Why We Fail in Nationalization?

Tarik Al Maeena

A lot has been printed in our press about the importance of filling expatriate positions with Saudi nationals. And there have been some recorded cases of success. But there are also instances when Saudis shoot themselves in the foot.

Take the case of an all-female run business that had recently placed an advertisement inviting applications from Saudi females for a part-time position. The ad clearly stated the location of the business, a brief outline of the duties, conditions etc., describing it as a low-stress job in a ladies-only working environment and offering a competitive salary. They soon received six applications.

SN, one of the business partners, explains: “No. 1 sent a plastic file with a copy of all her certificates. No covering letter and no contact numbers. After much time and effort we managed to get hold of her and asked her to send her CV or resume. She didn’t know what a resume was. And we are talking about a university graduate here! When it finally got through to her, she replied that she didn’t have one, and couldn’t be bothered.”

“No. 2’s application looked good on paper. We invited her for an interview by e-mail and by SMS. She responded to neither.”

“No. 3 was given an interview time for Thursday 12:30 p.m. She called later and asked for a later time and we said it would be difficult. She wanted the interview set for another day, as ‘everyone is sleeping on Thursday at that time’. On Tuesday morning at 9.00 a.m. she called and wanted an interview that same day. I put her in touch with the lady doing the interview, who said it was too short a notice for her, so they arranged to meet on Wednesday at 11.30 a.m. Our interviewer was waiting for her on the appointed day and time but the candidate didn’t turn up or call or answer the phone when we rang her up.”

“No. 4 sent an e-mail the morning of her interview which had been arranged a week before, saying she didn’t want to work because the work premises were too far from her home. Besides, her husband couldn’t always bring her and she had a 4-year-old son to consider, as she had no child care. I e-mailed her back stating that next time she should really consider all her circumstances before she applied for a job, and that the morning of the interview was a very short notice to cancel.”

“No. 5 was set for an interview at 10.30 a.m. I was on the premises at 10.15 a.m. that day. Five minutes later, I received an apologetic SMS from her to say that she wasn’t coming. I was really annoyed as Thursday is my only day-off, and I had canceled my favorite workout session and coffee with my friends. Another had left home making all arrangements so her nanny could feed her baby while she was at the interview. A third had canceled her regular family breakfast. I sent her an e-mail to say it was very unprofessional to cancel an interview at such a short notice and got this response....

‘Well dear I couldn’t care less if you accept my behavior or not, and I withdraw my apology ‘cause obviously you don’t deserve it. I’m only sorry for one thing which is that I was late for work just to come and see you. And one more thing: I’m surprised all three of you came just to see one person. You must be desperate!’

“No. 6 had an interview at 12 noon and sauntered in casually and unconcerned at 12.45.”
“So is this the pool of work force we have? You know, women here whine so much about their lack of opportunities, how unfair their life is here, blah, blah, blah — well no wonder! With such behavior, no one wants to employ them.

“Few have any idea of how to behave in a workplace, how to conduct themselves professionally and the commitment that working actually takes.”

So wherein lies the problem? Is it our educational institutions that pump out hundreds of thousands of students every year, barely qualified to sustain themselves in the market place without the necessary tools that could help put them on the road to success?

Is it subtle subjugation either by family or culture to deny these women a working chance, opting for the illusory haven of a quick and happy marriage instead?
Is the government at fault for not facilitating suitable transport and child care facilities, coupled with little or no defined protection of their working rights?

Or is it these women who chose to deny themselves the empowerment that others are fighting so desperately for, opting for the “southern belle” syndrome instead?

Whatever the reason, it would be a tragedy if we are to move forward on enforcing Saudization and yet leave such a large and important segment of our population ignored and unattended to.