RIYADH – Despite the increase of women inclusion in the Saudi labor market, underrepresentation for women in top management and leadership positions remains a pressing issue. This was disclosed at the Talent and Diversity Leadership Forum recently held here. Organized by Naseba, the annual forum in partnership with the first time this year with Glowork, concluded on Monday, bringing together business leaders, policy makers, academic experts, and human capital professionals to discuss the challenges and prospects of the Saudi labor market, namely the nationalization policy, unemployment among Saudi youth, and women participation. Role models, mentors, and coaches have a strong impact on one's path towards building a career, according to CEO of Glowork Khalid Alkhudair who moderated a panel discussion of women in leadership positions in Saudi Arabia. "Coaches are short-term and goal-oriented," said cofounder and CEO of Qotuf Tuba Terekli. "Mentors are more development-oriented. Role models are people whom we aspire to and are not necessarily in direct contact with us." She further says role models can have different impact on each person. "It's a matter of how we utilize the information our role models display for us," says Terekli, who coaches entrepreneurs in reaching their goals and developing them with lifelong skills. [caption id="attachment_21208" align="alignnone" width="1023"] Talent and Diversity Leadership Forum in Riyadh organized by Naseba in partnership with Glowork - Courtesy photos by Naseba[/caption] However, very little is formally done by corporations in mentoring and coaching in developing future female leaders. "Mentorship and coaching is needed at all levels of an organization," says Kathy Ann Sienko, deputy executive director for nursing affairs at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, where coaching and mentoring programs for employees are implemented. "It is difficult to get people who are qualified, experienced, willing to take a risk in order to be able to deliver a job." "From a financial point of view, there is evidence that companies who invest in coaching see a 7-times return in investment in terms of employee engagement, loyalty, development skills, and opening up the environment for innovation." On the role of mentorship for women, CEO of Emkan Education Dr. Mounira Jamjoom said, "Role models don't come to you, you need to ask them." "Male mentors should also reach out to females in middle management positions who have potential," she says, adding that they need to support women in pushing their way up the corporate ladder that is generally occupied with a majority of males.
When asked about women unable to reach advance due to a glass ceiling in the corporate ladder, Sienko told Saudi Gazette, "The glass ceiling is a global problem. There are some things that help us break that ceiling. Some of it depends on us women taking risks in terms of our career development and things we want to aspire to". Skills such as negotiating for one's salary, networking, and taking risks in one's career are crucial for women to get closer to where they need to be, adds Sienko. Founder and CEO of Yatooq Latifa Alwalaan said confidence is key, "especially for entrepreneurs who are working on a new product that's never done before". Being comfortable with uncertainty and taking risks are equally important, advises Alwalaan, who was named Entrepreneur of the Year 2015. Co-founder and CEO of Naseba, a French deal facilitation group, Sophie Le Ray feels the confidence gap that women experience now will be bridged over time. "If you survey women in an organisation, 60 per cent will prefer working under a man than a woman," she says. "That's because they still don't trust each other – not enough networking, or sponsorship like men do. But things are beginning to change. In time, women will fit in naturally at the workplace – at the top as well." Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Alkhudair said diversity is the main theme of this year's forum in which female employment is a significant part. He said, "Being an organization for female employment and creating jobs for women, this forum is very important for bringing together people from different industries in public and private sectors to discuss their experiences on women employment issues so that we can all learn from one another." When asked about the challenges for female employment in the Kingdom, Alkhudair said the gap between education and employment is "immense", where potentially talented female graduates armed with degrees are not well prepared for the labor market.
"They don't know what are the opportunities available for them", he says, adding that most Saudi females either opt for government jobs or teaching posts due to lack of role models. "Their only direct contact during their 4 years of studying is the professor." He adds, "They also don't see companies at an early age in terms of working on reports or research and such". Secondly, he says, another problem is the inability to market themselves or apply for jobs. He says, "We've done a study that shows 63 percent of women pay someone to write their CVs for them!" Men, on the other hand, tend to have a higher willingness to accept jobs because they need to provide for their family, he continues. They are also more mobile, he added.
