Family friendly policies and the Omani Labour Law. What it entails for women employees in Oman
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-09-2018-0245 |
| Published date | 28 November 2019 |
| Date | 28 November 2019 |
| Pages | 315-348 |
| Author | Shweta Belwal,Rakesh Belwal,Suhaila Ebrahim Al-Hashemi |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
Family friendly policies and
the Omani Labour Law
What it entails for women employees in Oman
Shweta Belwal
Faculty of Business, Sohar University, Sohar, Oman
Rakesh Belwal
Faculty of Business, Sohar University, Sohar, Oman and
Business School, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, and
Suhaila Ebrahim Al-Hashemi
College of Economics and Political Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
Abstract
Purpose –Thepurposeofthispaperistotakecognisanceofthework–life balance (WLB) challenges facing
working women in Oman, make a review of the family-friendly policies (FFPs), related provisions in labour laws of
various nations, and identify and suggest some FFP-based solutions for attracting women to private sector jobs.
Design/methodology/approach –Initially, desk research was used to review the labour laws of the six
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and some pioneering countries known for their workplace policies
using the major electronic databases and official websites. An exploratory approach was used to understand
the lived experience of participants using 46 in-depth interviews. The data were analysed and the findings
were explained and contextualised in terms of the Arab culture, wider social processes and consequences
related to WLB.
Findings –The interviews revealed that the majority of women in the private sector are not fully aware of
the labour laws and FFPs, and are not satisfied with the existing policies, as they do not provide the right
WLB. Women in the private sector demand flexible working hours, privacy at work, reduced work hours and
certain other benefits akin to the government sector. Omani Labour Law needs a review of FFPs in line with
the best global practices and Oman’s diversification initiatives. The provision, awareness and implementation
of FFPs in the workplace are necessary to attract Omani women to private sector jobs.
Research limitations/implications –This research focusses on Oman in particular and GCC countries in
general in its coverage of Omani women workers. The outcomes would be important for the specific segment
but would have limited potential to generalise.
Practical implications –The study of WLB and FFPs is o f interest for both acad emia and industry
globally. In its strat egic vision 2040, Oman aims to encourage, su pport and develop the private sector to
drive the national economy. To re tain and boost the socio-economic development in the post -oil economy,
the success of the privat e sector will depend on th e participation of the Oma ni workforce. The
role of working Omani wom en will be pivotal, for the y form a substantial par t of the skilled human
resources inventory.
Social implications –Women working in Oman are influenced by labour laws, organisational culture,
traditional attitudes and societal values and influences. The voices of women working in the private sector
indicate a great need to create awareness of existing policies, ensure their compliance and devise additional
workplace policies to enable women to contribute to the labour market.
Originality/value –There is a dearth of studies examining work policies and employment of women in the
context of Oman in particular and the GCC Countries in general. Even in the extant literature, the sectoral
imbalance between the government and private sector has not been explored from the perspective of WLB
and FFPs. This study presents a unique approach and findings in this regard.
Keywords Oman, GCC, Women workers, Labour law, Family-friendly policies, Work–life balance
Paper type Research paper
Employee Relations: The
International Journal
Vol. 42 No. 2, 2020
pp. 315-348
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-09-2018-0245
Received 17 September 2018
Revised 4 March 2019
29 August 2019
Accepted 29 August 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm
The authors gratefully acknowledge the Open Research Grant No. ORG/EHR/15/002 from the Research
Council (TRC) of Oman, which was instrumental in conducting this research work. We also
acknowledge Professor Shirley Dex, Emeritus Professor, Institute of Education, University College
London, the United Kingdom for her guidance contributing to this publication.
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FFP and
the OLL
1. Introduction
Employees face many challenges as work in the twenty-first century becomes more stressful
and demanding. Irrespective of the technological revolution, promising salaries and
improved working conditions, life was considered easier 40 years ago, characterised usually
by better job security, comforting pensions and a clock-on clock-off approach to work
(Styles, 2013). However, not many women were interested in joining the workforce four
decades ago, for their role was considered to be at home. In 1966, the declaration of the
Manifesto of the National Organisation for Women resolved that women should not have to
choose between motherhood and career (Albrecht, 2003). Since then, the role of women in
organisations has increased significantly and mothers have equal opportunity to work.
The increasedparticipation of womenin work has changed the situationof working people
in the family and workplace considerably (Hegewisch and Gornick, 2011). Despite the much-
celebrated gender equality at work, women workers, particularly, face more challenges and
stressful situations at both work and home –often known as work–family conflict (WFC).
Consequently, someorganisations altered their employment policies from “equalopportunity
policies”to “sustainable family policies”(Schmidt, 2006). The reconciliation of work and
family life became an important issue as more and more women or dual-career couples joined
the workforce. Achieving a balance in their work and life –theoretically known as work–life
balance (WLB) and occasionally perceived as an absence of WFC –became the greatest
challenge for workers and organisations (Grzywacz and Carlson, 2007). Countries, where
women made advances in work, devised policies to help them, popularly known as family-
friendly policies (FFPs). Research by Nelson et al. (2017) placed Denmark, Ireland, New
Zealand, Switzerland, USA, Mexico, Sweden, Finland, Israel and Norway among the Top 10
out of 27 countries that scored high in family-friendly work practices (FFWP).
Nevertheless, there are many countries, which have not yet made a significant
breakthroughin the areas of WLB, state regulation and FFPs.The acceptance of women into
the workforce has been slow in certain countries, particularly in the Middle East. Very few
women in these countries have started work whilst others have been reluctant to go against
dominant social norms (Mernissi, 1987; Crabtree, 2007; Hasso, 2011; Yount, 2011; James-
Hawkins et al., 2017). Social norms in the patriarchal societies of Islamic countries in the
Middle East allowed women higher education but then expected them to contribute in the
household and child-rearing activities rather than theworkforce ( James-Hawkins et al., 2017).
Recently, some Omani women have joined the workforce, often by moving away from their
homes (Chatty,2000; De Bel-Air, 2015). However,socio-cultural issues remainvery influential.
Although individual situations may vary at home and work, WLB issues affect women
the most and put more pressure on them than their male counterparts (Maher, 2007). The
extant literature advocates addressing WLB by state regulation as the most basic form of
protection and by framing appropriate work policies like FFPs, conducive work culture, and
environment. According to Albrecht (2003, p. 180), “Family Friendly policies are business
strategies intended to respond to the concerns of employees with family responsibilities”,
which may include issues such as childcare, non-standard work schedules and parental
leave policies. These provisions and outcomes can be addressed from the policy perspective;
flexibility (of time or place) at work is seen as a reasonable solution to achieve WLB.
The Sultanate of Oman (hereafter Oman) is one of the prominent countries in the Middle East
that assigns high priority to labour market issues and the employment of national cadres in its
progress and growth (Al-Lawati, 2011). Oman is one of the six predominantly Islamic Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) countries besides Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
Although the government has recently accorded greater importance to women’seducationand
employment through legislation concerning specific working hours, paid maternity leave and
leave for widowed women (Al-Lawati, 2011), these initiatives need further alignment wit h the
latest vision and mission of the government. Since industrialisation in Oman is a relatively new
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phenomenon, the orientation, as well as the inclination of women to work in the private sector,
has been inadequate. Human resource management (HRM), particularly in the private sector, is
a relatively new area in Oman where the focus has been more on localisation and financial
performance (Al-Hamadi et al., 2007; Aycan et al., 2007; Moideenkutty et al., 2016).
The proportion of Omani women in the total workforce of Oman is very low. There are
sectorialimbalances as well, for only 21 per centof Omani women work in the private sectorin
comparison to 41 per cent in the government sector. So far, Omani women have preferred
government jobs. A significant number of female students are graduating each year from
different higher educational institutions in Oman, but the mismatch in the number of female
graduatesand the employment of Omani women raisesserious concerns. The turnover rateof
Omani women in the privatesector is high (Al Hasani, 2016); new graduates mainlyaspire to
join the governmentsector and abstain from joining any privatesector job, even temporarily,
to remain eligible for the government jobs (Shaban, 2016). Another major concern is the
likelihood of their withdrawal after the age of 29, due mainly to failure in securing a job,
marriage, family responsibilities and socio-cultural aspects (Al-Lawati, 2011). Furthermore,
women aspirants associate private sector jobs with low social status, fewer benefits, longer
working hours,inconvenient timings, poorworking conditions and complainthat they are not
commensurate withtheir qualifications (Al-Lawati, 2011). Studies also found that working at
inconvenient times affects family ties (Tuttle and Garr, 2012; Afrianty et al., 2015).
Belwal and Belwal (2012) observe that women in the private sector in Oman are prone to
leave their jobs, mainly due to WFC. One of their studies notes that WLB is an important
issue, particularly for women as reflected in their informal complaints to managers, solved
most of thetime informally either by tacitallowances or by mutualunderstanding (Belwal and
Belwal, 2017). Formal WLB provisions are few so Oman needs to carve outsome policies for
the effectiveand efficient participation of Omaniwomen in the workforce (Belwal and Belwal,
2014, 2017). Khan (2010) also observes that the HRM function in Oman is in its infancy, and
organisations need to improve their credibility through relevant employment policies.
Previous studies reveal that women workers in Oman encounter different WLB issues.
These issues are not alike for government and the private sector. Senior executives claim
that women working in the private sector face harsher WLB challenges, whereas the
government sector provides better job conditions (Belwal and Belwal, 2017). However, these
challenges can be addressed with a mix of suitable labour laws and organisational policies.
So far, there is no single study in Oman, which compares the labour law provisions and HR
policies and canvasses the opinion of women workers for a better WLB. To fill this gap, this
paper reviews the research literature on labour laws, leave policies, WLB, FFPs and
childcare supports, and highlights the need for certain provisions in the Omani Labour Law
(OLL) or organisational policies to boost women’s participation in the private sector. More
specifically, the study aims to –identify the importance of labour laws for enabling FFPs;
study FFP-related provisions in different labour laws of the nations; review the OLL with
respect to FFPs; and study women’s perceptions to identify and suggest some state
regulations or policies for women in private sector jobs.
In the following section, using the extant literature, we first lay out a brief foundation of WLB
issues and FFPs to contextualise this research for studying the labour laws of Oman in particular
and GCC countries in general. We then canvass the opinion of women working in a range of
private sector organisations in Oman on labour law and related policies (through in-depth
interviews concerning WLB) to extend our recommendations in this specific cultural context.
2. Work–life balance (WLB) and family-friendly policies (FFPs): a review
2.1 WLB issues attracting FFPs
Globally, the issue of WFC has been widely studied and termed one of the most pervasive
and problematic workplace stressors (Kelloway et al., 1999; Grzywacz et al., 2002;
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FFP and
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