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UAE: Half of employees feel pressure to work extra hours, finds survey

The survey covered over 2,700 professionals in various industries including technology, finance, marketing, healthcare and construction

When Indian expat Sadia Anwar started working at her first job in the construction industry, the requirements of the job were very clear: she had to work 12-14 hours a day.

“It was a glorified lifestyle,” she recalled. “It didn’t really matter what you were doing. Even during Ramadan, I was expected to work long hours. I used to live in Ajman with my parents and the office was in Dubai. There were days when I would drive to Ajman for iftar and then come back to finish some not very important tasks.”

A new research has shown that half – 50 per cent – of UAE employees feel the pressure to work extra hours beyond their schedule, while 45 per cent feel that their workload is manageable and could be completed within a standard work week.

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The survey by recruitment and IT service firm, titled, 'Halian’s 2025 GCC Market Report and Salary Guide' covered over 2,700 professionals in the technology, finance, marketing, creative and design, healthcare and life sciences, and construction industries.

Sadia said that during her corporate life, there were days when she followed unsustainable work habits. “I used to stay up till 2am to finish a presentation and then be back at 9am the next morning for the presentation,” she said. “I eventually ended up quitting when I got pregnant because it was almost impossible to have work-life balance.”

Impact on health

The survey revealed that 45 per cent of professionals reported facing negative health effects due to their workload. “While this may not have an immediate effect on the work they’re doing, in the long-term, it will adversely affect their work and the overall output of the company,” it said.

Experts say they are seeing several patients who suffer from the after-effects of long work hours. “Nowadays we see patients talking about prolonged working hours, pressure and overburdening of tasks,” said Yasir Shafi, Homeopathy Doctor at Wellth.

“Long working hours can significantly affect both physical and mental health. There is increased risk of chronic illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease due to stress and lack of physical activity in addition to emotional exhaustion, anxiety and depression, reduced cognitive function.”

It was also found that as a result of health issues, employees are looking for jobs elsewhere, with roughly 85 per cent expressing a desire to change jobs in the next one year.

Toxic work culture

A company CEO who spoke to Khaleej Times on the condition of anonymity said that she and her team typically work 12-14 hours a day. “It is not like we spend 12 hours in the office,” she said. “They have full flexibility and can work from home if they want. But we work in the field of social media and marketing. So the team can never disconnect. Sometimes requests come in late night and we are scrambling to fulfil them. I feel guilty for perpetrating this kind of toxic work culture but if we put in ‘off times’, we will surely lose clients. And at this point of time, we can not afford for that to happen.”

The study found that approximately 35 per cent of UAE employees perceive their work-life balance as fair, and nearly half express a desire for more flexibility in taking breaks.

Yasir warned that such work cultures could even cause families to break apart. “We are seeing an emotional connect within a family is also lacking due to the work-life imbalance,” he said. “It becomes a vicious cycle – a person coming late from office, unable to give quality time to family, unable to eat and sleep at right time, then running again in morning. Ultimately, it creates a bad mental state.”

Future opportunities

Other findings of the report revealed that almost 41 per cent of employees in the UAE express confidence in future employment opportunities. Meanwhile, many are actively engaged in pursuing additional education and certification, positioning them for success in the ever-evolving job market.

The study also made several key regional findings, including comparisons between labour markets in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Nearly four out of 10 – 40 per cent – of GCC professionals reported an increase in salaries between 5 and 10 per cent this year. Of these, 49 per cent of increases were performance-based, and 14.9 per cent were due to a job change. Around 44 per cent of respondents also noted that they expect a salary increase before the end of 2024.

Moreover, 37 per cent of employees were found to be very optimistic about future employment opportunities, with 24.3 per cent hoping to receive a promotion within their current organisation. Further, underscoring their positivity about the GCC labour market, 47 per cent of employees are actively engaged in pursuing additional education and certification.

When it comes to benefits, the report found that medical insurance is the most in-demand benefit (80 per cent), followed by air tickets (55 per cent) and flexible work arrangements (41 per cent).

Better compensation and benefits and career advancement are the main reasons that employees are changing jobs in the Gulf region.

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