Is learning at Workplace essential to employees?

Bayt.com shares regularly their surveys with Middle East Business

A recent survey by career website, Bayt.com, entitled ‘Learning in the workplace in the Middle East and North Africa’ has revealed that 98.2% of respondents in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region find it important to work for an employer who provides learning and training.  Of survey respondents, 79.7% considered learning opportunities to be ‘very important’, and 18.5% ‘somewhat important’. Almost all of the respondents surveyed (97.2%) are dedicated to lifelong learning, with seven out of 10 being ‘very dedicated’ and 22.9% being ‘somewhat dedicated’.

In terms of organisations and learning, the majority of respondents (74.3%) say that their employer provides ‘lessons learned’ to their employees, and a further 74.6% feel that people in their organisation view problems as an opportunity to learn. In fact, 72.8% of respondents have stated that their employer encourages people to openly discuss their mistakes in order to learn from them. Additionally, 30.6% of respondents are rewarded for learning ‘all the time’, and 33.7% are rewarded ‘most of the time’.

Regardless of age and industry, the urge to learn is considerable

The poll also reveals that organisations in the MENA ‘encourage both new ideas and changing the way things are done’, with half of the participants ‘strongly agreeing’ (51.7%) and 29.4% ‘somewhat agreeing’ with the statement. Furthermore, nearly seven out of 10 respondents (68.3%) claim that their companies have a systematic approach to learning and training for staff.

Just over half of the employees polled (54%) consider themselves to be at the top of their game when asked about their industry knowledge. At the same time, 40.1% say they aren’t at the top of their game, and 5.9% say they are ‘unsure’.

Suhail Masri, VP of Sales at Bayt.com, said: “With 98.2% of respondents saying that learning opportunities are very important to them, our latest poll cements just how essential it is for organisations to have a systematic approach to learning. Indeed, organisations that provide learning opportunities tend to have high employee motivation, productivity, and loyalty. A good place to start is to assess where employees need most training. Companies and individuals can search for knowledge gaps through standardised tests, such as those accessible free through our website. In line with Bayt.com’s efforts to empower people with the tools and information to build their lifestyle of choice, anyone can take these professional tests covering topics such as business management, soft skills, and technology”.

While the survey found that employees definitely wanted to learn, it is obvious that preferred learning methods vary greatly among the respondents. The majority of respondents prefer one-on-one coaching (26.2%), followed closely by the traditional classroom method of learning (20.6%). Two out of 10 respondents (17.7%) favour self-paced reading; 12.8% prefer industry seminars; and 11.4% like to learn online.

A majority of the respondents (40.5%) state that the cost of learning is what prevents them most from future education. Another big preventer is time constraints (23.8%), and 15.2% of the respondents feel that there is a lack of learning options. Only 4.3% of those surveyed say that they don’t enjoy learning.

Aside from the salary, the top motivators at work for respondents include having a good work-life balance (24.6%), getting learning and training opportunities (24.5%), and having a good relationship their manager (17.4%) and co-workers (16.8%).

In a box:

98.2% of respondents find learning and training opportunities at work important

Research data:

‘Learning in the Workplace in the Middle East and North Africa’ data was collected online from 14 January to 19 February 2015, with 6,639 respondents from countries in the MENA region including UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.