Existing US Expats on the lucrative, older pay and benefits package should be required to re-apply for their existing positions to see if they actually meet the minimum job requirements. Some US Expats have liberal arts degrees (e.g. photography, history, etc..) while holding high GC 15+ positions. How can these people justify that they are worth their continued employment? How can they actually make change? Let’s pull the weeds out of the lawn and dispose of waste in the system. Young Saudis are more-qualified and better-educated than these expats, at far less pay.
19 replies (most recent on top)
Option B for sure, give the answers one month in advance or with a two weeks training without duties.
Would ...
- cause a revolt or
- soon become as rigged as every other metric.
Make everyone, including locals, reapply for their positions. Next bring in a team of independent consultants to review performance and qualifications. Then watch the roaches run for cover when they are spotted. Then again Aramco cares less about efficiency and economics; I was told this by senior managers. Also I was repeatedly told that the company's vision is only longterm...what ever that means no one knows for sure. It's just code for 'we don't want to discuss this anymore".
Why can’t the company take a strong look? If it’s true, then some people should worry. If it’s false, then they can laugh. What’s wrong with taking a strong look?
Note: Like Facebook, anyone can type anything into LinkedIn.
Just look at their linkdn pages
If Aramco did this it would be halarious. Everyone would be forced to dig deep to make stuff up and the company would reach a whole new level of bullsh*t. I just hope that they publish all the applications so I could get a good laugh.
The irony of it all.
Needing to hire an expat with a photography degree in order to fill a photographer position. 😀
Wow! Talk about a conflict of interest.
The best indication of how Sr management views expats is to look at the first page of the organization chart. The only position filled by an expat is for executive compensation. I guess Sr management wants to make sure they get paid, and they can't trust a local to do it.
@qkl+1cparWcw
Yeah that's it. The BA and photography degrees are holding back Aramco.
A world class misdiagnoses if there ever was one.
It sounds like a lot of expats are avoiding the real issue of not being qualified for their positions. These expats do not want anyone taking a strong look at their educational backgrounds. The useless BA degrees in photography and history need to go. Expats have been there for many years, with no change. No improvement in their performance will ever come. Change will not happen until the weeds are pulled, as the BA degrees are choking the Company profits.
Shell went through that process. The only minor difference is that Shell is a publicly traded company (not in a puny exchange like Tadawul) with actual accountability to the shareholders (people with stocks) and no social load.
To Shell the bottomline is important and it does whatever has to be done to cut inefficiencies, not firing people at random. True that office politics plays a role everywhere, but not at the levels seen at Aramco.
- How can these people justify that they are worth their continued employment?
Simple, it doesn't have to do with experience or qualifications, just coddling up to the bosses.
- How can they actually make change?
That is actually impossible regardless of the skill level. Incompetence is embedded in the organization, the only skills appreciated are showmanship, wasta and coddling up to the boss. Bottomline and economics? Who cares?
The only way to make a change would require several thermonuclear explosions in Dharan and major facilities. Then the cockroaches ( I mean the actual insects) would take over and we would have to wait and see what comes out of that.
I had a new Saudi boss who tried to have us all reapply for our jobs. I have never seen a bunch of more scared Saudi's. Good times.
How could you forget the ever present yellow post it stating...
- UPDC (an in-house training program)
What is a deadline when you have no in country competition for the resource? Really?
The problem with that idea is that it is too logical. Would be dismissed outright. But I also agree with the post by yzd+1cparWcw. I used to marvel at all the yellow post it notes that I would see on office doors. I had a young Saudi team leader who, IMO, was only in the office approx 60-70% of working days. And don't even ask about Ramadan, easy duty all around. Some of the post it notes read (by no means all):
- At clinic
- At clinic with wife
- At clinic with kid(s)
- At school for parent/teacher conference
- Sick (of course mainly bracketing the weekend)
- Car maintenance
- House maintenance
- Govt business or offices
- Houseboy/ maid issues
- Mujamma
- Post office
- Meeting, meeting, meeting... (really???)
And all of these issues took at least 1/2 a day to resolve. It seemed as if no one was ever in their office. Always out and about. Just a perception of mine.
There is not point of comparison of any big oil with Aramco, because from the root they are handled in a real different way, from different cultures. It's simple, local culture and beliefs are the main drivers now, is it good? Is it bad? Only time will answer that, but for recent layoffs, not all people was "To clean" and not all remaining are "The best". Good luck.
“Shell” went through this process and it really weeded out the unqualified, unproductive employees. Office politics went down and the remaining people were happier. They are better off in the long run.
Highly qualified young saudis can step up anytime they want to by showing up for work first, working a full day, and leaving last like I used to and still do at home.
Never seen that happen but hey it could start happening any day now.