Retention and Employee Engagement the Topmost HR Challenge in the MENA Region's Oil & Gas Sector

DUBAI, UAE, October 10, 2010/PRNewswire/ --     In a recent survey conducted
by the International Quality and
Productivity Centre, 44% of the 2,895 Energy sector respondents have chosen
retention and employee engagement as the topmost HR challenge in the Oil &
Gas sector compared to 19% for recruitment. Continuous intake programs and
intensive training have helped the industry address the recruitment
challenge
well. Now it is the next step of engaging and retaining the staff that has
come under the spotlight. Building competencies and leadership development
were the other top-quoted challenges.



 
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    A surprising result was when people were asked to define the most
prominent role that HR had to play in Oil and Gas. Planning for rewards and
compensation came in last with only 9% voting for it. Talent Management and
learning and development with 17% each were on top of the table.



    The most interesting areas of interest were Nationalization and
leadership development initiatives. As the custodians of the region's
natural
and mineral wealth, it is important that the national population is involved
in key leadership positions which in turn are safeguarded through a
structured succession plan.



    Mark Bechtold, HR & Organization Development Consultant at Saudi Aramco,
commented, "Factors impacting organizations include rising costs,
competitive
business environments, and changing workforce demographics. To address these
issues, management in Middle East Oil & Gas companies must build on the
strengths of the Middle Eastern, Arab culture in a way that involves,
engages
and inspires employees to work harder and smarter."



    Mark Bechtold will be speaking about the elements of successful
performance improvement strategies at the 4th Annual HRM & Training in Oil,
Gas & Petrochemicals 2010, taking place from 17 - 20 October 2010 in
Bahrain.
The expert speaker panel include senior representatives from the region's
leading operating companies, including Saudi Aramco, Petroleum Development
Oman, Kuwait Petroleum International, Emarat and ENOC.