for a walk while talking? This simple habit can really help get you moving throughout the work day, and should be easy to implement in your day to day with enough practice.

Find excuses to move

Unfortunately, in an office environment, there aren’t many opportunities to move throughout the work day. It means that you must make the effort to move around during your work day. An easy way to do this is to download an app that will give you a reminder to get up every hour to stretch or take a walk. Another idea is to change up the kitchen or bathroom you visit throughout the day. Instead of going to the facilities next to your office, walk up to the next floor up to take more steps.

As one of the leading recruitment agencies in Dubai, we publish workplace insights on a regular basis. Check them out here.

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It’s been called ‘The Future of Work’ and ‘The Next Great Disruption’, but does hybrid working make sense for your business?

The pandemic forced us all to adapt to new realities, not the least of which was the swift and sometimes stressful shift to remote working for a huge number of employees. While many of us initially saw this as a short-lived solution, as the lockdowns dragged on, it increasingly became a way of life.

With studies last year indicating more than half of employers expect a surge in flexible work requests from their employees after the pandemic, it’s clear the hybrid option needs to be given serious consideration if a company wants to stay at the forefront of their industry. In fact, even before the pandemic, research found that as many as 87% of us wanted more flexibility in our work structure, so it’s no wonder that it has become the preferred way to live and work for a lot of Tiger’s candidates.

However, not every employer is convinced by the new dynamic, and feel that its merits remain unproven. This cautious approach could prove costly in the long run though, as we’re seeing candidates go so far as to turn down roles that require 5 days a week in the office. So, in what ways can flexible working be shown to provide benefits for both parties?

Focus on what’s achieved, not what’s perceived

As we’ve mentioned in a recent Forbes article, the pandemic had a significant effect on the culture of presenteeism and long-hours working. The happy result of the reduced micromanagement was that both employers and employees could stop measuring their worth on sometimes misleading metrics like number of hours worked, and focus instead on what has actually been achieved. Less clock-watching takes a load off employees’ minds and frees up much-needed mental energy for delivering exceptional work.

Lower costs on office space

Post-lockdown studies have shown that, on average, surveyed companies are reducing their office space by 30%. These companies are shifting to flexible work options like hot desks, with fewer staff on-site on a given day. Of course, this can reduce overheads significantly, and a quieter office has its own perks, as we’ll see in the next point.

Empowering all personalities in your workforce

Naturally, working from home isn’t for everybody, and many employees thrive in a busy, fast-paced office. But we often neglect those who hit peak performance in quieter settings. Flexible working gives these employees more control of their environment, so they can maximise their productivity and work to their natural rhythms.

A less stressful commute

With more employees taking up the option of a hybrid work-week, the once ubiquitous morning sight of packed trains, buses and gridlocked traffic isn’t such a sure bet anymore. With fewer nerve-jangling commutes, employees are arriving to offices still brimming with morning energy and raring to go. Companies can also offer commute-easing incentives to encourage employees into the office more regularly, such as cycle-to-work schemes, hot desks in more nearby offices, and flexible start times.

Stay ahead in a competitive talent market

Increased market confidence has put the ball back in the employees’ and jobseekers’ court, and businesses hoping to attract the top talent would do well to keep flexible working at the forefront of their offers. This type of tailored benefit shows respect for employees’ wellbeing, and could give you the edge over your competitors.

Increased job satisfaction

Another welcome effect of increased employee autonomy is a deeper sense of satisfaction in their role. They feel more valued and trusted by their employers, and a greater ownership over the work they’re doing. They are thus much more likely to remain loyal to their company, and are a great advert for attracting further talent.

It’s more and more apparent that flexible, hybrid working is here to stay, and is becoming a key enticement for talent. At Tiger, we can help you find that talent from a wide range of highly skilled candidates around the world. Please get in touch today to find out how we can help you find your next great hire.

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October 20^th 2020 marks the launch of Expo2020, the largest event to ever take place in the UAE. Over the course of six months, the city will play host to an exposition of hundreds of pavilions – all themed to 190 different countries. Showcasing the best of each country through exhibitions, events, live entertainment, food and culture, the Expo will be held in District 2020, a 200,000 m² area situated in the south of the city. It’s the first world Expo to be held in the region, following on from Milan’s Expo in 2015.

As 25 million visitors are expected to visit over the course of the event, the Expo is bound to have an impact of all facets of life, including recruitment. The projected increase of GDP during the time of the Expo is AED112.6 billion – which will undoubtedly impact hiring and salaries. With just 12 months to go till the event, here’s what to look out for.

Candidate retention continues to be important  

In the past few years, we’ve seen a change in the type of salary and benefit packages offered by employers. A few years ago, it was common practice to provide a house, car, kids’ school fees and a free return flight home for expats. Nowadays, these benefits aren’t given out as freely, so we’re seeing some families move away from Dubai. This exodus, combined with the 275,000 jobs its hoped the Expo will create, will undoubtedly trigger increased turnover. Can you hold on to your staff through tailored benefits packages? Depending on the workers, offering school fees, training and development opportunities or private health insurance could be attractive benefits.

Economic change

According to Capital Economics[1], economic growth in the city is projected to rise to between 3.8% and 4.5% throughout the Expo and the following ten years. Hosting the Expo will increase Dubai’s GDP by 1.5%. While many businesses are growing (luxury five-star hotel The Dorchester is currently under construction), some corporations are choosing to move away from Dubai as there is uncertainty around how things will change in the area. Dubai went through an economic boom between the years 1995-2004, with a 17% GDP increase in the final year alone[2]. However, an oversupply of property was the primary cause for the crash in 2009[3]. In the 10 years following the crash, there has been slow but steady growth, but it is hoped that the Expo will speed up production and bring further prosperity to the city.

Dubai continues to be desirable in the region

Dubai is part of the UAE, the 2^nd most populous of the Gulf States. Within the region, there are business centres in Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia that also offer tax-free income. But it’s not just expats who choose to live and work here – according to the MENA Job Index[4], six out of 10 Dubai residents surveyed have said that they would choose Dubai above all other cities in the region to work. The consensus among workers throughout MENA is that Dubai has a ‘work hard, play hard’ culture, especially when compared to Abu Dhabi, which is seen by many to be a more laid-back city. We’re seeing stability in job numbers and salaries in the lead up to Expo2020, which is hoped to further attract those from both inside and outside the UAE.

The effects of the Expo will be felt long after 2020

Gulf News[5] reports that there will be a further AED62.2 billion injected into the economy from 2020 to 2030. Tourism is expected to contribute to this, as are new commercial opportunities. Following the Expo, 80% of the infrastructure in District2020 will be reincorporated into residential units, commercial buildings, a community centre, restaurants, green spaces and transport links to the airport. The area is expected to be home to a community of 90,000 people, with over two million m² of area available for third parties to develop. This will undoubtedly create opportunities for businesses, from start-ups to multi-national corporations, to expand into this new area. In turn, this development is hoped to attract new job openings and highly skilled candidates into the area.

Please get in touch with our expert consultants for further recruitment insights.

[1] https://www.capitaleconomics.com/publications/middle-east-north-africa-economics/middle-east-economics-update/how-is-dubais-economy-performing/
[2] http://www.arabnews.com/node/260522
[3] https://reuters.com/article/us-emirates-dubai-future/dubai-recipe-for-economic-success-looks-stale-as-markets-slump-idUSKBN1KCo8V
[4] https://www.bayt.com/en/blog/27009/the-bayt-com-middle-east-job-index-survey-february-2014/
[5] https://gulfbusiness.com/will-expo-2020-impact-uae-jobs-market/

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Flexible working defines the practice of working away from the office – by either working at home, or being able to start late / finish early to suit individual lifestyles. Flexible working practices have become increasingly common around the world, with almost 50% of full-time workers in the UK now working with flexible hours, according to Timewise[1]. Employers in Dubai are facing the same circumstances: according to the International Workplace Group (IWG) study, “60% of employees in the country work away from the office at least once a week” [2]. With more companies embracing flexible working, they are also reaping the rewards when looking to find new employees and attract talent in the Middle Eastern job market. Here are just some of the benefits of offering flexibility in your workplace.

Decreased stress

As Dubai is a global business hub, there are a high number of expats moving in and out of the city, and it takes time to adjust to a new time zone and culture. This, alongside the desire to work hard in order to keep up with the demands of world-wide trade, means that it’s no surprise that 80% of people in UAE live in a state of high stress.[3] Stress can lead to disengagement and demotivation in the workplace, making it a pressing issue for employers in the UAE to deal with. Flexible working gives your employees the option to negotiate some regular time to work in a different environment that functions better for them, like their home or a favourite coffee shop.

Improved productivity

The IWG study found that “85% of respondents confirm that productivity has increased in their business as a result of greater flexibility”[4]. This may be a result of the traditional office environment actually becoming an extremely distracting place. From colleagues popping around to ask a question to multiple meetings a day, phones ringing off the hook and general chatter in open-plan offices, the office is becoming less ideal for productivity. Flexible working allows individuals to choose their most productive unique working patterns, as well as the freedom to prioritise other areas in their lives such as fitness or families.

Attract and retain great staff

We’re seeing a change in benefits packages for employees in Dubai whereby it’s less likely that expats will have benefits such as a car or children’s school fees paid for as standard. If your company is no longer in a position to offer these packages, introducing flexible working hours could be a great benefit to help retain and find staff more successfully. If you’re looking to recruit a permanent employee and your preferred candidate is a young parent, for example, this will allow them time to be at home with their children during the working day. This will also positively affect retention, as flexible working will encourage employees to stay at your company, rather than looking around for something new.

Reduced recruitment costs

Your management team will be pleased to know that flexible working also offers a few indirect positives to your bottom line! With lower staff turnover, you’re reducing training costs as well as the cost to replace an employee. With fewer workers in the office, overheads will also decrease as less desk space is required. For reference, IWG forecasts that the US could see an annual economic boost of $4.5 trillion dollars through flexible working options[5]. This figure alone should be a reason to consider adopting flexible working options in your workplace.

Tiger can help with your office and PA recruitment needs and provide advice on the best employee benefits to attract the talent you need. Get in touch today!

[1] https://timewise.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Manifesto-for-change.pdf

[2] http://contact.regus.com/GBS18_Report_Download_Request

[3] https://whatson.ae/dubai/2019/02/5-things-we-learned-at-the-2019-world-government-summit/

[4] https://www.iwgplc.com/global-workspace-survey-2019

[5] http://assets.regus.com/pdfs/iwg-workplace-survey/iwg-workplace-survey-2019.pdf

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With the current situation forcing us to work differently, you may now find yourself carrying out your daily tasks in new ways, like participating in video meetings. Instead of all gathering together in the office for daily or weekly check-ins, most of us are now using this medium to stay connected while working remotely.

If you’re new to the art of the video call and not sure of video meeting etiquette, we’re here to help. With our top 10 tips for video conference meetings, you can make sure you get it right next time you log on to Zoom.

1. Get ready on time

While we know it’s standard with any meeting to be on time and ready to go when the session is scheduled to start, it’s even more important for a video conference. This is because you will need time to set up the technology and connect your video and audio. If you jump in late, you can’t just slip in the back of the room – everyone will be able to see you, which is very distracting for the person speaking.

2. No backgrounds

Find a tidy and professional space at home where you can sit in front of a plain wall or background. Wallpaper or artwork with busy and distracting patterns is a no-go, as well as using a video background. Remember, this is a professional Zoom video meeting, so there’s no need to impress everyone with your decor or tech skills.

3. Frame yourself properly

There may be times when you find yourself staring at the forehead or nostrils of a co-worker during a video meeting – you don’t want to be that person! Before joining the call, take a few seconds to ensure your face is in the frame at a straight angle. If you’re using Zoom, there is an opportunity to check this while waiting to enter a conference call.

4. Find a quiet place

As is the case with the current situation, many of us find ourselves working from home with our partners, housemates, children and pets. While we know this doesn’t make for the quietest of offices, you will need to choose a place with no distractions to attend the video meeting. Go into a separate room if possible and make sure there are no other noises, like the TV or voices. If there’s someone else working from home with you, try to plan your meeting times to be at staggered time slots to avoid two video calls in the same space.

5. Make sure you’re well lit

Poor lighting will make the video quality poor and grainy – this is video meeting 101. Try to make sure the space you’re using has enough light so you are seen clearly. If you have a window, position your laptop or webcam in front of it so you’re naturally lit. If not, try to ensure the room’s walls are bright and use multiple light sources where you can.

6. Wear work clothes

It’s definitely tempting to hang out in your comfy clothes now you find yourself at home all day. However, if you have a Zoom video meeting scheduled, you should wear work-appropriate clothing. It will not only look more professional, but it will help you get into the right mindset for the meeting.

7. Mute yourself when not speaking

Even if you’ve found a quiet space for the video meeting, you’d be surprised by what the microphone can still pick up! Turning yourself on mute when you’re not talking will remove any distractions or annoying noises for other participants. This is especially important for conference calls with many participants, as the sounds from everyone’s homes can create quite the cacophony.

8. Look into the camera when you speak

Very important on our list of what to do in a video meeting! Looking into the camera when you’re speaking is the equivalent of looking into someone’s eyes in person, so it’s an essential practice. If you’re looking elsewhere as you talk, it can look unprofessional and be distracting, even if you don’t mean to be. Remember, your face is clearly visible for everyone to see, so the group will notice things they can’t pick up in person.

9. Don’t stare at yourself when someone else is speaking

It can be tempting to look at your camera feed during the meeting, especially to check how you’re presenting to everyone else in the meeting. However, if you’re staring at yourself when someone else is speaking, it can seem like you’re not paying attention. If you find it’s impossible to stop staring at yourself, put a post-it note on the screen where your face is shown to eliminate the distraction.

10. Pay attention

You may think you’re great at multitasking and are able to check emails or work during a video meeting, but the other participants will know. Give all your attention to the meeting, as you may miss out on any important information shared as well as come across as rude or inconsiderate.

If you’re looking to recruit new members for your team or now find yourself looking for a new job, contact Tiger Recruitment today. We are a leading recruitment agency for matching individuals and businesses in permanent roles.

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To celebrate International Week of Happiness at Work, we’re shining a light on workplace morale! As an employer, there are a number of steps you can take in order to encourage a positive culture in the office. Not only will it benefit your current employees, but it can also help you attract fantastic candidates through a great employer brand. Don’t know where to start? We’ve put together a list of ideas to help!

Boost training and development

Encouraging your staff to develop their skills is crucial to employee engagement. This could take the form of weekly webinars, internal workshops, mentorships within the company or external seminars. Whichever route they take, knowing that you’re willing to invest time (and possibly money) in their personal development goes a long way to boosting their satisfaction at work.

Flexibility is key

More employers in Dubai are enjoying the benefits of flexible working (including improved productivity, enhanced attraction and retention of staff). As the world moves towards a flexible way of working, it’s become clear that we’re happiest when our work life supports our personal lifestyles. Flexibility can encompass anything from remote working to flexi-hours, so there’s plenty of scope for an arrangement that suits both employee and employer.

Employee feedback

Open communication between employees and their line managers is essential to creating a happier workplace, as it will soon reveal the areas for improvement. Regular 1:1 sessions with employees, suggestions boxes, and regular employee engagement surveys are all effective forums for comprehensive feedback. Furthermore, engaging employees with the implementation of their ideas will enhance their feelings of appreciation.

Team building to encourage friendships

If your employees are spending eight hours a day or more with their team, it stands to reason that they’ll work better if they’re friends! As a manager, you can foster friendships by organising team-building events. Why not set up a team lunch or a party for a team member’s birthday? Socialising outside work hours or at a team-away day provides a perfect setting for teams to get to know one another. Additionally, if you’ve just hired a new EA or other member of staff, an informal team lunch will go a long way to helping them get to know their new colleagues quickly, outside the confines of an office environment.

Reorganising the office
If your organisation has the scope to do this, think about reorganising the office space to encourage collaborative work away from the desk. In addition, a workplace with natural light and office plants can also encourage a more positive work environment. Our 2020 Salary And Benefits Review supports this, revealing that work environments were more important than salary when it came to candidate attraction!

Consider stress-relieving activities

Stress-relieving initiatives are a great way to break up the work day and show your employees you care about their mental health. The options here are limitless; some popular options include in-office massages, lunchtime yoga classes and bring-your-dog-to-work days!

If you’re looking to hire a PA or business support staff in the UAE, our expert consultants can help. Get in touch today!

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Flexible working in Dubai is on the rise, and for good reason – it can decrease stress and improve your productivity, among other benefits. If you’re able to work remotely, you may be tempted to stay at home in your pyjamas. However, sometimes a change of scene can really boost your concentration! Luckily, we’re spoilt for choice in Dubai, with some great co-working spaces popping up around the city. Whether you’re looking for a desk for a day, or a meeting room for a conference call, you can find a space to suit you.

Our Space

os.work

Our Space is a co-working space that aims to bring nature and greenery into the workplace. With meeting rooms, common spaces and desks surrounded by lush foliage, it’s a little oasis in the middle of busy Dubai. Located in the impressive Lamborghini building, it’s the office space to impress clients or visitors. With a gym, café and zen room onsite, it’s clear that your wellbeing is at the forefront here. The only space on our list with a ‘tantrum’ room, built especially for members who’re looking for a place to cool off by having a good shout, Our Space nurtures a positive work-life blend.

Nest Dubai

nestdubai.co/

Nest is currently closed due to COVID-19.

Nest Dubai is a modern co-working space within the TRYP by Wyndham Dubai hotel, located in Barsha Heights. It’s a great option for those who don’t have a home base in the city but visit regularly for work, as they provide combined room-and-working-space packages. Quirky and cool with all the trimmings (including unlimited coffee and snacks), it’s available for daily, weekly, monthly or yearly plans. Added extras include food discounts, access to the hotel’s pool and gym facilities, free parking and the option to hire large, event-size spaces.

Nasab

nasabdubai.com

Nasab offers the perfect place for those looking for creative inspiration, with eclectic furnishings, bright colours and cool artwork. Set in an open-air loft space, you’ll find private office suites and shared workspaces, fully equipped with printer, scanning and entirely pet-friendly. It’s equipped with studio spaces to hire and floor-to-ceiling windows that allow the gorgeous Dubai sunshine to into the space. There’s also a range of social and wellbeing facilities, like pools, tennis courts, spa and sauna areas.

 Astrolab

astrolabs.com

Astrolab is open 24/7, great if you’re working with colleagues in other time zones. The space has a heavy tech focus, including a device lab if you need to test our software and a ‘coding cave’, perfect for those who need to work without distraction. Unlimited coffee and snacks will help power you through to the small hours of the morning.

Tiger Recruitment is a leading recruitment agency in Dubai, servicing the MENA region. Take a look at our job vacancies in Dubai and MENA, and apply to your dream role today!

All images supplied by NEST

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When it comes to onboarding new employees, the office manager’s job description isn’t just about setting up a new starter’s computer, phone and official documents. As you’re in the unique position of working across all departments, you can also play an integral role in the successful onboarding of new employees through more informal means. We recommend partnering with the HR department to ensure everyone understands their roles and that all aspects of the process are covered.

We’ve outlined three ways you can play a crucial role in settling in a new starter.

Talk to their team

One important thing to do before the onboarding process begins is to prepare the team for the new hire. You can do this by encouraging them to invite the new hire out to after-work drinks, organising a team lunch or setting up a team-building activity for the first few weeks they’ll be at the company. Depending on the role, HR may have organised a person to act as a mentor for them, or they may be receiving a hand over from their predecessor. Check this person has all of the materials and information they need to start this process. If the previous person wasn’t in the role and you hired a temp to fill the gap, ensure the temp has at least a few days’ handover with the new hire as well.

Talk to management

The new starter’s manager will be overseeing their workload. If they are experienced, they will know the best way to introduce information is slowly, with regular check-ins, to make sure their new hire is coping with their new role. But what about their interactions with other departments? Take the initiative and chat to each manager about a time they will be available to have a 1:1 introduction with the new starter. Once confirmed, make sure you remember to pop it in their dairies so they don’t let it fall to the wayside. This way, it’s guaranteed that the new employee will get some face time with the people they’ll have to work with, and it gives them an opportunity to find out how their role will interact with the rest of the office. This also encourages co-working and collaboration in the office, beneficial for productivity and ideas.

Talk to them

A new starter’s first day is daunting to say the least, so try to make your interactions with them as friendly as possible. It’s usually HR or the line manager’s role to go over company policies and make introductions, so sit back and wait until they have absorbed this information. Catch them within their first few days to reinforce anything they’re unsure with! Learn about them and make sure they’re aware of any benefits that may be of interest to them. This might be the company’s flexible working policies or social nights out. If you’re working remotely, it’s still important to set up a meeting a few days into their job so you can check in with them.

Above all, it’s important to work with the existing staff so this transition is as easy as possible for your newbie! You’re a natural conduit between HR, management and the new starter’s team; by ensuring everyone is aware of their responsibilities during this time, you’re proving yourself (yet again) to be an invaluable part of the business’ success.

Check out our other workplace insights to keep up with our latest tips and office trends, or read our comprehensive interview guide for employers. 

The post Three ways an office manager can help in the onboarding process appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

As we enter Q4, the employment market across the MENA region remains vibrant, signalling continued growth across multiple sectors. Tiger Recruitment’s Dubai office is seeing strong hiring demand, particularly for digital roles and executive assistants. We have seen plenty of expansion in Abu Dhabi and a noticeable uptick in Arabic-speaking executive assistant roles.

Digital Roles Gain Traction

Post-summer, there has been a renewed focus on hiring, with many companies seeking talent that can contribute to their ambitious growth plans. Digital and technology roles are gaining traction as more candidates with international expertise, especially those from the UK and the US, are relocating to the UAE to seize opportunities.

Fintech startups, data centres and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) clients are driving much of this demand, with a particular call for senior-level positions. Clients are increasingly looking for experienced professionals to relocate from abroad to help build and replicate the success they’ve achieved in other global markets.

Demand For Immediate Availability

As companies across the UAE seek to accelerate growth, there has been a marked increase in the demand for candidates who are immediately available to start. While many jobseekers from the UK, Australia and the US are actively pursuing relocation to the UAE, those candidates already in the region are at a distinct advantage in this fast-moving job market where employers are making swift hiring decisions.

Family Office Growth

UHNW individuals from the UK and beyond are increasingly relocating to the UAE, strategically positioning themselves to capitalise on the growth opportunities available in the region. This shift has opened up significant opportunities for experienced family office professionals, including executive assistants, office managers and other support staff.

Positive Outlook for Q4

The outlook for Q4 is optimistic. Despite the seasonal slowdown typically expected in December, we anticipate a buoyant start to the new year, with recruitment activity continuing at pace. The UAE remains an attractive destination for top talent, and we are looking forward to supporting both employers and jobseekers as the market evolves.

For those looking to hire in the coming months, now is an ideal time to connect with our consultants at Tiger Recruitment. Contact our team for expert guidance with your hiring needs across the MENA region.

The post Tiger Recruitment’s Quarterly Market Update appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Onboarding staff is one of the most integral stages to the recruitment process. As you know, carrying out comprehensive and effective onboarding ensures that your employees will have the best possible chance of successfully integrating into their new role, team and company. Conversely, poor onboarding may impact turnover, staff morale and training, which can prove to be a costly exercise.

The recruitment and onboarding process has had to adapt to the growing phenomenon of remote workers, with some virtual employees working far from the company office, or even in another country. Onboarding new staff remotely is therefore a reality that every business should be prepared for.

So, how do employers onboard effectively without meeting new staff in person? These are our top remote onboarding tips.

A guide to onboarding remotely

The pandemic forced businesses around the world to transition to working from home – and  flexible working remain a popular benefit among employees. However, few employers are as well-prepared as they should be to go through the onboarding process remotely. The good news is that, with proper planning and guidance, it can be done well.

Throughout the remote onboarding process, it’s important to remember that new starters may feel an increased level of stress and anxiety.. With this in mind, regular check-ins and extra learning time are all the more important for them to learn the ropes.

If you’ve never onboarded remotely before

If, like many businesses, you’ve never onboarded a new starter remotely, there are a few things to prepare before you start. First, decide who’ll lead the onboarding process – typically this will either be a member of HR or the line manager. Whoever it is, they’ll need to be available to be quite hands-on throughout the first month as they’ll be busy facilitating regular video calls and training sessions. They should also create a realistic four-week agenda for the new starter to help structure the process.

Next, IT will need to facilitate the software or technology needed to onboard remotely (including training platforms, video or messaging technology) and the logistics of shipping laptops, computers and other hardware to the employee.

Finally, notify the wider business that you’ll be onboarding remotely and ask for their cooperation. It’s essential to include as many people as possible to the process as this will help create connections and improve your new starters’ integration within the wider team.

Before the new starter starts

Check in with your new starter before their start date to reassure them everything will go ahead as planned, as this will go a long way to alleviate any concerns.

We spoke to one of our personal assistant candidates, Jordan, who was recently onboarded remotely by a global management consultancy firm in London. Jordan explained that, “there’s so much anxiety coming into a new (virtual) workplace, so when HR called to reassure me everything was going ahead and I would have my hardware and agenda by a certain day, it really helped. They really put themselves in my shoes and answered every question that I thought of but was too afraid to ask.”

Sending a starter pack can also go a long way to making new employees feel excited and welcomed. This could include an agenda for the first month, a staff handbook, any applicable handover notes, HR policies, a personalised welcome letter from the owner/CEO/MD, company values and information on annual leave and benefits. If possible, try to be creative – you could include branded merchandise such as a notebook, pen, mug, USB stick and a small pot plant, for example. If you already have a starter pack in place, adapt it to include step-by-step instructions on using the systems and clear contact information for key members of staff.

Download this checklist to help ensure everything is organised before the start date.

First day of remote onboarding

The first day is one of the most important in the remote onboarding process. Start by sending around a company-wide email to introduce the new starter. Next, video call the new starter to run through the agenda for the week. If you’re in the HR team and have set up orientation video calls with the employee’s team and manager, offer to act as a friendly face by sitting in on these initial introductions. These calls should set out the training plan, set expectations and any short- and long-term goals around workload.

Lastly, organise an HR catch up for the first week, which will give them an opportunity to ask about company-specific information like the annual leave policy, benefits, the HR portal and essential contacts for IT and other team members.

First week of remote onboarding

For the rest of the first week, organise training sessions with members of their team. If you’ve organised a work buddy, ask them to talk the new starter through company culture and values (including what to expect when everyone returns to the office).

Later in the week, start introducing other managers/key staff in the company to explain what they do and how they’re likely to work with your new recruit. This will help them understand the structure of the company, especially when they can’t see it in-person at the office.

To help foster a sense of camaraderie while onboarding candidates remotely, set up 20-minute social calls with members of the team to learn about each other on a personal level. There’s only one rule – they can’t talk about work!

Finally, organise a debrief at the end of the first week. Go over the agenda to ensure everything has been completed and the new starter is happy with their progress.

Jordan found the main challenge of the first week to be “information overload”, as new employees are left to their “own devices to try and make sense of [new information]”. As such, the person responsible for onboarding should make themselves as available as possible to the new starter so they don’t feel overwhelmed.

It’s a good idea to break up video meetings with training sessions and social calls to prevent them from feeling inundated with information. There’s the possibility the onboarding process will take more time than it would normally in the office, so feel free to space out training sessions as necessary.

Download this sample calendar to help plan the first four weeks of a new starter’s agenda.

Best practice

The agenda for onboarding a candidate remotely will be different for every business. However, employers should always keep in mind the following best-practice tips to ensure a successful remote onboarding process.

Above all, ensure the new starter feels supported by the business by having access to HR, their manager or their work buddy at all times. In her new company, Jordan was assigned a buddy who called her regularly over the first two weeks. She said they “talked about things outside of work, like what we’re watching on Netflix. This was so important because you’ve lost the social interaction you’d normally have in an office.”

Put time aside to introduce the new starter to the company’s values and culture, as this is something they may not absorb by themselves at home. You can do this by encouraging socialising with virtual coffee dates and team building activities to improve collaboration within remote teams. Jordan explained that because “more people have reached out now I’m at home than if we were in the office, I feel a lot happier in my role.” As her company has taken time to include her in social activities like “Friday beers via Zoom and company-wide quizzes to meet people,” she’s been left with a positive impression of the workplace and its culture.

While setting out the agenda before the employee starts is essential, review it on a weekly basis via 1:1 check-ins. Listen to feedback and adapt if necessary. There’s no need to put an excessive amount of pressure on someone starting a new role, as this may foster negative feelings. Jordan reiterates that employers should “think in the shoes of the person who has come on remotely. It’s really, really overwhelming so you need to make time to check in!”

For longer-term performance and training/development goals, aim to review on a monthly and quarterly basis. This will reassure your new starter that you’re invested in their growth within the company.

Remote Onboarding Resources

If you’re onboarding remotely for the first time, you need to prepare the right tools. Below are a few resources that may help.

Essential check-in questions

When conducting regular check-ins, ask the right questions in case you need to adapt the process accordingly. Below are some example questions to ask when onboarding remotely:
How has the onboarding process been for you?
Are you happy in your role?
What’s your favourite part of the role?
What are you finding most challenging?
What do you think of the company culture?
Is there anything you want me to go over again with you?
Is there anything I can do to make this experience easier?
How do you feel about using the system/tech/software?

Virtual training tools

If your company isn’t familiar with virtual training, we’ve compiled a list of tools you can use to onboard the new starter. These include:

• Screen sharing/1:1 learning via video meeting software like Zoom or Skype
• Internal online courses/orientation videos
• External online courses via providers such as New Skills Academy
• Creating simple quizzes via Google forms or Survey Monkey

If you’re looking for additional hiring advice, read our complete interview and selection guide for employers.

If you’re looking for top talent for your roles, get in touch with your requirements!

The post A comprehensive guide to onboarding remotely for the first time appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Are you an HR professional looking for guidance when it comes to creating a plan for your work post-COVID-19? Our Head of Marketing and Communications, Coralie Fernando, interviewed Erin Taheny, Head of HR and Operations here at Tiger, on how we’re planning for Tiger’s return to the office in London.

Erin started at Tiger mere weeks before London went into lockdown, so her experience has been incredibly unique! In the interview, they discussed how Tiger is approaching the return to the office post-COVID-19. They discuss the main concerns for our employees, the importance of conducting employee feedback surveys and risk assessments and how important communication has been throughout the process. Listen to the podcast and read the full transcription below.

The post LISTEN: Everything you need to know about creating your return to the office plan appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

High-Profile Personal Assistants

Just as the responsibilities of senior business leaders will differ significantly from the junior staff in their organisation, personal assistants will face different expectations based on the unique requirements and status of their Principal.

A high-profile personal assistant, often called an executive assistant, works with professionals in top-level positions, and holds a similarly high-pressure role. Here, we’ll explore what their day-to-day responsibilities include, and the skills and character traits the best personal assistants possess.

Defining the Role of a High-profile Personal Assistant

Chief executives, senior managers, and business leaders of every stripe are under constant demand for their time, expertise, and guidance. It’s the role of a personal assistant or executive assistant to shield their Principal from any unnecessary distractions and disruptions.

They will handle time-consuming admin, travel booking, diary management, and be the gatekeeper for communications. They may also take on tasks relating to their Principal’s personal life.

They allow the Principal to stay focused on the important tasks and, as a result, help keep the wheels of the business turning.

Qualities of an Exceptional High-profile Personal Assistant

As they work with powerful businesspeople in a high-stakes environment,  personal assistants need to have a particular set of qualities for them thrive in the role. The most valuable of these include:

• Calm temperament – whether it’s answering phone calls from frustrated colleagues, partners, and clients, or dealing with a Principal at boiling point, the best PAs need a cool head
• Discretion – working for C-suite executives and senior management means handling sensitive data and being party to important business discussions. A high-profilepersonal assistant will need to stay tight-lipped about any information picked up during their working day.
• Organisation – senior managers have more meetings, more calls, and more travel, and they need to be able to rely on their assistant to stay on top of this schedule. Organisation and time-management skills are a must-have.
• Communication – as the point-of-contact for their principal, the best assistants need excellent written and verbal communication, with an understanding of the correct tone to use with each correspondent. They also need to be able to relay information to their principal in a clear and concise manner.

Administrative Duties of a High-profile Personal Assistant

Like their more junior personal assistant counterparts, high-profile personal assistants will take on a lot of the admin tasks relating to their Principal. Below, we’ll look at the most common tasks.

Managing Busy Schedules and Appointments

The diaries of senior managers will be handled by their personal assistants. This means the assistant will have a complete understanding of where their Principal needs to be at any given time of the day, and what they will be doing. This could be a client meeting, giving a speech at a conference, or even attending their child’s school play.

Travel Arrangements and Itinerary Management

As well as knowing where their Principal should be at a given time, a high-profile personal assistant will often be in charge of getting them there. Booking taxis, trains, planes, hotels, and restaurants is all within the assistant’s remit, and they will need to have the quick-thinking to make adjustments to these bookings, should anything go wrong.

Email and Communication Management

Certain senior staff may require their personal assistant to take full responsibility for their email inbox and phone calls. If this is the case, the assistant will need a strong grasp of the language and tone they should use in every interaction.

Document Organisation and Filing

A high-profile personal assistant will be in charge of organising and storing their Principal’s physical and digital documents. Many of these documents will contain sensitive information, and will likely be needed in the future, so an assistant needs a good organisational head, and an understanding of physical and digital security.

Personal Support and Concierge Services

As well as performing a range of business-related tasks for their Principal, high-profile personal assistants will often offer support for personal matters. The extent of this crossover into the personal side will be up to the Principal, but typically personal assistants may be expected to handle the following.

Personal Shopping and Gift Procurement

During busy business hours, personal assistants may be asked to run shopping errands. It could be taking a suit to a tailor, picking up from the dry cleaners, or purchasing a birthday gift for a family member.

Event Planning and Coordination

With their excellent organisational and diary management skills, high-profile personal assistants are a great help when planning personal events. From booking a function room for an anniversary party to finding a day in the diary for a picnic with the family, the responsibility is often be passed on to a personal assistant.

Family Support and Household Management

Alongside handling their Principal’s diary, personal assistants may be required to oversee a family schedule too. This could include children’s after-school and weekend activities, family holidays and more.

Many high-profile personal assistants manage junior personal assistants within the business, and so are a natural choice to help manage their principal’s household staff. They may be expected to handle household staff rotas, payment, and hiring.

Confidentiality and Discretion

Due to the seniority of their Principal, high-profile personal assistants will be entrusted with a lot of sensitive information. Whether it’s information in the reports they compile, or private discussions with clients and other senior colleagues, the assistant must treat everything they encounter with complete discretion.

The Importance of Confidentiality

Leaked information can have a huge negative impact on every aspect of a business. The company’s public image, consumer confidence, profits, and employee morale can all be affected, so any personal assistant who is party to confidential information should have a proven track record as a trustworthy employee.

Building Professional Relationships

More than any other assistant, a high-profile personal assistant will have direct relationships with clients, senior management, and even their Principal’s family. Therefore, it’s important that they have a naturally sociable and polite manner.

Effective Communication with Employers and Colleagues

In many day-to-day situations, a high-profile personal assistant will be the voice of their principal – answering emails, phone calls, and talking with colleagues in the office. They should be able to communicate clearly to avoid any misunderstandings and diffuse potential issues from both clients and colleagues.

Collaborating with Other Support Staff

Although the high-profile personal assistant role may be very one-to-one, it also requires a knack for teamwork. Most businesses will have more than one senior manager, and so more than high-level assistant. Just as the managers must constantly work together to best direct the business, so too will their personal assistants need to co-ordinate on a daily basis.

Read some of our most frequently asked questions on the responsibilities of a high-profile personal assistant below.

If you’re looking to hire a high-profile personal assistant or other support staff, check out our ultimate guide to hiring a PA, and get in touch with your requirements today.

The post Responsibilities of a High-Profile Personal Assistant appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Our 2024 Salary and Benefits Review is the perfect tool to optimise your employment offering and inform your talent acquisition strategies.

What’s included in the report?

It includes insights from 1,433 surveyed professionals across the MENA region and detailed salary benchmarking for the business support, private, HR, digital, finance and accounting, executive and legal industries. In addition, Tiger’s Recruitment’s expertise in recruitment for the MENA region has helped to craft this report that is ideal for hiring managers and companies based in the region.

How the report can benefit your business

Having a thorough understanding of the motivators for jobseekers and employees is invaluable in helping you craft competitive packages to attract and retain your existing employees and to boost your chances of securing the top talent on the market.

Discover the most popular benefits for jobseekers and employees, the most recent attitudes towards hybrid working and data-driven ideas on how to improve your current offering.

Highlights of this year’s salary survey

• 34% of employees would like to see employers offer a more tailored benefits package
• Health insurance or private medical cover is the most offered benefit by MENA employers (52%) and over 20 days’ paid annual leave, excluding public holidays, came next offered by 31% of employers
• 79% of jobseekers agreed that Salary is highest priority when looking for a new role
• 39% of respondents stated salary is also the main priority for employees in their current, closely followed by 37% agreeing they need a challenging roles or project and 13% asking for sustainability credentials.

Request your copy of the Salary and Benefits Review here.

We hope you find the document useful. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

The post Salary and Benefits Review 2024 appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Tackling limiting attitudes to gender
• Combatting burnout
• Addressing the pay gap
• Supporting return-to-work mothers
• Women in STEM
• Promoting women in leadership
• Women’s health
• Summary

The post Embracing Gender Equity At Work appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Overcoming barriers to DEI
• Representation in management teams
• DEI strategies for HR teams
• Creating inclusive workplaces
• Recruiting diverse talent
• Evidence-based strategies
• Summary

The post Inclusive Workplaces: A Guide For HR Teams appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Moving to a new country is an exciting and rewarding endeavour, with the potential for personal and career growth. No more is this more obvious than Dubai, a city that ranks ninth in the world for career progression amongst expats.¹

However, as with any move to a new country with a different legal system, it’s worth educating yourself on the professional differences between your home country and the UAE. This is particularly relevant when it comes to salaries and packages. As an emerging economy and business centre, Dubai is still implementing many of the structures that exist in UK workplaces. Therefore, allowances like annual leave, maternity leave and insurance are calculated differently. Benefit schemes are also not as popular as companies are yet to implement additional incentives to attract and retain talent.

That said, this doesn’t mean the concept is completely unknown to businesses across the Middle East. For example, flexible working continues to rise in popularity, with a recent study by International Workplace Group (IWG) finding that 60% of UAE employees work somewhere other than their office at least one day a week. The same study also discovered 52% work away from the office for half the week (or more), while 10% are out of the office for the complete five days.

With 82% of employers recognizing the importance of offering a wide variety of voluntary benefits², there is potential for this area to only grow.

Salary packages

Most salary packages are broken up into basic salary and benefits, which can include anything from health insurance and accommodation, to transportation allowances and flights home. Generally, a package is much higher than in the UK. For example, among junior administration workers, AED 15,000 a month (approximately GBP 3000) would be considered low, while AED 20,000 (approximately GBP 4000) for a PA would be considered standard. On an annual salary, that would equate to over GBP 46,000 tax free as there is no income tax.

Common benefits

Health insurance is one of the few universal benefits offered by Dubai workplaces, as it is legally enforceable. However, as medical premiums continue to rise, employees are increasingly attracted to extended cover that ensures the ongoing wellbeing of both themselves and their families.²

Gratuity (the UAE pension equivalent) is also enforceable and is calculated according to basic salary and tenure at the company. Employees are paid the equivalent of 21 working days every year for their first five years of service. After five years, the allocation goes up to 30 days.

Annual leave is calculated in a similar way. After six months in a new role, an employee is entitled to two calendar days a month. After 12 months’ service, it is a base rate of 30 calendar days per annum. This varies slightly in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), as employees are allocated 20 calendar days per year after just three months. This doesn’t include any public holidays, as determined by the UAE government.

Based on Tiger’s latest data, about 50% of companies offer expats an annual flight home to their respective countries, making the distance between countries a little smaller. More generally, transportation allowance is a common benefit – a 2017 Salary Survey by job site Bayt.com found that 30% of surveyed employees in the UAE were reimbursed for their travel from home to their place of work. The number was even higher in Saudi Arabia and Qatar (44% and 33% respectively).³

According to the same study, approximately a quarter of employers also offer a housing allowance to order to reduce overall living costs, as well as the opportunity to earn bonuses on top of their basic salary.

Room for growth

Family-friendly benefits are still in short supply across Dubai workplaces, with just 5% of UAE employees receiving a children’s education allowance and 1% having access to a childcare facility.

Over the last 18 months, there have been strides in the way of maternity leave allowance, with public sector employees receiving 60 days at full pay, then reduced working hours for the following four months. Men in the public sector are entitled to paid paternity leave for three days within the first month.

However, in the private sector, new mothers are entitled to 45 days maternity leave. If they have been employed by the same company for one year, it is at full pay, otherwise, it is half pay. They are also entitled to two additional half-hour breaks a day for nursing.

Companies such as Omnicom Media Group and Edleman are leading the charge in this area, voluntarily doubling the allowance to 90 days and offering additional flexible working hours.⁴ They are joined by global companies such as Facebook, Google, Hill+Knowlton and Jumeirah Group, all of who offer benefits in line with their international offices, including flexible working, career development programmes and social events.

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Tiger Recruitment can help you find a role with the right benefits for you and your family. Get in touch today!

1. HTTPS://WWW.EXPATEXPLORER.HSBC.COM/SURVEY/COUNTRY/UNITED-ARAB-EMIRATES
2. HTTPS://WWW.METLIFE.AE/CONTENT/DAM/REFRESH/UAE_REFRESH/EN/ASSETS/PDF/EMPLOYEE-BENEFIT-TRENDS-STUDY/2017-EBTS.PDF
3. HTTPS://IMG0BM.B8CDN.COM/IMAGES/UPLOADS/ARTICLE_DOCS/BAYT-SALARY-SURVEY_04-2017_EN_33991_EN.PDF
4. HTTPS://GULFNEWS.COM/NEWS/UAE/GOVERNMENT/PRIVATE-FIRMS-EXTEND-MATERNITY-LEAVE-IN-UAE-1.2184930

The post Breaking down Dubai’s salary packages appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Employee Turnover

Employee turnover and retention is a significant priority for businesses, with high turnover rates leading to increased costs, reduced productivity, and decreased morale.

That’s why having a successful retention strategy in place is just as important as finding top talent. So, how can an employer implement strategies on how to reduce employee turnover?

Employee Turnover Meaning

Employee turnover, in technical terms, refers to the rate at which employees leave an organisation and are replaced by new hires. It’s an important metric that is prioritised by HR teams because it reflects the happiness and productivity of its staff, which in turn indicates the stability and long-term sustainability of a company’s workplace.

Employee Turnover Calculation

Calculating the turnover rate involves first taking a measure of how many employees leave a company in a given period, usually a year. Turnover is then calculated by dividing the number of employees who left in that period by the average number of employees in that time. When you have that figure, multiply it by 100 to show the percentage.

Employee Turnover and Retention

Employee turnover rate and retention both play a crucial role in shaping the success of an organisation. By prioritising staff retention, HR teams can build a loyal workplace with increased productivity and a positive impact on the company’s overall performance. It’s important to make sure there’s a balance between managing the turnover and implementing successful retention initiatives. When the balance is right, employers can expect productive, thriving employees who are fulfilled and excited about contributing to the long-term success of the business.

How To Reduce Employee Turnover

Reducing employee turnover requires a proactive approach that supports the longevity of your employees.

1. Source the Right Talent

Candidate Sourcing is a crucial process for an organisation looking to build a high-performing workplace.

Finding the right employees starts with clearly defining the job requirements, writing a comprehensive job description that outlines the necessary qualifications, skills and experience needed for the role, and posting an attractive job advert that appeals to a diverse range of people.

Having a job description that is as detailed as possible will go a long way to managing the expectations of your potential hire, to ensure that they don’t later realise that the role is different from what they had anticipated.

2. Successful Onboarding

 A successful onboarding process is vital for ensuring new employees feel welcomed during what can be an uncertain time. Successful onboarding goes much further than administrative tasks and paperwork, to ensure that the new employee is given as positive start as possible.

If you don’t have an HR team or dedicated person who can help with this, use your office manager to help with onboarding. The process should start before their first day, and can include a welcome message alongside a pack on what they can expect in their first week or month. Supporting the social aspect of your company ahead of their start date can be beneficial. For example, a coffee or drinks could be organised with your new hire and the rest of the team so that they see some familiar faces on their first day.

Throughout the onboarding period, ongoing training and support should be provided to help the employee grow within their role in the first few months. Setting the foundation early will go a long way to supporting their long-term success and positive contribution to the business.

3. Recognition For Employees

 Employee recognition supports fostering a positive and motivated workplace which involves recognising employees for their hard work and achievements. Recognition can take various forms, whether that’s simple verbal praises or formal awards and incentives. Additionally, public recognition will be well-received by some, such as acknowledgement during team and companywide meetings.

When people feel valued for their hard work and can see how it fits into the bigger picture of the business’ success, they are more likely to continue their enthusiasm for the role in the long term.

4. Clear Career Paths

 In our latest Salary and Benefits Review which surveyed 392 employees across the MENA region, a lack of career progression was cited as the reason a third (31%) of people left their previous roles. Having a clear career path is beneficial for employees as they provide a sense of direction, purpose and growth opportunities. When people have a clear understanding of the potential career growth plan within the organisation, they will be more motivated and engaged within their roles.

5. Encourage Healthy Work-Life Balance 

Encouraging employees’ work-life balance goes a long way to supporting their wellbeing and overall happiness. From the top down, by promoting a culture that values the importance of personal time, employers and leadership teams will find that that staff are more energised and productive when at work.

There are a number of ways that HR teams can implement this, with one of the easiest being flexible arrangements such as remote work options and flexi-hours. Importantly, managers should also set realistic workload expectations to avoid excessive overtime and prevent burnout.

Leading by example and promoting self-care, offering resources for stress management and wellbeing initiatives will further demonstrate the business’ commitment to supporting a healthy balance between work and personal life.

6. Learning and Development Programs

Tiger Recruitment’s above-mentioned survey revealed that the third most common (21%) reason people leave their jobs can be attributed to a lack of training and development. Having personal development initiatives in place provide employees with the necessary knowledge and support to excel in their role. By investing in continuous learning opportunities, employers are demonstrating the ways that they value their staff, prioritise their growth and offer opportunities for career advancement.

Looking To Hire?

If you’re looking to recruit or looking for support on reducing employee turnover, get in touch with us today.

The post How to Reduce Employee Turnover appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Never has there been a time when employee mental health has held such weight in workplace conversation. And with good reason – such is the extent of worker burnout, depression, and disengagement that, according to the World Health Organisation, 12 billion working days are lost globally each year due to mental health-related sick leave.

However, while the COVID-19 pandemic is the main cause of this crisis and subsequent widespread mental health concerns, it also brought the topic of mental health to the fore.

The post-pandemic landscape

While it was very welcome, the shift in focus to employee mental wellbeing during the pandemic was in many ways out of necessity. Now, three years on, priorities are inevitably shifting once again, sometimes with mental health slipping off the agenda.

Health coach Michelle Flynn of Michelle Flynn Coaching has seen this first-hand. She explains that some companies have taken the view that, “we’re just back to normal so we can stop worrying about supporting people’s mental health”. Sadly, however, this means cuts in resources for mental health initiatives: “Due to world economics some companies have had to make to decision to reallocate budgets to other things.”

Ruth Cooper-Dickson of Champs Consulting has also seen companies scale back their mental health focus: “There are organisations that have the attitude of ‘we did wellbeing and mental health in 2020, 2021 and 2022…’”, believing that the necessary work has been done. This is despite the fact that “we’re starting to see the real ripple effect of the pandemic now”, with recent studies from Asana showing that 70% of workers have experienced burnout.

It’s not all negative though – at the other extreme, some companies are doubling down on employee mental health services. These businesses have seen the benefits that initiatives brought during lockdown and, as Michelle explains, have realised that they “need to continue to support people in the long term, because happy people make businesses more money.” In fact, studies have shown that investment in employee wellbeing raises productivity by up to 5%.

Clearly, we’re still living in the long shadow of COVID, and one of the most noticeable holdovers is hybrid working.

The pros and cons of hybrid working

One of the biggest complicating factors of the post-pandemic working world is the divisive nature of hybrid and remote working arrangements. For some, the enforced remote working during lockdown sparked severe work-related stress; Ruth explains how “people were working from their bedrooms; not everyone has the luxury of an office space at home”. Michelle adds that the isolation was also a factor: “Loneliness is one of the biggest causes of depression and is one of the reasons why people’s mental health was a challenge during lockdown”.

On the other hand, working from home was a revelation for some, particularly those who relished the autonomy and found a new level of efficiency, alongside a better work/life balance. Michelle points to “the convenience of it, the saving of money, being able to be around your children. Lots of people have seen their kids take their first steps when they never would have had that opportunity before.” For her, “the hybrid model is a really great sweet spot”.

However, not all employers agree that hybrid working works; the challenge is finding a balance that keeps productivity high, while offering employees an arrangement that works for their mental health.

Encouragingly, many innovative businesses are doing their part to develop new ways of remotely managing employees and their wellbeing.

Adapting for the future

As employees’ work arrangements become more individualised, full teams may only be in the office together once a week, or not at all. This has given rise to managers scheduling regular team meetings via video calls – an effective alternative for the team’s work management, but less so for their personal wellbeing. As Michelle observes, “When you’re on the phone or when you’re on video, you don’t necessarily spot the warning signs”.

So, how can managers keep on top of the team’s wellbeing remotely? For Ruth, general wellbeing catch-up calls with remote workers are a must, but it’s also about effective time management and avoiding “back-to-back Zoom meetings” that disrupt workflow and pile on stress. For hybrid workers, it’s important to ensure that they don’t bring the isolated mindset to their in-office days: “Are they actually doing that connecting work rather than just sitting at a desk and working in silos?”

It can be hard for us to leave our working-from-home habits at the door when we enter the office; both Michelle and Ruth advise employers to encourage a collaborative atmosphere on days when teams are in the office. They note several proactive companies that are continuing the positive mental health spirit of the pandemic with initiatives such as wellbeing talks, breathwork events, and yoga sessions. These function as enticements to return to the office, opportunities for staff to socialise and, of course, offer beneficial mental health workouts.

Finding the balance

The need for a better work/life balance had topped the mental health agenda for many years pre-pandemic, but 2020 brought its importance into stark relief. As we all became more reliant on technology, so we became used to being able to reach each other at any time, from anywhere. This blurring of personal and work time is an ongoing issue, as Ruth has found: “Those boundaries aren’t necessarily respected around evening work, evening emails, weekends, holidays, or vacation time. People stay online because it’s easier than having to come back to an inbox full of emails”.

Michelle agrees: “I talked to some people in customer service who are working from their kitchen and dealing with difficult customer services calls and have no separation between their kitchen and what’s happening at work.” For some, it’s bleak: “Now, it’s not working from home; we are living at work”.

While such a lifestyle is certainly not sustainable, thankfully it hasn’t gone unnoticed by attentive employers. Ruth works with companies who are taking steps to firm up those boundaries: “I’ve seen some organisations that have quite clear strategies and policies for managers to consider when they’re contacting their teams”. Michelle relates: There are “companies who are putting in times in the day that you cannot book any meetings”, and who are training managers to use email scheduling to send emails within work hours, rather than out-of-hours when the thought occurs. Another of her clients has implemented a rule that, “every Friday morning everyone starts work an hour later and you’re meant to use that hour to go for a walk”.

The financial benefits of change

The silver lining of the COVID cloud reveals an increased willingness by employers to listen to employee concerns. Many more business leaders are realising that employee mental health must be prioritised: It doesn’t come at the expense of profits and productivity because the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term costs.

This is exemplified by staff retention. In fact, employees struggling with work-related mental health issues are nearly twice as likely to change jobs compared to those whose wellbeing is prioritised.

Employer brand also sees a boost when wellbeing initiatives are front and centre. Ruth can attest to this: “Gallup have proven that the number one requirement for millennials and Gen Z is wellbeing”.

The financial benefits of investing in employee wellbeing are clear: businesses stand to lose up to $340 per day from mental health-related sick leave. Weighed against the cost of initiatives like hybrid working, flexible hours and management training, the decision to set aside time and resources for a healthy team is an easy one.

Growing pains are inevitable when making changes from within, but you need only look at the increasing millennial and Gen Z demographic in the workforce to see where the future lies. These younger employees, as Ruth observes, are “able to talk about feelings to be able to be open about how they feel”, and – in the process – are de-stigmatising the topic of mental health. As their voices inevitably become louder, the best businesses will strive to get ahead of the curve, creating a more adaptable working life that empowers and invigorates employees, to everyone’s benefit.

The post New attitudes, old challenges: employee wellbeing in the post-pandemic world appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

You’ve worked hard to put together the perfect team, but the newest member has opted to work from home. And now others are snapping up the company’s flexible working offer, leaving you as the manager staring at a half-empty office and managing a remote team.

This is a common problem in the modern workplace, but the secrets to encouraging collaborative working in a remote team still boil down to five simple concepts.

• Regular communication
• Shared routines
• Respecting boundaries
• Clear expectations
• Socialising

More than ever, employees want to choose when and how they work, and there are many reasons for employers to adopt flexible working too. But equally this comes with its managerial challenges, not the least of which is encouraging collaborative working in a remote team.

You may by worried that your close-knit team will be undone by this individual way of working, so we’ve put together the best actionable tips on how to manage a remote team.

Communication is key

We often take for granted how much information is picked up in an office through general conversation, whiteboards and non-verbal cues. So how can you replicate that easy back-and-forth between a team in an online situation?

The first step is to ensure that everyone, especially yourself as the manager, is easily reachable via computer or phone during work hours. Depending on your budget, you may even want to invest in work phones and laptops to ensure everyone is on a level playing field in terms of hardware capabilities.

From there you can explore the many options for group messaging and calls. The list is endless, but we recommend:

• Microsoft Teams
• Slack
• WhatsApp
• Zoom

These services help create the open-plan office feeling, with whole-company group chats and video calls, down to smaller teams and one-to-ones. Encourage your team to be active in these chats, asking questions, sharing useful links, and celebrating each other’s wins. This virtual ‘water-cooler’ will keep the group tight even when they’re miles apart.

Build routines and respect boundaries

Clear and accessible lines of communication between all members of the team will help everyone’s work flow smoothly. However, when everyone is easily contactable, there’s a risk of blurring the lines between working hours and personal time. When managing remote teams, setting clear schedules of when people are expected to start and end their work day helps everyone stay coordinated, and feel respected.

Part of this scheduling should be designed to protect your time as a manager. To avoid being constantly bombarded with messages and phone calls from team members looking for guidance, block out regular times in the week to have one-to-one video calls.

Use shared online tools

Group chats are a great start, but shared virtual spaces go so much further than that. There’s intuitive, easy-to-use software for sharing calendars, project timelines, spreadsheets and more.

Teammates can plan for when their colleagues are on annual leave and help keep each other on target for deadlines, while you as a manager can efficiently monitor progress across all ongoing work. Some of the best shareable calendar and project management tools available include:

• Trello
• Calendly
• Monday
• Asana
• Google Calendar

Onboard correctly to create a sense of engagement

For new starters, joining a remote team can be especially stressful. Without face-to-face interaction, new team members can feel they aren’t gelling with colleagues, and the much-needed collaborative environment will suffer.

Managers need to take great care when onboarding these staff to ensure they feel welcomed, understand what’s expected of them, how they can reach you with any questions, and when they will receive feedback. Read our comprehensive guide to onboarding staff remotely for a crash course in this integral part of managing remote teams.

Facilitate team learning

What better way to help your remote team see eye-to-eye than by giving them the chance to learn skills that are new to them all? Not only will the challenge bring them closer as a team, but the skills acquired will boost performance as well as future-proof the company with the latest tech and industry best-practice.

If you, as manager, have knowledge you can pass on, why not organise a video call workshop for the whole team? Or throw yourself into the classroom with them through online learning platforms, such as our partners New Skills Academy. Other platforms we recommend are:

• Future Learn
• EdX
• LinkedIn Learning

Don’t forget the fun!

It may not be the first thing on your mind when considering how to manage a remote team, but the fun and social side of work can bridge the geographical divide between colleagues.

Encouraging remote team-mates to keep in touch through group chats or with a quick video call is the simplest way to ensure they don’t miss out on the social side of work. But if you want to take things a bit further, why not try some of these ideas:

• Bingo/trivia game on a Friday afternoon (keep an ongoing scoreboard to really get the team engaged!)
• Daily wellbeing email from someone in the team
• A virtual exercise/yoga class at lunchtime
• Virtual team away days – companies like Wildgoose host games where your team can compete against each other

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Transitioning a strong team dynamic from the office space to online is no walk in the park, but when done with care and attention, it can be achieved successfully. With the above guidance, you can give your staff the autonomy to work in the way that they feel comfortable, while also maintaining the camaraderie and support base that a great team offers.

If you’re ready to add more exceptional members to your remote or in-office team, get in touch with our consultants today!

The post Six Tips on managing remote teams appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

If you’re in a personal assistant job, you may have considered moving into a more flexible role. Flexible working has been increasing in popularity for a number of years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the idea of hybrid working to mainstream attention.

It’s not hard to see why the popularity of working from home is on such a sharp rise. Offering additional flexibility, removing the need to commute and higher levels of productivity, it is often a preferred option for many full-time workers. However, just like any endeavour, working virtually presents its own challenges, not least isolation and overworking. Below, we look at the pros and cons of remote working.

Advantages of remote working

An environment to suit you

One of the most commonly noted benefits of remote working is flexibility. It allows you to adapt your working hours based on your schedule and accommodate tasks that require being at home. It also allows you to adapt your working environment to your needs, changing the lighting, temperature, setting and background noise as needed.

More time, more money

Working from home also reduces the need for a commute, saving time and money and increasing morale – after all, who wants to spend hours travelling to and from work? These time savings can also result in a better work/life balance, as you have more time for maintaining your physical and mental health.

Master your to-do list

From a productivity perspective, virtual workers are reported to get more work done, as meetings become more effective and there are less distractions in the form of co-workers. You may also find you take fewer sick days as a remote worker, as you’re less likely to take a day off for a mild illness. Taking less time off makes it easier to stay on top of your workload and deliver outcomes effectively and efficiently.

Build your self-reliance

There are also opportunities for personal and professional development that come from independent working. Being separate from most people within your company and the influence of your colleagues will force you to become more resourceful and solve problems by yourself. For example, you might be able to do a quick Google search to solve a minor IT problem, rather than approaching the IT department as a first port of call. You might even be able to pick up a few additional skills along the way by watching online tutorials, which can help to boost your professional confidence.

Challenges of remote working

Lack of socialising

Working remotely also has its challenges. For starters, working from home is often isolating and can see you not talking to anyone for hours on end. In line with this, maintaining an employee community and connection to your colleagues can prove difficult. With no way to chat over a cup of tea or check in to see how your colleagues are faring, there are fewer opportunities to connect, engage and build a sense of camaraderie. It also reduces your exposure to the overall company mission and values, as you are removed from the office environment.

No more 9 to 5

Virtual working can make switching off difficult, as the boundaries of working hours may become blurred – is it appropriate to be answering emails at 7pm? According to research from Zapier, remote workers are more likely to overwork, as the lack of the office routine makes it harder to disregard tasks outside of business hours.

This is supported by findings from a report from the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO), which found that 42% of regular home workers dealt with insomnia, while 41% suffered from stress. This was attributed to the blurring of boundaries between professional and personal lives and the ease of which workers can complete supplemental tasks outside of traditional working hours.

Losing motivation

For some, working from home also introduces the risk of slacking off or getting distracted. Without your team or managers around you to spur you on, it can become harder to stay engaged, or perhaps that quick home task takes longer than expected, or you’re distracted by a visitor. It also restricts performance monitoring and, in some instances, can increase the danger of being overlooked for promotions and career progression.

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The pros and cons of working from home are highly influenced by personality types; some thrive in a quiet, self-motivated setting, while others work best in the buzz of a busy office. Finding the right balance is important for you to excel in your job and career.

If you’re looking for a remote working role or to transition to a virtual job, Tiger can help, register with us today!

The post The benefits and challenges of working from home appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Table of contents

• What is quiet quitting?
• Hustle culture backlash
• Work-life balance
• How to retain talent
• Quiet firing and quiet quitting, which came first?
• Why you shouldn’t stay silent about quiet quitting

What is quiet quitting?

On the surface, ‘quiet quitting’ may seem to be an overplayed talking point in the echo chamber of social media, but it’s clearly struck a nerve with a lot of people, and so needs to be taken seriously.

To make sense of the phenomenon it’s important to understand where the recent upsurge originated from. Quiet quitting has been thought to be a descendant of the 2021 counterculture protest in China called ‘Tang Ping’, which translates to ‘lie flat’.

Tang ping was a resistant movement to the overworking pressures and rat race culture influenced by the 996 model, where employees were working 9am-9pm six days a week. The 72 hour a week pattern, although illegal in China, was largely normalised in the workplace.

Quiet quitting, the successor of the tang ping revolt, has been widely featured in an outbreak of news across many publications, with TikTok at the heart of the noise. Part of the escalation of this trend no doubt comes from the catchy, provocative phrase, but the name quiet quitting is very misleading – as it’s not about employees quitting their jobs.

Quiet quitting is to remain in one’s job without performing above and beyond, while avoiding duties that potentially exceed the realms of their position or job description. Some people, weighing in on the debate around the term, have compared quiet quitting to simply just doing one’s job, while others have correlated quiet quitting with doing the bare minimum.

Hustle culture backlash

The exploitation of employees through overwork and unrealistic expectations is a very real problem, and one that should be tackled head-on. Since the pandemic, workers from all industries have been far more vocal against hustle culture. This has led to some fantastic progress in terms of work-life balance, mental health, and workplace benefits. Such positive change was possible thanks to employees speaking frankly and honestly with their employers, setting boundaries they could both agree on. So why go quiet now?

The silent resistance has opened the gateways on think-piece publications, with many associating quiet quitting with the term ‘acting your wage’. The idea is that people are rejecting the notion to improve their performance or the scope of their role if that exceeds their wage bracket. This turn of phrase has encouraged further conversations around the generation pay gap, where historically those on minimum wage were able to afford a better lifestyle in relation to the cost of living compared to now. With inflation and the current cost of living crisis reaching crisis-level for those on lower wages, the movement has gained more traction and, what appears to be, more followers.

We urge people who feel financially stretched by their current wage to do their research into salaries in similar job positions and to arrange a pay review with their employer. There are several ways you can prepare to ask for a pay rise confidently, easing the fear many associate with this process.

Of course, for some self-confessed quiet quitters, it’s not so much their wage that’s pushed them to reduce their efforts. Rather, they feel burnt out or underappreciated, which has led them to become disconnected from the role itself, no longer feeling engaged or driven to do more than required.

Burnout is a very legitimate issue that often goes unnoticed in the lens of everyday life. Having the available knowledge to prevent burnout is an important part of managing your work-life balance, and is something that you should be mindful of if you work in, or employ those, in high-pressure positions.

There is often an unspoken expectation, particularly for employees in entry to mid-level roles, where exposure to experience and learning somehow negates an increase in pay or overtime. Many have been outspoken on how this ‘something for nothing’ behaviour is an outdated system and no longer puts staff in good stead of a promotion and better salary. With evidence of less promotions and slowed career progression in recent years, due to an unpredictable economic climate, it is not necessarily a shock that some employees might be growing dissatisfied at work.

If you feel like it’s time for a change and new opportunities for growth, it could be time to reignite your career as, after all, being engaged in the workplace makes for much better mental health than battling through an unsatisfying and unstimulating 9-5.

Work-life balance

A healthy work-life balance is something we encourage everyone to seek, but if you do this ‘quietly’, i.e., you don’t express to your employer the boundaries you’ve set for yourself, all they will see is an employee that seems distant or unengaged. They may even believe that this contained approach reflects your maximum output, which puts your job, and any later jobs you may apply for, in a precarious position. For how could a previous employer give a strong reference if they’ve never seen your peak performance?

The rise of quiet quitting has coincided with a wave of ‘self-worth’ information on TikTok. The consensus from these types of posts is that the lines are often blurred between the value you attribute to yourself in your professional life and your personal one. It suggests that by detaching these two identities, you will allow yourself to become content with a mediocre performance in your work life. Even with the strategic aid of mental separation, embracing a lacklustre attitude could be a hinderance to your own progression and self-esteem outside of the office.

Yes, you may give yourself more time for your family, friends and passions, but being apathetic at work is likely to upset your mental wellbeing, and sometimes ease can be a greater threat than hardship. Why not strive for a career that truly engages you and inspires your best work?

Our specialist consultants are experts in matching your skills, experience and interests to your next position. So, if you’re ready to find a job that rekindles your love for work, and leaves you energised for your down-time, submit your details today.

How to retain talent

With the ‘great resignation’ still an ongoing issue, many businesses are rightly concerned by the clamour around quiet quitting. They may be looking at employee productivity, trying to work out if any of their staff have been caught up in the trend, and how they can put a stop to it.

For these employers, it’s crucial that you don’t point fingers or call it laziness, but instead look at how you could improve conditions for your employees. Rise and grind culture is so prevalent that even the most progressive companies can suffer from overworked staff, just by trying to stay competitive.

Disengaged employees tend to be the victim of being overworked without company support and benefits. Benefits don’t have to be a financial strain on the company, and when it comes to retaining employees, they could very well be a deal breaker. You can keep employees happy without spending money with simple techniques that may even improve productivity at work.

That being said, promotions and employee incentives can’t be undervalued. Recognising when an employee is deserving of a promotion is just as paramount to whether an employee decides to quietly quit or quit altogether. Loosing valuable employees may feel like something that can’t be avoided, but by implementing a considered retention strategy you are likely to move closer to a more stable team.

Furthermore, paving the way for positive morale in the workplace not only makes for loyal and committed staff, but also a rise in productivity, as workers feel better connected to colleagues and what they’re collaboratively trying to achieve. As an employer steering the ship in a fast-paced workforce, it can be overwhelming to say the least, but making time for morale boosting exercises is possible without financial implications to the business.

Communication is of course, central to all of these strategies and approaches. By creating an environment where employees feel comfortable voicing their concerns and desires, a business can continually adjust benefits and office conditions to create the perfect culture for top performance. This show of good faith to a workforce is highly likely to be reciprocated, and you’ll find that employees will go above and beyond without even being asked. After all, a happy workforce is a productive one!

It’s always been seen as an implicit rule that to hold a steady job, you’ll need to go the extra mile, often without recognition or increased salary. But as reiterated above, employees are increasingly getting impatient with this concept and are simply calling it outdated and not ‘good enough’. Setting competitive salaries that match industry standards should be your first point of call. You can pre-order Tiger’s 2023 Salary and Benefits Review here.

Quiet quitting is an understandable attempt by some to fight back against what they see as unfair expectations, but by being equally unspoken, they could miss the chance to affect real change. Employers must encourage their employees to engage in conversations about the state of the workplace, without the fear of consequences.

Quiet firing and quiet quitting, which came first?

‘Quiet firing’ is just as misleading as quiet quitting. Employers are not outright firing their staff, just like quiet quitters are not actually quitting their jobs. Instead, employers are intentionally creating a work environment that is hostile enough for an employee to resign.

We strongly discourage employers to quiet fire their staff, as it risks professional reputation and creates a toxic work atmosphere. But unfortunately, it’s more common than people care to admit. It begs the question, why are employers quiet firing?

There are a multitude of possible causes to the problem, but when it comes to quiet firing, it all starts with the hiring process. At Tiger, we emphasise the importance of hiring the right candidate who is not only capable of excelling within the job, but is also the right character and fit for the team and values of the business. Read our employer’s guide to interview and selection.

After you’ve hired a suitable candidate, it’s essential to set realistic expectations of what they can accomplish, which may be heavily reliant on the handover and training process. For those selected for a role with less experience, finding what their interests are and nurturing their talent is just as important as capitalising on their strengths.

Why you shouldn’t stay silent about quiet quitting

With the heavy opinions from all angles around quiet quitting, it can be difficult to break through the noise and to reach a conclusion on how to tackle the issue in the workplace. Although quiet quitting is a new buzzword with varying definitions, it is clear that disengaged or unhappy employees should not remain stagnant in a situation that may be damaging to their own mental health, and which could have a knock-on effect on several levels.

It is clear that the quiet quitting trend is encouraging a divide in the workplace. In fact, the use of the term highlights one of the biggest roadblocks to a good relationship between both employers and employees – communication.

As a bridge between both sides, we’ve seen first-hand, the importance of communication at work from the earliest stages of the hiring process. We’ve seen how open, transparent discussion can lead to excellent workplace cultures and boosted productivity. This latest trend shouldn’t be an excuse for both sides to be at loggerheads, but should be an opportunity to work together towards meaningful change.

The post What is quiet quitting? The quiet trend with a lot of noise appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

The COVID-19 pandemic will have a long-lasting impact on working lives, with many employees having to navigate new ways of working or downshift their careers, as well as adapt to changing circumstances in their personal lives.

As businesses strive to meet the challenges posed by a global pandemic and a serious economic crisis, employee wellness has never been more important to address. If you want to improve retention, lower rates of absenteeism, increase performance and create a collaborative and rewarding working environment, you must prioritise the health and wellbeing of your workforce.

Here are some of the key benefits of cultivating a wellbeing culture:

• Create a happy workplace in which people thrive
• Boost motivation, productivity, and engagement
• Attract and retain the best talent
• Reduce absenteeism
• Reduce work-related stress and enhance wellbeing
• Increase job satisfaction
• Build and sustain high employee morale
• Create sustainable success for your organisation

A quality employee wellness programme could include:

• Health benefits such as access to wellbeing apps, counselling, gym membership, health insurance and personal wellbeing days
• Leisure benefits such as travel insurance, access to event season tickets and paid flights
• Financial benefits such as an annual work from home stipend, corporate retail discounts, financial bonuses, and referral schemes
• Flexible working
• Social activities such as team building events, book clubs and sports

If you are interested in learning more about the innovative benefits organisations are currently offering, order a copy of our 2023 salary and benefits review here.

Click here to view the UAE organisations that are driving wellbeing in the workplace.

How to build an effective employee wellness programme

To drive your mental health and wellbeing strategy forward, there are several steps you need to take:

• Seek approval from the executive/management team and ensure they are willing to participate and actively promote the initiative within the organisation
• Be clear about the company-wide objectives of implementing the programme and communicate these to company leaders and employees
• Set definable goals
• Adapt an employee-centric view of workplace wellness by surveying staff to gain actionable insights and determine which initiatives will be most popular
• Regularly review your wellness policy and adapt it to reflect the evolving needs of your workforce

In building an effective employee wellness programme, you are demonstrating your company’s commitment to taking care of its people, and if you take care of your people, your business will thrive. We hope that this post will help you to jump-start your employee wellness initiative and ensure your employees stay healthy, happy, and productive.

If you’re interested in talking to our team about how we could help you develop a winning employee wellness strategy, or how we could help you meet your staffing needs this year, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us here.

The post Why your organisation needs to prioritise employee wellness now more than ever appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Insights from those in the know

Are you looking to plan the future of your workplace post-COVID-19? I recently hosted a webinar with three experts to provide guidance and support surrounding the future of work. Bruce Daisley, host of Eat Sleep Work Repeat podcast; Dr Heejung Chung from the University of Kent; and CIPD Director David D’Souza share their thoughts on:

• The post-COVID-19 office
• The future of flexible working practices
• How the HR community has responded to COVID-19
• The importance of employees’ mental and emotional wellbeing
• The impact of working from home on employees, employers and businesses
• The potential impact of COVID-19 on office culture
• The disparity of remote working options offered to male and female employees
• Qualities employees need to adapt to the changing workplace
• Their predictions for the next five years

The post WATCH: The future of work after Covid-19 appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Every year, Tiger Recruitment releases a Salary and Benefits Review. This year we collated the data from a survey of 1084 employees, cross-referenced with the candidates we met with the previous year.

What’s included in the report?

Within the report, you’ll find guidance on salary ranges and trends for roles within the business support, private, hospitality and HR sectors. Alongside this, we’ve outlined the benefits offered to employees this year and shared how employee priorities have changed following the pandemic. It also includes commentary from our management team.

How the report can benefit your business

A high quality, independent salary survey is a key component in your compensation strategy and will help you stay on target to attract and retain the best talent in your industry.

Having access to a comprehensive data set ensures that your HR team stay abreast of changes in the employment market and has a thorough understanding of pay rates and trends, helping you to maintain your competitive position.

The report provides valuable statistical insights into the markets in which your business competes for talent and serves as a benchmarking tool enabling your business to make informed remuneration decisions.

Referring to credible survey data can also help to increase employee motivation as it will be clear that diligent decisions have been made around compensation.

Highlights of this year’s survey

The results of this year’s survey highlight what employees and jobseekers want and to what extent they feel their expectations are being met. This year, we surveyed 1084 employees, 80% of whom were based in the UK. These results were reinforced by the data gathered from interviewed candidates we met with in 2021 and are reflective of the impact that COVID-19 has had on our lives.

A selection of the major findings in this year’s review include:

• Employees are feeling optimistic about the future: 63% are expecting a pay rise in the year ahead (up from 49% last year) and of those, most are expecting a rise of 5% or more
• We are still seeing a lot of movement in the jobs market with 40% of employees planning to leave their role within the year
• More than half of employees (54%) say their employer hasn’t adapted their benefits in light of Covid. This is a slight improvement on last year (60% hadn’t adapted their benefits at that stage) but arguably not enough when you consider that almost half of people (47%) are working a hybrid model
• Salaries stayed the same for 49% of permanent staff in 2021 (down from 51%), while nearly 40% received a bonus (up 8% points from 2020)
• Post-pandemic hiring is up with a 92% increase in placed permanent roles compared to 2020
• Less than a third of people surveyed (30%) say their employer had made permanent changes to its remote working policy
• A third (33%) said their employers could do more to support their mental health and employers could better communicate

Request your copy of the Salary and Benefits Review here.

We hope you find the document useful. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

The post Tiger Recruitment’s Salary Survey 2022 has arrived! appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

Onboarding can make or break an employee’s experience when starting a new role. Research by Gallup found that only 12% of “employees strongly agree their workplace does a great job of onboarding new employees.” [1]

Considering a great onboarding experience can improve employee retention rates by 82%, neglecting this process can be both costly and time consuming in the long run. [2]

This is especially relevant when hiring for graduate jobs in Dubai, as they often have little experience in corporate environments. Graduate recruitment in Dubai is a competitive market, so you don’t want to be losing your new employees just a few days in because of onboarding issues.

Here are four things to consider when welcoming graduates to your team:

1. Preparation is key
No new employee wants to arrive on their first day to no desk and a colleague that’s flustered at their arrival. It’s essential you take the time to get organised a few days before they begin, printing off or filling out paperwork, installing all software and hardware, setting up entry passes and computer logins and anything else that’s required. While notice periods are part and parcel of recruitment, it’s worth moving quickly – leaving too much time between accepting an offer and starting a new role opens you up for potential problems. If onboarding remotely, ensure hardware has been sent to the employee’s house well in advance, and they have been in touch with IT to support them through the setup.

2. Invest in video
Millennials are the video generation, with the average personal watching 1.5 hours of video a day [3]. So, when conducting graduate onboarding, invest in creating an orientation video, covering your company’s history, current structure and culture, as well as office instructions and tips and tricks for their first few weeks – maybe a suggestion of where to grab lunch? This means you won’t have to repeat yourself with every new starter and it ensures the messaging is consistent. It also allows graduates to take notes in their own time, pausing where needed, and frees you up to focus on other things.

3. Show them the way
The top drivers of engagement for millennials are career opportunities, clear management of performance and organisational reputation.⁴ Therefore, the onboarding process should also include a clear directive on where graduates can expect to be in three, six and twelve months’ time. Objectives should be clearly established and training avenues should be actively promoted and acted upon in order to encourage growth. This way, those taking on UAE graduate jobs (or elsewhere) can see just how they’ll be using their hard-earned knowledge.

4. Implement a mentoring programme
Starting a new role is daunting at the best of times, but for graduates, it can be even more so. Providing a mentor for those first few months can go a long way in helping new grads settle into the workplace, giving them a person that can answer ‘dumb questions’ that they might not be comfortable asking their direct manager.
Mentorship can also encourage a sense of community, helping to welcome new members to the team. A familiar face can go a long way in making a work environment more comfortable.

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Tiger is one of Dubai’s leading graduate recruitment agencies. If you’re looking to hire a graduate or looking at jobs for graduates in the UAE, we can help! Get in touch today. If you’re looking for more hiring advice, read our guide on candidate selection.

1.https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238085/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspx
2. https://b2b-assets.glassdoor.com/the-true-cost-of-a-bad-hire.pdf
3. https://www.rev.com/blog/how-gen-z-and-millennials-consume-video-content-what-that-means-for-production-teams
4. http://diversitybydesign.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Diverse-Voices-final.pdf

The post Four things you should be including in your graduate onboarding process appeared first on Tiger Recruitment.

For many business owners and managers, there may come a time in their career when they’re forced to consider making someone redundant. It’s never a decision to make lightly, however, in times of changing markets, some businesses may find themselves speeding through the redundancy process. This is usually because they want to turn their finances around as quickly as possible.

While this is understandable, it’s important not to lose sight of the need to restructure correctly. When planning how to make someone redundant in the way that causes the least pain and uncertainty, there are three key areas to consider:

• Process — this relates to the procedure you’ll follow, project timelines, the scope of the consultation and your legal obligations.
• Operational aspects — this is the delivery of the programme and includes carrying out the consultations, identifying roles for redundancy and notifying the post-holders, setting up mail forwarding for closed offices and paying off/closing down accounts.
• Managing human aspects — behind each role is a human being with feelings and financial commitments, who may well be feeling anxious about the future.

Of these, the third is the one that has the most potential to go wrong (and has the biggest impact when it does), yet is very often overlooked or considered as an afterthought. When we fail to manage the emotional journey of our employees, we risk the workforce being overtaken by fear, doubt and disillusionment.

When that happens, productivity can take a hit and you could even lose talented employees who aren’t part of the redundancy programme. Further, this could damage your brand if the stories of mismanaged redundancies make it out into the public domain.

We’ve identified three potential pitfalls that come up time and again for organisations planning redundancies — rushing the process, putting process before people and getting the communications wrong. So, here’s our best advice on avoiding these mistakes when making someone redundant, ensuring a smooth change for your employees and business.

Three pitfalls of the redundancy process

Don’t rush

Once the decision has been made, it can be tempting to just crack on — ending people’s uncertainty has to be a good thing, right? Well, not necessarily — being too keen to announce or letting process dictate the pace can lead people to rush the process, which is how mistakes happen. It can also give the impression that you haven’t properly planned things, or that the business is in trouble. While it’s likely you’re making redundancies in a post-COVID world because it’s essential for the future success of the business, this hasty action can lead those people you wanted to retain to start looking for jobs elsewhere.

To avoid these kinds of issues:

• Take the time to prepare properly. Printing out key details five minutes before a meeting looks disrespectful and sets a poor tone for conversations with people. Instead, devise a plan well in advance and stick to it.
• Look for creative ways to save time instead of rushing. For instance, it’s a common misconception that you need lots of time for consultations, but with the right conversations and effective planning, you can do things pretty quickly.

Put people before process

It’s not uncommon to put emotions aside when striving to reach challenging business goals. In fact, sometimes, it can be a good thing to take an objective approach. When planning to make someone redundant, however, this can lead to difficulties and complications that could have been avoided.

For example, not everyone will want to stay with your organisation, so having the right conversations with those individuals can help them to leave with good grace and reduce the number of compulsory redundancies you need to make. If those conversations don’t happen, or don’t go well, those people may dig their heels in and cause complications.

To get it right:

• Think about the outcome, rather than the process. Although we advocate as much advanced planning as possible, you need to be able to tweak it as you go along to accommodate people’s needs. As long as you keep the ultimate business goal in sight, this shouldn’t be a problem.
• Tailor the support you give to people’s individual needs. Who do you need to reassure? Who do you want to support into another role somewhere else? For people transitioning out of the company, consider offering outplacement support[1] to help ease the journey and make their next step the right one.

Be prepared to have difficult conversations. To provide genuine leadership at times of change, you need to be present and willing to face challenges with your team. This is definitely not a time to sit back and let a process run its course.

Fine-tune your redundancy and change management communications

If you allow the process to take over, resulting in putting people’s lives second, you risk generating resentment and defensive behaviour amongst your employees. If the restructuring is due to COVID-19’s effects, steer clear of blaming employees (either consciously or subconsciously) for poor sales or decreased profits. That can be hugely damaging and make an already bad situation worse.

To avoid communication issues and misunderstandings:

• Remember you’re talking to people — know your people and demonstrate emotional intelligence. Sometimes just acknowledging how bad a situation is will go a long way and help demonstrate empathy.
• Think about your messaging. It’s worth giving this as much thought as you would if you were planning a marketing campaign. Planning your messaging in advance can help make sure everyone is on the same page, avoid bad feelings and protect your employer brand.
• Plan what you want to communicate and when. It’s admirable to want to keep everyone in the loop, but too much information too soon can cause upset and worry. On the other hand, taking too long risks the circulation of leaks and misinformation.

There is no ‘right’ answer to the question, “how do I make someone redundant?” This process needs to be planned just as carefully as any other business project, with a view to achieving maximum efficiency and value for money, as well as meeting legal/regulatory obligations.

However, it will be more important than ever that your change management plans address human factors and that the people delivering them are emotionally intelligent. Get it right and your restructuring programme could be a win for your business and employees — even the ones who are leaving.

Author bio: Tom Griffiths is a Head of Organisational Change, Internal HR and Business Partnering in the UK based outplacement company Connor[2]. His role is to design the technical solution and resource plan to meet clients’ outplacement requirements.

[1] https://connor.co.uk/outplacement/outplacement-for-your-organisation/
[2] https://connor.co.uk/outplacement/

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