Boost involvement to retain Emirati staff

Strong collaboration and the establishment of a link between local universities and private companies is needed in order to address the issues that hinder the UAE nationals from working in the private sector, say speakers at the Emiratisation Forum.

The Abu Dhabi University's Emiratisation Forum focused on improving retention of Emiratis in the private sector and strengthening their role in the economy.

One of the speakers at the forum, Fadi bin Haider Al Attas, Recruitment Manager, Summit Career Management Services, told Emirates Business: "Among the major hindrances for Emiratis joining the private companies are the differences in salaries and working hours between the employees in the public and private sectors. Also, a number of private sector employees work in shifts and Emiratis prefer not to do so due to family and social commitments.

"Apart from this, Emiratis are pressurised by their families to work in the public sector because their families think that a government job is more secure. This is a major reason why they decide to stay and work in the private sector."

According to Al Attas, the other issue preventing Emiratis from working in the private sector is the feeling of isolation they experience as there are a handful of them working with private companies.

Plus a lot of UAE nationals, especially the fresh graduates, do not have enough knowledge and information about the private sector. They do not know what is being offered, how the career progression is and what benefit they could get out of working in the private sector.

"Experience is also an issue with some UAE nationals because mostly the private sector likes them to come to work and hit the ground on the second day. Sometimes UAE nationals who have just graduated and those who don't have this much experience feel the pressure. They want somebody to give them the chance and the opportunity to gain this experience. Therefore, collaboration between local universities and the private sector is necessary in order to address issues that hinder UAE nationals from working in the private sector," said Al Attas.

Giving tips on how the UAE nationals can be encouraged and empowered in the private sector, Dr Bob Nelson, President of Nelson Motivation and bestselling author, who gave the keynote speech at the forum, said: "One of most significant factors for hiring, developing and retaining employees today is 'opportunity', the chance to learn, grow and develop in a job and with an employer.

"In fact, the Gallup Organisation has found 12 primary variables that drive employee engagement. Out of these, the single most significant variable that drives both employee satisfaction and performance is: 'At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day'."

Private sector employers, and the managers who work for those employers have to get better at taking a personal interest in every employee, helping them learn and develop new skills in their job and over their long-term career."

According to Dr Nelson, if an employee has a great manager who shows such concern in their questions, interests and the long-term career discussions about an employee's future, that employee thinks twice about leaving that manager and the organisation for which he or she works.

Organisations can ensure a competitive advantage by tapping into the pioneering ideas of every employee. They need to set up a system for getting ideas from employees on an ongoing basis, not just a one-time request.

"Companies need to provide positive feedback on every idea, even if they don't or can't implement it. Have peers consider the merits of suggested ideas, not just management and encourage employees to further develop the ideas they submit for consideration. Also, it's important to celebrate the successful implementation of all employee suggestions publicly and perhaps consider incentivising those successful suggestions," he said.

Discussing how companies in the private sector can retain more Emiratis, Al Attas said: "There are several ideas that need to be communicated to the private sector, but we need to know first how serious they are in terms of hiring and retaining the UAE nationals. These decisions have to be made within the senior management and top decision makers in the companies in the private sector. They need to plan it well, they need to get more results on how to implement these plans.

"Stereotyping needs to be stopped against UAE nationals because there are a lot of Emiratis who are very hardworking. They want to have the opportunity to hit the ground. So when we start stereotyping we close the door for them, and we don't see the successful and smart people who really want to join and work."

According to Al Attas, the private sector needs to have more awareness about the Emiratis and Islamic culture. There are things that need to be considered so they are able to attract and retain more Emiratis.

In terms of supervision, managers, supervisors and team leaders need to listen and sit with the Emiratis to get their feedback and to know what support they need from the company.

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