| Description |
1 online resource |
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Palgrave studies in global human capital management |
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Palgrave studies in global human capital management.
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| Contents |
THEME 1: Happiness and Human Capital in the UAE The enthusiasm and keenness of the UAE Government for building happy human capital is evident from the fact that in 2016, the post of Minister of State for Happiness was established. Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi is the appointed Minster of State for Happiness and Wellbeing. The purpose of this ministry is to create happy and productive work environment at federal government offices, local government entities and private sector. (https://government.ae/en/about-the-uae/the-uae-government/government-of-future/happiness). UN World Happiness Report 2018 declared that the UAE is the top happiest country in the Arab world, a ranking maintained for the fourth consecutive year. Global ranking was 20th among 156 countries (http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2018/). The Government of UAE is well informed of the critical fact that the employee's happiness and engagement at workplace is directly reflected in the quality and volume of services (Amhalhal et. al, 2015; Di Paolo, 2016; Prajogo and Cooper, 2017). Happiness and wellbeing is the part of the UAE national agenda and the government uses composite indicator, 'Happiness Index', to measure and analyze the levels of individual happiness. By year 2021, the ambitious UAE government is aiming to be among top five happiest countries of the world (https://www.happy.ae/home). The evidence based research of Walsh, Boehm & Lyubomirsky (2018) proved that workplace happiness correlates with the career success and leads to improved outcomes of the employees. Chapter 1: The impact of cross-cultural training on employee performance in the UAE hospitality industry Latika Varlani Globalisation has led to increased cultural diversity in many industries, of which the hospitality industry stands out the most. The hospitality industry not only has a culturally diverse customer base to serve but also a very culturally diverse workforce to manage compared to other industries. This chapter aims to investigateto what extent developing cross cultural competencies in the hospitality industry through cultural training of their employees will lead to improved ability and motivation in providing good customer service and consequently competitive advantage for the hotel. Although, the previous literature shows evidence for this relationship, it is far from clear to what extent this is evident in the UAE hospitality sector. The qualitative research design is based on secondary data collected from online sources. Data was collected primarily for two international hotel chains which operate in UAE namely, Accor and Ritz Carlton. In addition, hotel industry analyst reports were used as these provided rich data on trends in human resource practices in the UAE hospitality industry. Data was thematically analysed. The findings of this research indicate that cross cultural training does have a positive and noticeable impact on the ability and motivation of individuals, especially on the ability of individuals. Hospitality industry firms recognize this link and have developed their cultural training programs to develop cross cultural competencies of their employees. Increased interaction between employees especially with senior employees with valuable cross country experience is one of the preferred strategies in this regard. The findings also show that th UAE hospitality industry also faces a number of challenges such as language issues, lack of understanding on when and what kind of training to provide. Such challenges must be overcome by adopting, if necessary, novel approach towards cross cultural training as its benefits outweighs the costs. Chapter 2: Low employee engagement in the UAE: causes and solutions to the issue Alia Al Nuaimi The objective of this chapteris to explore the common causes of low employee engagement at the workplace in the UAE and recommendsolutions in order to minimize this issue. The UAE is one of the countries which have low employee engagement issue and can use the findings of this paper to minimize this issue. We use both secondary quantitive and qualitive data from various sources to uncover UAE specific factors that lead to low employee engageement which we relate to the vast literature on this topic.Our findings show that employee engagement is linked with other issues such as job satisfaction and turnover. In addition, common causes of low engagement are low salary, lack of career opportunities, low work life balance, lack of training and development and lack challenging tasks. The recommended solutions include revising the compensation plan, flexible working environment, employee recognition, training and development, supportive leaders and performance system. These findings are the contribution of this paper. However, this paper is limited to the secondary data. Therefore, future research can use this thematic framework to build on the findings and validate using primary data. The results of the secondary data are used to develop a thematic framework which can be used by Human Resource managers in UAEorganizations. The previous findings and the new findings of this paper are placed in a framework in order to show the contribution of this paper. Chapter 3: The impact of high employee turnover in the UAE hospitality industry Amnah Qasim This chapter investigates the factors that lead to the exceptionally high turnover levels for employee in the hospitality industry in the UAE. Discussions on the increased turnover rates have for a long time been on the top of the agenda for Human Resources (HR) departments and professionals. In an industry where consistency in service is key, the majority of industry players spend substanital sums of money in training and development of systems but are still affected by high turnover levels. The training that is specific to organization methodology and services approaches impact heavily on cost and time while the turnover levels have been on the increase. The result has seen more and more organization going through the rigorous recruitment process so as to replace the employees that have left. These aspects are time consuming which limites the organization's ability to focus on the core activity of their businesses. Our analysis reveals a three main factors as the major cause of higher employee turnover in the UAE hospital industry. These are the low state of employee motivation followed by poor wage benefits to the workers and finally the balance between work and life. These factors can be addressed within reasonable HR approaches so as to limit employee retention rate in the UAE hospitality industry. We offer several recommendations that HR professionals should consideration for future policy development as well as future avenue for research. Chapter 4: The effects of employee engagement on employee engagement on employee turnover: A case study from the UAE Tasleem Firdous The increasing employee turnover in the UAE has lead HR experts to reconsider the role of employee engagement. This chapter will investigate whether employee engagement has an influence on the turnover of employees in the UAE. We use a qualitative research design to anlyse the relatinoship between employee engagement and three variables, namely culture, job tenure, and the type of industry. To better understand the proposed framework, the ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO) model is used to explain the various relationships. It is important to note that although previous literature explains the relationships, there is a lack of literature aimed at industries in the UAE. Therefore, this research will help contribute to the existing literature where all variables are studied together and in the UAE context. In terms of data analysis, secondary qualitative data is gathered from two online-based discussion forums, for four firms in the UAE -- Apparel, DHL, Petrofac, and Siemens -- for a period of five months starting from 1 September 2017 till 31 January 2018. The comments have been analyzed through two techniques -- content and thematic analysis. Our findings show that employee engagement, indeed, affects the level of employee turnover for a firm. Furthermore, workplace culture can have an impact on the level of engagement displayed by employees. As a result, engaged employees tend to have longer job tenure with the firm. The type of industry, in which they are employed in, also seems to affect both engagement and turnover |
| Summary |
Providing evidence of the role of human capital on innovation in the Middle East, this edited collection closely examines the unique nature of the workforce in this region. It highlights the challenges that the United Arab Emirates faces in becoming more globally competitive, with emphasis on its unique socio-cultural context and a rapidly changing institutional set up. Filling a growing need for research - particularly in the context of the UAE's ambition to become one of the world's most innovative countries - the authors address six main themes: happiness; employee incentives; the restructuring and integration of employees; inclusion and diversity; employer and nation branding; and human capital and innovation. This book examines the global best practices firms in the UAE need to adopt in order to overcome weaknesses, setting an agenda for future research in the context of human capital and human resource management for the UAE |
| Notes |
Print version record |
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Labor market -- United Arab Emirates
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Human capital -- United Arab Emirates
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Human capital -- Middle East
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Labor market -- Middle East
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Human capital
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Labor market
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Middle East
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United Arab Emirates
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| Author |
Pereira, Vijay, 1969-
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Neal, Mark
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Temouri, Yama
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Qureshi, Wardah
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| ISBN |
9783030422110 |
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3030422119 |
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