Dubai: Emiratisation is a key focus for Emirates Post. Their target is to hire 100 Emiratis each year on, starting this year. It is part of a five-year initiative.
Abdullah Mohammad Al Ashram, CEO of Emirates Post, said: “Emirates Post has looked into Emiratisation ... to have a lot of young Emiratis joining the group. In top management, we’re 90 per cent localised. In middle management, we’re at 80 per cent ... and on the front desk level, we’re 55 per cent.
“In 2013, we’ve achieved the [100 Emiratis] number before even finishing the third quarter and will probably exceed that number at the end of the year.”
However, there is a bit of a struggle to fill in the lower cadres of the organisation, such as sorting or delivery drivers.
He said: “Then you have our smaller jobs, such as drivers ... we look at them as executives on the ground, but very few Emiratis there, about 15 per cent.”
This is primarily reflective of the change the country has seen, especially in terms of education and technological evolution.
“In the old days, we had a lot of sorters. A lot of these people didn’t have school degrees and they were willing to work. But now, the minimum bar in the UAE is a high school degree. With it, they can use the computer, they can speak English ... So, they don’t want these jobs.
“They want to work somewhere where they can utilise their knowledge. That’s why it’s a challenge to find Emiratis who are willing to work in such jobs. We’re definitely trying to find ways wherein we can train people and help build their career path in the organisation,” Abdullah said. They actively participate in career fairs.
Additionally, he observed that the drive for Emiratisation has to be achieved within the limits of budgets, targets and practical requirements.
Abdullah said: “We are an organisation that works in a commercial environment. We need to meet our budgets each year, need to make sure that we achieve the targets set by the board of directors, and achieve the profits within that. I think we’ve done a great job. We’re increasing the hiring of Emiratis plus we’re trying to achieve our budgets and targets.
“We cannot one day come and say that we want 100 per cent Emiratis, not other nationalities, because we need other nationalities, too. The different demographics that we have within the country means we need to cater to all of them. Within this dynamic industry, the Emiratis are playing a big and good role. We’re still achieving our goals ... not compromising on hiring Emiratis.”
This brings us to the other aspect of the workforce - women. Emirates Post is part of the Emirates Post Group, which has 2,224 employees. Essentially, 17.4 per cent or 387 are women.
“Emirates Post is supporting women in every aspect. We don’t have any specific roles that are only men’s roles. Every position in Emirates Post can be filled by either men or women – that’s how we work internally. Today, we have a lot of women who work at the counters as much as men; we have post office managers who are also women,” Abdullah explained.
However, their numbers are minimal in the top layers of management. ‘Glass ceiling’ is the first thought that comes into mind. But, the reality is that there just weren’t that many female employees in the past, especially climbing the ranks. They hope to remedy that in the future.
The US-educated CEO said: “On the highest management level, I don’t think we have a lot of women. But, we now have more women than men in the organisation, overall.
“We have supported initiatives to have a women’s council in the organisation - they have gatherings where they discuss strategies. We fund this council to make sure their activities are met and they can do a lot of things for women in the workforce and encourage social responsibilities – they are very active in that aspect.”
