PECKING ORDER
Hierarchies are also of high importance in much of the GCC. Organizational structures have started to flatten out in the UAE and the country has been a very effective testbed in investment terms for the rest of the countries in the GCC, which are beginning to show tentative signs of a shift. “Flat structures typically eliminate all managers except executive level managers, so you can run a leaner operation and get more out of your staff, which increases productivity relative to the number of people you employ,” said Hisham Alkhaldi, chief support officer at Bahri in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “Companies are not running after experienced manpower, rather [they are] targeting young talent who can be an active asset for them at low cost. Under limited supervision, they are giving good results.” Companies in the region also increasingly recognize the importance of a diverse and inclusive workplace in driving business growth and differentiation. “There is strong momentum for championing a female workforce, as 22 BREAKBULK MAGAZINE www.breakbulk.com
ABOVE: A construction site in Abu Dhabi,
UAE, in 2008. While the project boom was frenetic for a time, the pace has lulled. CREDIT: ANDREW PARSONS/PHOTOSHOT/NEWSCOM
well as hiring and promoting women into critical and leadership roles,” Alkhaldi said. “Furthermore, building a trusted and transparent culture has also become a priority for businesses in the region.” Whatever an individual’s gender or background and whatever the location, work/life balance has become a key requirement for the vast majority of job seekers, and particularly millennials who are highly sought after as the future of business in the region. “Balanced employees tend to have greater levels of satisfaction and hence they are more productive at work,” Alkhaldi said. “Even though employees have a key role to play in ensuring work-life balance, organizations can encourage them to do so by providing a healthy and pleasant work environment. Companies must offer flexibility in work schedules, encourage vacations,
provide wellness benefits and conduct employee engagement initiatives.” The GCC nations are all looking to diversify and to build their economies on something other than the “black gold.” In the UAE for example, oil was at one point 60 percent of the economy. This dropped to about 30 percent in 2017 and the government has a target to bring it down to 20 percent by 2021. The sectors looking the most attractive for diversification and where the government is driving investment include manufacturing for sectors other than oil; travel and tourism; hospitality; financial services; and media and communications. These do not instantly scream “large pieces of project cargo” of the sort typical in the oil, power and utilities sector, so the project cargo business serving the region will need to diversify as well if it is to maintain momentum as these economies shift gears. BB Helen Campbell is a freelance journalist based in London who has specialized in energy, environment, sustainability and technology for more than 20 years.
ISSUE 1 / 2019