Family friendly policies and the Omani Labour Law

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to take cognisance of the work–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 of interest for both academia and industry globally. In its strategic vision 2040, Oman aims to encourage, support and develop the private sector to drive the national economy. To retain and boost the socio-economic development in the post-oil economy, the success of the private sector will depend on the participation of the Omani workforce. The role of working Omani women will be pivotal, for they form a substantial part 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.

تحليل جودة العمل والحياة للمواطنين الكويتيين أثناء تفشي Covid-19

“…Allen, Herst, Bruck & Sutton (2000) have found that the problems associated with WLB can affect QWL adversely. Belwal & Belwal (2014) have identified WLB to be a significant predictor of QWL. Sojka ( 2014) developed an empirical relationship in which WLB was associated with QWL and job satisfaction and type of employment contract constituted the other two dimensions.…”

Work–life balance: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis

“…But, notably, the increase in the number of women in the workforce was not followed by an increase in the count of men working in the domestic and family spheres, which still forces women to do household chores additionally. The gender-based work roles performed by women in today's industrialized economies are the clearest reflection of the reality of the female working population (Belwal et al, 2020;Rincon and Martinez, 2020). Women in both professional and non-professionals work roles do housework, and they rarely have free or leisure time for themselves.…”

“…The major factors impeding the progression and advancement of women employees in organizations include the stress to prioritize multiple tasks, the lack of FWA, the absence of career opportunities and manifold family commitments. Care obligations, such as sharing roles and responsibilities with a spouse in a dual-earner family or providing care to elderly parents, tend to have a significant impact on women's career choices (Belwal et al, 2020;Ren and Caudle, 2020). The factors responsible for bringing changes in their career choices and decision to "opt-out" or remain in the workforce had received very little attention in the extant literature (Lim and Rasdi, 2019).…”

“…While significant research has been carried out on gender disparity with WLB in Western and developed economies, such types of studies in developing economies continue to be in their nascent stage (Akanji et al, 2020a;Belwal et al, 2020;Nwagbara, 2020). In the majority of the developing countries, employment relations are still structured around gender roles and social norms, resulting in disproportionate subordination of women as men are associated with being the breadwinners while women are often assumed to be the home caregivers (Akanji et al, 2020a;Belwal et al, 2020;Masood and Nisar, 2020;Shabir and Gani, 2020). Such a condition perpetuates a high workload and stress, making women especially vulnerable to work-life issues.…”

Women Worker Protection: A Systematic Review On Maternity Protection In Indonesia

“…The role of working women, as example in Oman, play a big part of the skilled human resources inventory. Nevertheless, those working women in the private sector need flexible working hours, privacy at work and reduced work hours (Belwal, Belwal, & Al-Hashemi, 2020). Study in Brazil showed access to maternity and paternity leave was inequal from the perspective of social stratification of gender, class, race and age (Sorj & Fraga, 2020).…”