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As a
developing country, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) needs to make the best
possible use of its workforce for social and economic reasons. The workforce
is diverse, calling for appropriate diversity management (DM). The thesis
focuses on the banking sector in KSA. To date, there have been no studies on
DM in the banking sector in this country. Many organizations have introduced
specific policies and programmes to improve the recruitment, inclusion,
promotion, and retention of diverse employees, in addition to the legal
requirements existing in many countries. However, Western-centric models of
DM may not be applicable, at least not in their entirety, in other regions.
The
aim of the study is to devise a framework for understanding gender, age and
disability DM in the banking sector in KSA in order to enhance DM in this
sector. A sample of 24 managers, 2 from each of the 12 banks, was interviewed
to obtain their views on DM in the banking sector in KSA. Thematic analysis
was used to analyze the data. These themes were used to develop the
questionnaire, which was administered to 10 managers in each of the 12 banks.
After analysis of these data, and completion of the study, the research will
make a theoretical contribution to the knowledge on DM and a practical
contribution to the management of diversity in Saudi banks. This paper
concerns a work in progress.
Keywords: Age, disability, diversity,
gender, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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This paper is drawn
from a wider study of the management of gender, age and disability diversity
in the banking sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which aims to
develop a framework for diversity management (DM) in this sector. The paper
focuses on the management of disability diversity. The purpose of the paper
is to assist in understanding disability DM in the banking sector in KSA and
to make suggestions for its enhancement. Hence, it contributes to filling a
research gap, as there is a dearth of literature on disability DM, in KSA in
general, and in the banking sector specifically. Discrimination against
people with disabilities is a social issue that has not been entirely
overcome in any society. However, in KSA, Islam informs almost every aspect
of daily life including work, and Islam is against discrimination. Hence, in
KSA, there are regulations to accommodate people with disabilities; however,
employers are still free not to hire job applicants with disabilities
specifically because of their condition. Indeed, disabled people are almost
entirely absent from the labour market. There are 12 Saudi-owned or
part-Saudi-owned banks in KSA and two managers from each of these were
interviewed, making a total of 24. The interviews aimed to investigate
empirically the understanding of managers in the banking sector in KSA of
diversity management, including disability DM, in the banking sector. The
interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. Two interviewees stated
that banks used the employment of people with disabilities to enhance their
corporate image, while five expressed the opinion that disabled employees
could contribute to the bank provided they did not have to deal with
customers face-to-face. Nine of the interviewees perceived that disabled
employees could be of value to the bank for their own sake, not only in
‘behind the scenes’ roles. Another two interviewees mentioned that employing
disabled people could be part of the bank’s community service programme and
one thought it would be part of the bank’s Saudisation efforts. The remaining
five interviewees did not know how disabled people could contribute to the
bank. The findings show that disability DM in the banking sector in KSA is a
relatively new concept, and is not yet well understood. In the light of the
findings, in order to achieve the purpose of the paper, the following
suggestions were made for the enhancement of disability DM in the banking
sector in KSA. A change in attitudes towards disabled people is necessary.
Such a change in the workplace can only be achieved if a top-down approach is
taken to the integration of disabled people. Hence, it is suggested that
management and employees follow a course in disability awareness. Further, a
diversity officer in the HR department could enhance the integration of
disabled people into the banking workforce. It is also suggested that greater
government support is required through closely monitored and enforced
anti-discrimination legislation. Moreover, flexible working arrangements such
as part-time work would facilitate the employment of disabled people and
benefit other groups of employees.
Keywords: Banking,
disability, diversity management, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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