Mahmoud Ahmad

 

I WAS sitting with a group of Saudi managers from different companies, based in Jeddah and Riyadh, last week and discussions veered from topic to topic till it got animated when we all began discussing problems at work, especially the work force. The surprising point that emerged from the discussion was that the majority of these Saudis in positions of power agreed that they did not want to employ Saudis in their companies. This was really saddening.



When I asked why, they said because Saudis do not want to work and there’s no brand loyalty as they quickly change their jobs each time they are offered a better salary. This struck me as odd that we have in our midst some Saudi managers who think this way and have failed to come out of their stereotypes, and I am sure there are many more who agree with them. But is this true of the present-day generation, which has shown a willingness to take on any challenge?



The irony is that these managers are basing their opinion on their past experiences with the Saudi work force. Agreed that there were issues with certain type of Saudis entering the job market with a preconceived notion of what the jobs would entail, but the current crop of educated Saudis should be viewed not with the lens glued to the past but seen with positivity that would help smoothen the Saudization problem. The stereotyping by these people will only hinder and not help Saudization. As has there been a generational shift, there has also been an attitudinal shift of the Saudi work force, which is taking the educational and the entrepreneurial route to achieve their aims.



One of my friends told me that he had a bad experience at his company when he hired a Saudi worker. The worker was doing great for the first three months, which is the trial period. After that, he began slipping up and acting the way he wants. He would come late to work and sometimes be absent and when present would perform poorly. He was giving very few hours for work. The manager said that the Saudi worker made his life difficult at work and he could not fire him. The only thing he could do and was doing was warning him and as a punitive measure resorted to salary deduction.

My friend said that he had to suffer from the Saudi worker’s attitude for two years till he resigned after landing another job. He said that day he celebrated and vowed not to hire any other Saudi in the company.



I agree that his story sadly had some truth in it, but does that mean everyone is like this man. I told him that there are many hardworking Saudis who are searching for job opportunities to prove themselves. There are many Saudis who are willing to start working from the bottom, not like the stereotype idea that Saudis only want to be managers with a massive office with designer desk and multiline telephone. The vast majority of Saudis these days have realized that times have changed and to survive in a competitive world, persons need to prove themselves.



I have met many young Saudi graduates who just wanted a chance to show off their talents but many times and because of these stereotypical ideas about Saudis they are rejected offhand. Young Saudis searching for jobs in companies and interviewed by Saudi managers often are rejected for silly excuses. A simple lie always trotted out is “the job is taken.” But the innovative excuse, which is designed so that the job applicant will not feel guilty on losing out, is when told, “that you are overqualified for the job.”



I will admit that this excuse was even given to me when I had applied for a job long time back. After two months of interviews and job tests, I was told repeatedly that I was overqualified. It was as if someone needed to lose 25 percent of his intelligence so he would be fit for the job. The fight against employing Saudis has driven the government to come up with the Saudization drive and force employment of Saudis in the private sector.



Forcing Saudization on the private sector has not served its purpose. It has encouraged some companies to come up with novel ways to fight it. Since it was imposed on them, some private companies tell newly hired Saudis, who have been appointed through the Saudization program, to stay at home and they would be paid their salary and only come to office when told. Such companies treat these Saudis as workers in name only and their salaries would be fixed under the loss column of the office budget. At the end of the day the company did not benefit from the newly employed Saudis nor did the Saudis gain any experience from working in such companies.



Something is seriously wrong because how could Saudis be unemployed in a country witnessing huge development drive everywhere? What is more galling that the young graduates, who have been exposed to the culture of the place where they got their education, are bringing with them the work ethics needed to be employable. If the Saudis were given jobs in the private sector then the Saudization program would gain momentum. But the authorities too need to give the private sector a free hand in dealing with the workers while safeguarding the workers’ interest. The laws should not be skewed in favor of the workers, and allowing the companies to act against a lazy or non-productive worker with a free hand, even resorting to firing if it is the last straw.



This will encourage the firms to look for and hire more qualified Saudis. Unless we shed these stereotyping then we would in no way provide opportunities for Saudis, who today are ready to do any work. I would also like my friends to spare a thought to what they are doing. For their offsprings too one day would enter the job market and what would be their reaction when they meet up with a manager of their ilk.

— The writer can be reached at mahmad@saudigazette.com.sa.