According to a new study by NAVO, workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and in the Gulf countries place greater emphasis on aspects of well-being such as medical benefits, flexible work schedules, and paid leave, rather than flashy office perks like free food or recreational facilities.
Researchers analyzed data from 2000 employer sources, including job postings, career pages, and LinkedIn publications, as well as over 1000 employee reviews and discussions on platforms such as Glassdoor, Indeed, Reddit, Blind, and Fishbowl. After removing duplicates and general mentions, the final dataset contained 1121 mentions of corporate benefits.
Health and well-being are dominant
Medical benefits ranked first with 124 mentions, followed by wellbeing with 122 mentions, and flexibility and remote work with 111 mentions. Paid leave came in fourth with 101 mentions, followed by financial and pension benefits (90 mentions) and professional development (75 mentions).
It was found that the topic of wellbeing became the most significant overall when combined with mental health benefits, yielding 179 mentions. Medical benefits covered health insurance, private medical coverage, and employer-funded healthcare, while wellbeing included broader wellness initiatives.
Flexibility and the option for remote work received 111 mentions, encompassing hybrid schedules, remote work, flexible hours, four-day work weeks, and working from home.
Paid leave, which includes annual, parental, sick leave, and other forms of paid time off, garnered 101 mentions, highlighting the importance of work-life balance for both employees and companies.
Employees speak about workplace comfort
One of the most notable findings was the discrepancy between what employers promote and what employees raise themselves. Over 80 percent of discussions regarding height-adjustable desks and ergonomic workspaces originated from employees, not employers.
Height-adjustable desks and ergonomic workspaces ranked eighth in the overall rating with 56 mentions, of which 45 came from employees and only 11 from employers. A similar trend was shown by standard desks and chairs, where about four out of five mentions were made by employees. In contrast, professional development, mental health benefits, and life and disability insurance were almost entirely promoted by employers in the analyzed dataset.
Free food ranks last
Despite the popularity of free lunches and snacks as a hiring bonus, the study found they were last among the analyzed benefits, receiving only six mentions. The report cautions that a low number of mentions from employees does not necessarily mean the benefit is not valued. Some bonuses, such as medical coverage and paid leave, may increasingly be viewed as basic expectations rather than features that employees feel the need to discuss.
The employer sample included a significant proportion from the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, with 320 out of 2000 employer sources coming from the UAE and the wider Gulf region. However, NAVO noted that the results should be viewed as general workplace trends, not conclusions specific to one country.