Khaleej Times, Saturday, Feb 25, 2023 | Sha'ban 05, 1444
Unlimited vacation days in UAE: Can more companies implement policy?
Emirates:
Companies in the UAE and around the world that have implemented an ‘unlimited’
annual leave policy report high levels of employee retention and better
productivity. Though the concept of unlimited vacation days in the UAE is rare,
it is feasible, experts have said.
“Prior to Covid-19, remote and hybrid working was rarely adopted, and now,
flexible working models are more commonplace. In other countries, organisations
in the technology sector seem to be successfully implementing it. This could
work for multinational organisations in the tech sector in the UAE, too,” James
Toye, a consultant at global recruitment agency Hays, told Khaleej
Times.
Work-life balance and flexible working remain a priority for employees in the
UAE. Toye stressed that unlimited vacation days can be a “valuable employee
benefit” if implemented in a way that is “clear and fair to everyone”.
Happier employees, better productivity
Kai Sin Tan, director of Rewards and Benefits at Dubai-based super app Careem,
said the company’s unlimited vacation days policy has boosted employee morale.
“We conduct an anonymous monthly survey and consistently find that our
colleagues rate their job satisfaction and loyalty to Careem way above tech
industry averages. There are a lot of different factors contributing to our
colleague value proposition, but anecdotally, we know the unlimited leave policy
is a key contributor to happiness for a significant number of colleagues,” he
said.
Tan also mentioned that the policy gives the company a “competitive advantage”
when it comes to recruiting talent. “One of the things we’re most proud of is
Careem helping reverse brain drain from the region — that is, recruiting really
talented people originally from the region who moved away to come back and help
us build awesome tech here to serve the people of our region. A lot of these
colleagues have friends, and in some cases, families living really far away, so
the flexibility to travel to see them is a great benefit for them.”
Toye said the idea behind unlimited vacation days is to provide employees with
more flexibility and autonomy over their work-life balance. “It's also intended
to encourage employees to take time off when they need it, which can lead to
increased productivity and job satisfaction.”
The Gen Z factor
Tarek Salam, head of Mena Expansion at global HR platform Deel, said millennials
and Gen Z are both “purpose-driven generations that fundamentally think about
jobs as opportunities to learn and grow”. “With flexible and remote working
taking precedence, the concept of unlimited vacation days is growing in
popularity … The policy can create a relationship of trust, ensure employees
feel more in control of their non-working life and remove bureaucracy for the
employer in overseeing leave arrangements,” said Salam.
Young workers are increasingly looking for more autonomy at work and unlimited
vacation days contribute towards this as it offers increased flexibility and an
improved work-life balance.
Tan highlighted how research shows that burnout is one of the quickest ways to
kill peak performance and productivity. “We found that providing flexibility in
when and where colleagues work makes them more effective and enables us to hire
even more awesome talent from across the region.”
Employees are empowered to set ambitious targets that they take ownership for.
“Colleagues are assessed against their individual and team goals and expected to
manage their time off with this in mind.”
Employees are expected to think about what Careem needs from them when making
their plans to go on leave. They are “trusted to make good decisions about when,
and for how long they can take time away from their professional obligations”.