This study explores the criteria for evaluating performance, established as recently as 2017, by the Saudi Civil Services body (SCS), and which defines the methods and techniques for a fair and rational implementation of the appraisal system, and examines how employees perceive these criteria. Throughout, the research looked at the attitude of employees within public agencies, in the city of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, vis-a-vis the newly implemented appraisal system, and at how they interpreted its’ modus operandi and its’ findings. The study made use of Qualitative methodology, wherein data collected from five public agencies on the basis of face-to-face interviews, sought to understand the employees’ perspective of the application of the current appraisal system and to fathom their experience of it. The sample size comprised 10 employees, two from each agency. The findings reveal significant public sector employees’ concern regarding the new appraisal system, the degree of accuracy in implementing the appraisal process. Employees’ concerns extended to the mechanisms are used to link between the appraisal grade and the allowance (pay for performance), to the nefarious influence of nepotism on the factors of fair play and accuracy. The question of how to raise the level of awareness of the new system among raters and ratees came to the fore during the face-to-face interviews.

Today the organizational culture (OC) is treated as the main driver in making decisions in organizations and as a critical determiner of their effectiveness. Due to the lack of studies in the field of OC assessment in Middle Eastern countries and particularly in Saudi Arabia, this study aimed to portray the dominant culture type (Clan, Adhocracy, Hierarchy and Market) in Tabuk University. It also set out to determine the culture type that dominates according to the dimensions of Organizational Culture (Dominant Characteristics, Organizational Leadership, Management Organizational Glue, Strategic Emphases and Criteria for Success) by using an organizational culture assessment instrument (OCAI) based on the Competing Values Framework (CVF). The target population was the Tabuk University workforce (N= 1999). A sample was drawn from the population (N= 322) composed of two categories, academic staff and employees. The study findings indicate that the dominant culture type in Tabuk University is clan culture. However, three other types of culture characteristics are represented in some dimensions (Dominant Characteristics, Organizational Leadership and Management of Employees) besides the clan characteristics. The results indicate that there are statistically significant differences in culture strength according to some respondents' demographic characteristics.

The two authors contributed at drafting and writing. Author OAS conducting the analysis. While author Alharbi looked for relevant articles and designed the Questionnaire and made the data collection and by joining efforts with author Sayed made the results interpretation. The recommendations were established based on several discussions between the two authors. Both authors read and gave their final approval of the version to be published.

This research aimed to assess the COVID-19 impact on the academic staff performance at Tabuk University, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as to analyse the pandemic impact on job stress and job attitude; while considering the personality traits (emotional stability and extroversion) as moderator’s factors that either mitigate the negative impact of job stress imposed by COVID-19 on job performance; or boosts the perceived positive impact of job attitude on job performance. Two hundred ninety (290) of Tabuk University academic staff were surveyed. The structural equation modelling (SEM) that adopts the partial least square method (PLS) facilitated the hypothesis testing. The results revealed that COVID-19 has a significant positive impact on job stress. While job stress has a significant negative relationship with job attitude and job performance. Emotional stability moderates the positive impact of job attitude on performance, while job attitude mitigates the negative relationship between job stress and performance.

Abstract The study at hand explores the antecedents of job satisfaction that affect the degree of job satisfaction experienced by academic staff within a government university in Saudi Arabia. This research centers on the nascent University of Tabuk and endeavors to make a contribution that could provide significance to the body of research, especially in the Middle East. The sample of this study consists of 284 academic contractors at the university under study, namely Tabuk University. Smart-PLS Software analyzed the data, and the study revealed that work environment, administrative process, financial incentive and performance appraisal closely interlink with job satisfaction at Tabuk University, with scientific research and publication having little relation to the predictors of JS.