Two in three, or 67%, of UAE business leaders have denied a promotion to an employee in the past three years, according to a study from Robert Half.

According to the research, a lack of technical skills was cited by almost half of respondents (48%) as the top reason for denying a promotion, followed closely by a lack of leadership potential (47%). Lack of experience (43%) and lack of soft skills (41%) were also cited.

Robert Half’s research also looked at what UAE bosses doing to keep their staff motivated.

It found that business leaders are implementing several measures to keep employees motivated. Almost half, or 49%, have given an employee a unique project to work on while 48% have let employees work within a different team. Other common measures include allowing employees to shadow other employees (46%), delegating responsibilities (36%), and respectively calling for their input in challenging situations (34%) and providing training opportunities (30%).

Gareth El Mettouri, Associate Director of Robert Half UAE, commented, “For an employee, the thought of being offered a promotion is incredibly motivating, and business leaders who actively work with their employees to reach their next promotion can be a key retention tool. However, the disappointment of being unable to secure that step on the next ladder rung will certainly decrease their enthusiasm, making them lose interest and confidence in their professional abilities.”

“It is important that managers take the required measures of making sure those team members still feel sufficiently engaged and motivated in their role by, for example, providing them with exciting projects, new responsibilities or other team members to work with,” Mettouri said.

“Being denied a promotion is undoubtedly a disheartening experience, but it does not mean there aren’t future opportunities for career progression,” Mettouri said. “It’s important for employees to recognise how much resilience plays a part in these circumstances and for them to maintain their job purpose for their continuous improvement, which will eventually lead to achieving their goals. If employees feel they have limited career development at their current company, it’s worth considering other employment opportunities more likely to meet their career progression expectations.”