Exploring the Impact of Perceptions of the Emiratisation Initiative on the Engagement of Employees of UAE Nationality: A Case Study of an Oil and Gas Company in the UAE

An engaged workforce brings an organisation a range of positive benefits and may even constitute a sustainable competitive advantage. Therefore, understanding employee engagement and its antecedents is an important field of enquiry. This sequential mixed methods case study of an Emirati oil and gas company combines survey data with an interview study to address the question of employee engagement and its relation to the United Arab Emirates government’s Emiratisation Initiative aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on migrant labour. The results of the survey found that employee engagement was correlated with age and education level with older employees and graduates reporting higher levels of engagement than younger employees and non-graduates. No significant predictive value was found for gender, length of service and job level. Positive perceptions of organisational support and training provision also predicted higher employee engagement. However, the relation between positive perceptions of the Emiratisation initiative and employee engagement was a negative one. Those engaged at an organisational level were less positive about the national level initiative. Building on these results, the interview study revealed a range of findings on employee engagement on three levels, individual, organisational and national. Participants voiced the components that comprised their engagement including, support, training, public sector motivation and in the case of the initiative, national pride. Counterbalancing this there were some expressions of the unreadiness of the Emirati workforce including English language skills, and a desire for more direct support from the scheme. This research contributes the first study of the relationship between Emiratisation and employee engagement. It is also the first to give voice to the employee perspective on these phenomena. It raises questions on the perceptions held of the sources of workplace support and whether a zero-sum effect exists whereby those feeling supported by their employer perceive less support from national policies such as the Emiratisation initiative.