(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Job hopping is a practice that many young professionals in Oman today are engaging in. While some say it is for speedy career advancement for others it is a way of avoiding stagnation.
Not wanting to be named a 37 year old Omani professional working with a local bank who has changed three jobs in five years said 'When I first joined a bank as a management trainee I assumed I would work there for the rest of my career. Unfortunately even with my hard work and dedication my career got stagnated for several years and I had to switch jobs. I am happy with my current position. I just wish HR professionals in Oman concentrated more on taking care of the needs of existing employees rather than employing new ones.'
Another Omani professional who is in his 30s echoed the views.
'Changing jobs has become a game. I keep applying for jobs and negotiating terms with potential employers. I have changed jobs thrice since 2008. I think a problem that most Omanis face today is the negative image people have about them. Most think Omanis are not hardworking enough. It's a shame that such notions still exist.'
Companies on their part say retention policies are in place and they are doing their best to keep their employees happy.
Saeed al Badaei HR manager with Mohsin Haider Darwish (MHD) which employs over 1600 employees said 'We realise that it's not overnight that people feel unappreciated and look for other jobs overnight. But when an employee becomes disengaged or expresses dissatisfaction our section heads bring the matter to the notice of the HR department and we try to resolve whatever issues they might have.
'We renegotiate contracts depending on what the employee brings to the company but we avoid getting dragged into the game of offers and counter offers. It's really unhealthy' Badaei added.
Inshirah Bawazir head of corporate affairs Standard Chartered Bank Oman said 'We employ 138 staff members of which 37 per cent are women 57 per cent of those in senior management and overall more than 90 per cent of our employees are Omanis.
'In this competitive environment employee retention is a strategy used by companies in the country to retain local talent.'
According to Al Sayyid Khalifa Samih al Said country human resources head Standard Chartered Bank Oman their bank uses a variety of programmes to hone and retain employees.
'In Standard Chartered Oman we focus on retaining our talent pool through several programmes like Al Massar and Leadership Essentials that are designed to provide our employees especially Omanis with a variety of tools that will improve their performance and engagement. The country management team also takes time to mentor employees with high potential. We have schemes like employee of the month and year and 'woman of the year' to recognise employees' work.
'In addition our staff get opportunities to network with seniors. We also conduct a yearly salary survey to ensure market standards. We conduct staff survey internally to assess the level of engagement and satisfaction' Said added.
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