CLOCKING OUT
Vibhu Kapoor , Regional Vice President – Middle East , Africa & India , Epicor
Our findings , split here into five broad action points , should help the region ’ s industrial leaders to understand the source of morale and how to improve it .
1 . Modernise
Just over a third ( 39 %) described their company as ‘ very modern ’ and less than half ( 48 %) said their company was adopting new technology . More than half ( 56 %) said they would take a pay cut if it meant working in a more technologydriven environment . This reflects a reality shared by the Middle East – a workforce steeped in technology at home and at play and as they shop . They expect the same at work and are willing to look around for employers that will deliver .
In a region plagued by talent gaps , firms must act to provide stellar employee experiences . That is why , across the GCC , we see manufacturing companies moving to the cloud , which provides the security and agility to provide such experiences . Young workers respond positively to paperless factories where data reigns , tied together and intelligently managed by top-ofthe-line ERP systems . Our respondents listed AI , robotics , Augmented Reality , Big Data and 3D printing as the top technologies adopted by their employers . ERP ties these capabilities together to give the factory floor workforce empowering insights that make them more productive .
2 . Train
One heartening find in the study was that 70 % said their employer was prioritising upskilling . Yet 43 % were eyeing a job move this year and two-thirds ( 66 %) said they would tolerate longer hours if it came with more upskilling . Again , we see this everywhere , including in this region . It is especially encouraging to see that young professionals want to learn so they can compete for new roles and build meaningful careers .
In manufacturing , no matter where you work , you grow alongside technology . Upskilling programmes must be business-driven . Train staff in new skills that will be applied to the adoption of a value-adding tool such as AI . The delivery plan should allow for both , on-the-job training and self-service online learning . And remember to measure the impact of upskilled workers and debrief them on their experiences as they apply their new skills , so you can make continual improvements to training .
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