Eighty-six percent of employees across Saudi Arabia say that they are ready to go the extra mile, according to the study conducted by Hay Group, a global management-consulting firm.

However, the study, which also defines four different employee types, showed that this created a situation in which just under half of the work force became frustrated, ineffective and detached, keen to do more in their current roles but perhaps not encouraged by their employers to do so.

“The good news is that the majority of board executives in Saudi Arabia surveyed for the study recognize that disengaged employees are one of the three biggest threats to business and there is a great opportunity for them to address this, and move more of their workers into the ‘effective employee’ category,” the study said.

The survey also pointed out that top executives (41 percent) believe they are responsible for determining levels of employee engagement, while mid and junior managers (over 35 percent) look to their line managers for personal levels of engagement and motivation. Twenty-two percent say the CEO or top management has an impact on their levels of engagement and motivation.

“Disengaged employees can have a detrimental effect to a business’ bottom line. Hay Group research estimates that the top organizations on both engagement and enablement achieve revenue growth 4.5 times greater than their industry peers,” said Ben Hubbard, European head of engagement at Hay Group.

“With this in mind, companies need to optimize engagement levels, or risk suffering financially and possibly losing top talent. CEOs have an important role to play in engagement by setting clear and promising directions.”

According to Hubbard, the research indicates that CEOs are taking responsibility, but can underestimate the part that line managers play in employees’ personal levels of motivation. CEOs need to listen to their employees and invest time and money in training senior management to equip them with the skills they need to become responsible for employee engagement, he added.

“If line managers sense they are not accountable for engagement, it stands to reason that many of them will not go out of their way to try and boost engagement among their direct reports,” he said.

Despite having such high levels of staff engagement across the region, just over a quarter of junior and mid managers said that their organizations do not formally evaluate employee engagement.

In companies where they measure staff motivation, 51 percent of employees either do not believe or are not sure whether the methods employed give senior management a true picture of how motivated staff really are.

“Since the downturn, the workplace landscape has changed and methods to engage staff that may have previously worked now need to be reassessed. By understanding more clearly exactly what motivates an effective employee, CEOs can move more of the workforce away from the frustrated and ineffective groups,” Hubbard added.

Public Relations Director at the Technical and Vocational Training Center (TVTC) Aed Al-Qahtani said the Hay Group study reflects the reality in the Kingdom after 15 years of investment in human resources development.

He said the TVTC stressed in their training programs to develop healthy work ethics and communication skills, besides discipline in trainees.

“The oft-heard complaint that young Saudis are not committed to work is an unfounded myth,” Al-Qahtani claimed.

“Saudi youths excel over their counterparts in supervisory positions in many huge establishments, as attested by many businessmen,” he added.