Qatar Today Cover Story (May, 2011)

QAtAR tOdAY M a y 2 0 1 138

c O v E R s t O R Y M A K I n g H R W O R K F O R Y O U

tHE QAtAR nAtIOnAl vIsIOn 2030 REFlEcts tHE AspIRAtIOns OF QAtARIs And Is AIMEd At tRAnsFORMIng It IntO A nAtIOn cApABlE OF AcHIEvIng

sUstAInABlE lEvEls OF dEvElOpMEnt. tO REAlIsE tHIs vIsIOn, stROng And cApABlE MAnAgEMEnt tEAMs ARE nEEdEd tO gUIdE A sKIllEd And

MOtIvAtEd WORKFORcE In All sEctORs OF tHE EcOnOMY.

FoR you

mAkInghRWoRk

M a y 2 0 1 1 QAtAR tOdAY 39

c O v E R s t O R YM A K I n g H R W O R K F O R Y O U

QAtAR tOdAY tAlKs tO sOME OF tHE MAIn plAYERs In tHE HR sEctOR And tRIEs tO sEnsE tHE gEnERAl MOOd OF tHE WORKFORcE And WHAt HUMAn REsOURcE

dEpARtMEnts ARE dOIng tO KEEp It UpBEAt.

don’t work harder, work smarter” is the mantra of many scholars, but do Human Resource (HR) departments necessarily align themselves with it? How aware are they of quality, talent and potential? Is their focus on getting bums on seats with minimal cost, and enforc-ing policies to promote discipline instead of optimis-ing efficiency and productivity? What are their re-sponsibilities in 2011 and how do general employees relate to them?

“HR Management has undoubtedly taken a great leap forward over the last decade,” says Lama Ataya, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of HR Research at Bayt.com. “In the past, it used to be a stand-alone function, solely responsible for keeping personnel

records, but technology has quickly transformed these erstwhile manual processes into systemised ones. Administrative burden has been relieved and their focus now lies in ‘managing’ talent. It’s an indispensible strategic partner for any given organisation.”

Feeling of distrustYet in a Qatar Today survey, 61.9% of employees polled felt there was a feeling of distrust between employees and management. 41% felt that if this re-lationship – and feeling of mutual trust – could be strengthened, then it would help to promote a more engaging and affable atmosphere in the workplace,

b y r o r y c o e n a n d e z d H a r i b r a H i m

‘lEAdERs On tHE MOvE’ Is A MAnAgE-MEnt-BY-WAlKIng-AROUnd pROgRAM, WHERE tWO MEMBERs OF sEnIOR MAnAgE-MEnt vIsIt vARIOUs QtEl WORK lOcAtIOns EvERY MOntH sO tHAt OvER tIME, All EMplOYEEs BEcOME FAMIlIAR WItH tHE sEnIOR MAnAgEMEnt tEAM”

SHEIKH SAUD BIN NASSAR AL-THANI,

executive director, group hr, qtel



thus boosting productivity and efficiency. In a Bayt.com survey, 74% of employees revealed that transpar-ent communication channels between management and staff were important structures for employees, but these weren’t always apparent. Over a third of the employees polled said they never noticed their HR management.

Ataya said, “Communication with staff needs to be consistent, transparent and organised; employees are an organisation’s most important asset. An employer has to bear in mind there are various simple (and free of charge) practices that would keep employees hap-py and motivated, even in times of entrenchment”.

Qtel has really focused on this, as Sheikh Saud Bin Nassar Al-Thani, Executive Director, Group HR, Qtel, points out: “As part of our ongoing strategic objec-tives for employee engagement, we have launched a number of programmes and approaches in the past few years. With our ‘Open Door’ programme, all Qtel Executive Directors maintain specified ‘office hours’ throughout the year, so that employees have a des-ignated time to drop by and discuss anything they would like with senior management. ‘Leaders on the Move’ is a management-by-walking-around pro-gramme, where two members of senior management visit various Qtel work locations every month so that over time, all employees become familiar with the senior management team.”

Training and DevelopmentThe Bayt.com survey revealed that 45% of employees

qatar today survey, april 2011.

are you Happy WiTH THe aTmospHere aT your WorkplaCe?

it could improve

yes

no

0 10 15 20 255

40.5

47.6

11.9


WHaT faCTor in parTiCular ConTribuTes To a HealTHy aTmospHere aT your WorkplaCe?

an under-standing

boss

flexible hr policies

a keen work-

ethic

0 10 15 20 255

15.8

44.7

39.5


are you alWays on THe look-ouT for a neW Job?

offered a better job,

i’d take it

no, i am happy in my

current job

always searching

for a better job

0 10 15 20 255

40.5

42.9

16.7

“As FOR “OncE EMplOYEEs FEEl tHAt

tHEIR ORgAnIsA-tIOn Is WIllIng tO

InvEst In tHEM (And ActUAllY dO), tHEY

ARE FAR MORE lIKElY tO UpHOld Its BEst

IntEREsts And KEEp An EYE tO FURtHER-

Ing Its gOAls And EnHAncIng Its

WElFARE.”

LAmA ATAyA

heads the marketingdepartment at

Bayt.com

“cOMMUnIcAtIOn WItH stAFF nEEds tO BE cOnsIstEnt, tRAns-pAREnt And ORgAnIsEd; EMplOYEEs ARE An ORgAnIsAtIOns MOst IMpORtAnt AssEt. tHERE ARE MEtHOds OF KEEpIng EMplOYEEEs

HAppY And MOtIvAtEd”




does a negaTive aTmospHere aT your WorkplaCe affeCT your Work?

maybe

yes

no

0 10 15 20 25 30 355

76.2

19.0

4.8

“BUIldIng cApABIlItY Is pARt OF OUR AppRAIsAl stRAtEgY, As Is tHE dEvElOpMEnt OF tHE KnOWlEdgE BAsE OF All EMplOYEEs,

WHO ARE EncOURAgEd tO HAvE tHEIR dEvElOpMEnt nEEds AddREssEd As pARt OF tHIs pROcEss”

"OUR AnnUAl vIdEO cOMpEtItIOn 'tHROUgH YOUR EYEs' Is OUR lAtEst ExAMplE OF BRIngIng pEOplE tOgEtHER And pROMOtIng EngAgE-MEnt"

mARyAm AL-mANSooRI

human resources manager, msheireb properties

WHaT Could be done To promoTe a beTTer aTmospHere?

a more understanding

boss

re-drafting the hr policies

raise morale in the office with team buildingg

exercises

0 10 15 20 25 305

17.9

15.4

66.7


felt that training and development was a vital crite-rion in creating good working conditions, while 32% inferred that it was the main influence, besides sal-ary, on organisational loyalty.

“We have several programmes that aim to increase employee loyalty and motivation, such as the employ-ee’s retention program and team building events,” said Ghada El Shammaa, HR Manager for Aamal Q.S.C. “As for an appraisal system; it compares each employee’s set objectives to their achieved results based on our Performance Appraisal System that generates an IDP (Individual Development Plan).”

“Looking at the individual behind the role is es-sential to us at Msheireb Properties (formerly Do-haland),” says HR Manager, Maryam Al-Mansoori, “And we actively celebrate good news with everyone and organise events to bring people closer together. Our annual video competition, ‘Through Your Eyes’ is our latest example of bringing people together and promoting engagement.

“Building capability is part of our appraisal strat-egy, as is the development of the knowledge base of all employees, who are expected and encouraged to have their development needs addressed as part of this process, and are sent for relevant trainings,” he continued.

Qtel sponsors many events and activities for em-ployees; some designed to cater to families, others directed towards adults. These include an annual Sohour for families at Ramadan and an annual Ra-madan Football Tournament.

“We not only invest above average (in compari-son to industry and country) financial resources to developing our staff, but also ensure that the qual-ity of development opportunities exceeds their expectations. Our training and development plan is extensive, and includes a Personal Development Plan for each and every employee,” said Al-Thani.

Boosting MoraleHowever, when it came to contributory factors to-wards a healthy atmosphere in the workplace, an understanding boss (44.7%) was the most popular, followed by a keen work ethic (39.5%). It seems a boss who chooses to ignore some trivial misde-meanors – such as ‘theft-of-time’ – as long as the work is being done effectively and efficiently, goes down well with staff.

Al-Mansoori says: “Our employees at Msheireb Properties are responsible and committed and this common way of thinking promotes an effective and engaged workforce that is not controlled by inflex-



b y r o r y c o e n a n d e z d H a r i b r a H i m

the recent National Development Strategy (NDS) plan was released in March with the aim of achiev-ing the objectives outlined in the Qatar National Vision 2030. The General Secretariat for Develop-ment Planning (GSDP) – the body charged with im-plementing all phases of this vision – understands that almost 70% of Qatar’s work-force are expatri-ates. This significantly high ratio of expatriates to locals has the possibility of negatively impacting its national identity and changing the fabric of society.

The NDS focuses on education and training as a key prerequisite for helping reduce the country’s reliance on foreign expertise. As Qataris develop their skills and know-how, they can more easily fill the gap left by the expatriate workforce. The Gov-ernment has been active on that front for a number of years, inviting top-tier international universities

to open up campuses in Qatar, and now HR depart-ments all over Qatar are mandated to attract, de-velop and retain Qatari workers.

However, for Qatar to achieve its vision, it will need to sustain the current amount of expatriates in the country for many years to come. It’s a balanc-ing act for the GDSP, who want to get more Qataris trained and skilled to work in high-level jobs here, whilst also pandering to the expatriate population.

Sponsorship & Immigration lawsThere has been some conjecture recently about whether there will be a review of the contentious sponsorship and immigration laws in Qatar, which are in place to regulate the movement of expatri-ates here. Human Rights organisations are un-happy with how much control sponsors have over the rights of employees to move from one job to

sponsoRshIp lAWs

BeneFItIng QAtARI gRoWth

“IF tHIs lAW Is AMEndEd In AnY WAY,

It Is tHE spOn-sOR WHO WIll BE

AFFEctEd. WORKERs WIll BE AllOWEd tO

lEAvE tHEIR JOBs And FIlE A cOMplAInt

WItH HUMAn RIgHts ORgAnIsAtIOns”.

ABDUL AzIz AL-EmADI

former vice chair-man of the qatari

chamber of com-merce and industry



another within the country – or to leave the coun-try without their sponsors consent – and they are putting pressure on the authorities to align these laws with International standards. Employers – or sponsors – argue fervently that they wouldn’t have peace of mind if these laws weren’t there to protect them.

An Amnesty International Spokesman said: "Foreign migrant workers make up a large propor-tion of Qatar’s workforce and are often subjected to exploitation by their employers. They are generally employed under exploitative contracts which give their employers extensive powers over them. The contracts often stipulate that they are unable to move jobs or leave the country without obtaining the permission of their employer. In addition, em-ployers often confiscate the passports of migrant workers or arbitrarily withhold payment of wages.

"Migrant workers are not adequately protected by Qatari law and are generally unable to access the justice system to challenge the decisions of their employers or to seek redress, because they are trapped at home and because of the prohibitive costs of going to court and language barriers," he continued.

A new sponsorship law passed in February 2009 to regulate the entry, exit, residence and work of foreign nationals introduced some improvements. Notably, it requires that sponsor employers no lon-ger retain employees’ passports after visa formali-ties have been completed.

Yousif Ahmad Al-Zaman – a Qatari Advocate at Zaman Legal Services & Attorneys – notes the cur-rent Labour Law – No. 14 of 2004 – regulates the re-lationship between the worker and their employer. Most of its articles comply with both the Arab and Western International conventions and treaties on labour. Qatar is one of the leading countries in

terms of regulating labour relations and it reflects all principles established by the International La-bour Organisation.

Al-Zaman intimates the law includes provisions for the worker’s obligations and rights towards the employer, stipulates working hours, and ensures that the worker gets paid, in addition to a set of provisions for establishing an equitable balance in the relationship between the worker and the employer.

“Qatar is one of the leading countries in terms of regulating labour relations,” he says. “A compre-hensive law was issued in 1962 and a Labour Court was established. It became the second country – after Egypt – to have a dedicated Labour Court. There is no difference between the Qatar Labour Law from the rest of the Gulf countries, as they are all derived from international labour legislation”.

The law that regulates the entry and exit of expa-triates is No. 4 of 2009, stipulates that expatriates who were residing in Qatar – and returned to their country – can only return after a two year ban. Al-Zaman contends that it gives stability and assur-ance to all expatriate segments, as they know their rights, duties and what they should abide by in or-der to make their residence legal and penalty-free.

Dr. Saud S. Al-Adba – Advocate at Aladbi Bureau – agrees and says that “the law protects everyone. For instance, the sponsor is not responsible for any obligations of the sponsored workers, whether they be personal debts or another. On the other hand, if the Qatari sponsor abuses their rights by refusing to transfer the employee’s sponsorship to another, without any convincing reason, then the law gives the Ministry of the Interior the right to transfer the sponsorship of the worker without the consent of the original sponsor.”

The new Immigration Law specifies that a spon-

"It Is tHE BEst gUARAntEE FOR tHE QAtARI cItIzEn’s MOnEY. nOW ExpAtRIAtEs cAnnOt tRAvEl OR WORK FOR OtHERs WItHOUt

pERMIssIOn FROM tHEIR spOnsORs, BUt IF It’s AMEndEd, tHEn tHEsE cOndItIOns WIll BE cAncEllEd cAUsIng A lOss FOR tHE QAtARI EcOnOMY."

“tHE spOnsOR-sHIp lAW Is In tHE IntEREsts OF tHE ExpAtRIAtE, As tHE QAtARI spOnsOR pROvIdEs A sUItABlE JOB FOR tHEM And EnsURAEs stABIlItY OF lIFE. It AlsO En-sUREs tHE stABIlItY OF BUsInEssEs And pROJEcts"

yoUSIf AHmAD AL-zAmAN

a qatari advocate at Zaman legal services & attor-neys



sor must be a Qatari citizen who is eligible to bear the sponsorship consequences. The head of the family is the sponsor of his family members and the wife is sponsored by her husband even if she works. Any working expatriate woman can also bring her husband, in accordance with the conditions that HE the Minister defines. The law also takes into ac-count Qatari women married to foreigners as they can bring family members and sponsor them.

So, should we expect any amendments to these laws?“I do not expect any changes,” says Al-Zaman. “The system is positive and benefits everyone. Any amendments will upset the social system, as the number of foreigners here currently stands at approximately 70%. The sponsorship law is in the interests of the expatriate, as the Qatari sponsor provides a suitable job for them and ensures sta-bility of life. It also ensures the stability of busi-nesses and projects, which propel development and ensure the implementation of the Nation Vi-sion 2030”.

Abdul Aziz Al-Emadi – former Vice-Chairman of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Indus-try – agreed when he said, “if this law is amended in any way, it’s the sponsor that will be affected. Workers will be allowed to leave their jobs and file a complaint with Human Rights organisers, which will lead to a waste of Qatari investment”.

Indeed Qatari businessman, Abdul Hadi Al-Shahwani, also defends the law, proclaiming an amendment would be a disaster, not only to Qatar, but to all GCC Countries.

“It is the best guarantee for the citizen’s mon-ey,” he says. “Now expatriates cannot travel or work for others without permission from their sponsors, but if it’s amended, then these condi-tions will be cancelled causing a loss for the Qatari economy. The Government would have to look at a viable alternative if it is cancelled, such as taking on the role of sponsorship itself.”

Human rights organisations have been against the labour and immigration laws in the GCC re-gion for many years, but Al Shahwani says the laws

are similar right across the region because of their cultural ties.

“The Human Rights organisations apply in-ternational standards – of countries with a high population density of which newcomers do not exceed 1% – to members of the GCC,” he argued. “Competent authorities should reconsider the laws of human rights and how to apply them in the GCC region. At present, Human Rights laws can-not be applied to GCC nationals, as capital owners do not have cover under the umbrella of human rights. If these organisations want to be obeyed, they’ll have to propose plausible arguments.”

Human Resources LawThe Qatari public servant is not subject to the La-bour Law however; their relationship with their employers is made at the appointment decision and is governed by the Human Resources Law, which guarantees continuity of the job until the employee submits a resignation letter or reaches the legal retirement age (in this case the law of retirement applies), whereas expatriates working for the Government are marshalled according to the Labour Law and their employment contract.

Al-Zaman has noticed a difference recently in 'semi-government' agencies. The Qatari employ-ees, in such entities, are subject to the Labour Law, not the Human Resources Law, and the relation-ship is governed by the employment contract and not the appointment decision, which means effec-tively, they are treated like private sector staff.

However Al-Zaman also sees a bug in this par-ticular system, where contracts include a clause which allows the termination of staff without any convincing reason. Some entities abuse this right by relieving the services of many young Qataris, which cause them great emotional harm.

“In my opinion,” he says, “competent authori-ties should intervene immediately to specify that the contract term in not less than five years, and the semi-governmental organisations must be committed to terminate the contract only in ac-cordance with the terms provisioned in Article (61) of the Labour Law.”

“HUMAn RIgHts lAWs cAnnOt BE ApplIEd tO gcc nAtIOnAls,

As cApItAl OWnERs dO nOt HAvE cOvER

UndER tHE UMBREllA OF HUMAn RIgHts. IF

tHEsE ORgAnIsAtIOns WAnt tO BE OBEYEd,

tHEY’ll HAvE tO pROpOsE plAUsIBlE

ARgUMEnts”

QATARI BUSINESSmAN

abdul hadi al-

shahwani,

"FOREIgn MIgRAnt WORKERs MAKE Up A lARgE pROpORtIOn OF QAtAR’s WORKFORcE And ARE OFtEn sUBJEctEd tO ExplOItAtIOn

BY tHEIR EMplOYERs. tHEY ARE gEnERAllY EMplOYEd UndER ExplOItAtIvE cOntRActs WHIcH gIvE tHEIR EMplOYERs ExtEnsIvE

pOWERs OvER tHEM."



“cOMpAnIEs In tHE MIddlE EAst – tHAt ARE plAnnIng On MAIn-tAInIng A cOMpEtItIvE AdvAntAgE – ARE WEll AWARE tHAt tHEY

HAvE tO InvEst In AttRActIng And REtAInIng tHEsE vAlUABlE HUMAn cApItAl AssEts And HAvE sUccEEdEd nOtIcEABlY AlOng

tHEsE lInEs.

“As FOR An Ap-pRAIsAl sYstEM; It cOMpAREs EAcH EMplOYEE’s sEt OBJEctIvEs tO tHEIR AcHIEvEd REsUlts BAsEd On OUR pERFORMAncE AppRAIsAl sYstEM tHAt gEnERAtEs An Idp (IndIvIdUAl dE-vElOpMEnt plAn).” GHADA EL SHAmmA

hr manager, aamal q.s.c.

ible policies.”Some companies employ policies which hinder the

development of employees. For instance, the proc-esses involved in gaining an internal transfer have often been hindered by red tape and bureaucracy; i.e. needing to get an application signed off by a manager who might be displeased by the request. It’s often suitable to leave an employee who has taken to his task in one particular role with assurance and instead going externally to fill the vacant position.

Ataya says: “Promoting from within is a great em-ployee morale and productivity booster. Poll after poll at Bayt has shown that professionals who feel they have opportunities for growth and career pro-gression in their companies are more likely to stay and experience higher levels of organizational satis-faction and loyalty.

“Once employees feel that their organisation is willing to invest in them (and actually do), they are far more likely to uphold its best interests and keep an eye to furthering its goals and enhancing its wel-fare.”

Qtel agree: “Our employees are the first to hear of a job vacancy via weekly email notices and they do not need their manager’s approval to apply within,” said Mahmoud.

Ataya inferred that the Middle East is now one of the fast growing regions in the world today, in spite


is THere a HealTHy relaTionsHip beTWeen Hr managemenT and THe

employees?

20 25

no

yes

never notice

them

0 10 155

47.6

14.3

38.1

HoW do Companies fail To promoTe a HealTHy aTmospHere?

lack of trust

between manage-

ment and employees

strict hr policies

no team-building

exercises

0 10 15 20 25 305

11.9

61.9

26.2


of the recent economic downturn, and is beginning to catch up with the West with respect to Human Resources.

“Companies in the Middle East – that are plan-ning on maintaining a competitive advantage – are well aware that they have to invest in attracting and retaining these valuable human capital assets and have succeeded noticeably along these lines. We see a lot of headway having been made in the last dec-ade specifically and today very many HR depart-ments across the MENA can boast a sophistication and innovation level that is absolutely competitive with many of the best HR departments in the west,” she said.

The Qatar Today survey showed that 40.5% of employees are content in their current job and are not looking to change, whilst 42.9% admitted that if they were offered a better job, they would take it. If our survey is a compass, then this puts what a typi-cal employee wants into context. Many employees feel there are some aspects of a job which are almost irreplaceable – such as “simple (and free of charge) practices which keep their employees happy and motivated” – and are unwilling to compromise this feel-good factor by defecting to another company.

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Qatar Today Cover Story (May, 2011)