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| Questions and Answers
| Q:
| I will be managing a work group in Saudi Arabia. I am wondering if it is important to acknowledge or celebrate coworkers' birthdays, and if so, in what way?
| | A:
| Generally birthdays are not celebrated as an office affair. Most people who do celebrate their birthdays will do so with their family and friends. There are also those who do not believe in celebrating their birthdays at all. Giving gifts within the office is not common especially if the office is all male. Sometimes within coed offices, mainly because of the female presence, a little more is done. Some workplaces may share a cake and sing happy birthday but this is not a common practice. Normally if someone does celebrate their birthday the polite thing to do is to just wish them a happy birthday and leave it at that. Otherwise it is highly unlikely for someone to become offended if their birthday goes unnoticed at their place of work.
| | Q:
| I have just completed a project with Saudi clients. Why would they pass a woman in the hallway with their face directed to the ceiling? And not acknowledge the woman?
| | A:
| Saudi men who behave in this way are conforming their behavior to their culture. In the Saudi culture it is inappropriate for a man or a group of men to look at or speak directly to a female who is not in the company of her male guardian. The issue is compounded by it occurring in a public place, and with a group of Saudi men, where peer pressure becomes an issue. If the woman is not wearing an abaya (black robe) and a niqab (face veil) then looking in another direction is even more understandable.
My wife and I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for over 10 years. We worked in a non-gender segregated workplace with other expatriate employees and Saudi males and females. We both observed similar behavior: Saudi men ignoring an individual female, expatriate or Saudi. There is a growing increase in Saudi women in the workplace, over 20%, although gender segregation is still common in many companies. To our surprise, we learned that in 2006, a government poll found that over 80% of Saudi women do not think women should drive or work with men. A Gallup poll found that most Saudi women do not think women should be allowed to hold political office; no other Muslim country in the poll had a similar response. Saudi women supportive of traditional gender roles argue that these changes would be opposed to Muslim values and an unwanted Western cultural influence, and that they already have a high degree of independence.
| | Q:
| I am a manager about to begin my assignment in Saudi Arabia. I am 30 years old and I realize I'm young to be a manager. I am concerned about appearing credible to my clients and to the staff. If I want to inform people about my credentials (my previous assignments, my degrees, etc.) should I just tell them or hand them my business card? Should I wait for the person introducing me to mention this information? Would it be considered rude for me to talk about myself?
| | A:
| It is not rude and will actually work to your advantage. People here are usually impressed by a person's educational and work accomplishments, and thus it is advisable when introducing yourself to mention both your background and credentials. Business cards usually contain a person's full name, job title, most recent educational achievement (e.g. M.A. Management, University of Illinois) and then the company name and contact details (e-mail, cell, office phone and office address).
| | Q:
| In our global company, we have a lot of Saudi colleagues and leaders. As it goes, we
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Date: 2015-12-11; view: 795
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