According to LinkedIn research, remote job postings have more than doubled in the UAE as companies adapt to changing workforce preferences caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the survey, the biggest concern for business leaders is that employees who work from home may believe it is more difficult to advance in their careers.

LinkedIn polled approximately 110 C-level executives in the UAE working for companies with more than 1,000 employees and a yearly revenue of $250 million.

According to the study, approximately 33% of business leaders believe a “proximity bias” may exist, in which decision makers in an organization favor employees who are frequently seen at work. Almost 35% said it was difficult to trust employees to do their work and collaborate effectively when they were not physically present in the office.

“Even as most companies rethink their work models, we are seeing an increase in presenteeism that is threatening the greater flexibility we have achieved over the last 20 months,” said Ali Matar, head of LinkedIn Middle East and North Africa and Europe Middle East and Africa emerging markets.

“The only way to avoid this is to prioritize people and make them feel included, regardless of their location.”

Following the emergence of Covid-19 in March of last year, many organizations around the world shifted to remote working in order to enforce physical distancing restrictions that were required to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

According to a recent survey conducted by jobs site Bayt.com and market research firm YouGov, more than half of working professionals in the Mena region believe that remote working will increase once the Covid-19 pandemic is under control.

According to Bayt.com, 41% of Mena-based employees said frequent technical glitches were one of the most common challenges associated with remote work.

According to the Bayt.com survey, 36% of respondents said it was difficult to separate work and personal life when working remotely, 34% cited frequent interruptions, and 34% were concerned about how isolation could affect their mental health.

Meanwhile, according to a LinkedIn employee sentiment survey of 1,000 workers conducted in September, 65 percent of employees who work remotely in the UAE and Saudi Arabia said that regardless of how productive they believe they are, they suffer from a lack of face time with colleagues and managers, which negatively impacts promotions and career progression.

“Both employees and businesses will benefit from evolving workplace policies such as learning and new performance review metrics that prioritize people while also addressing productivity,” Matar said.

According to the most recent LinkedIn research, approximately 80% of UAE business leaders intend to provide guidance for what hybrid or flexible working will look like for their teams. Their top priorities were to create an inclusive culture and assist employees in adapting to new working styles.

According to LinkedIn, the majority of UAE business leaders (84%) believe that new hybrid working models will improve workforce diversity, with 64 percent prioritizing virtual interviews for the recruitment of top talent who would not otherwise be able to come to the office.

According to the study, nearly half of all leaders polled said they are ensuring middle management leads with empathy and trust in order to avoid biases about where people choose to work.