Top HR execs call for apps and new research to motivate GCC Generation Z

Leading HR executives in the GCC have called for new research to be carried out into how to motivate and engage their young national employees, and especially Generation Z.

The Gulf Talent Advisory Board (GTAB) members urgently resolved to carry out more research on motivating young nationals to excel in their organizations, in their respective countries. And several HR chiefs called for an ‘engagement app’ to be built in order to boost their chances of retaining top quality employees in their organizations, while increasing business profitability.

Now Obeidallah Al Turkestani, Chief Human Resources officer at Nawah Healthcare, a leading healthcare solutions company in Saudi Arabia, is exploring ways to fund this research, adding that motivating Generation Z is a major concern for HR bosses across the Middle East.

This follows new research from Oxford Strategic Consulting which shows that, while 80 per cent of business leaders say HR is crucial to success, only 25 per cent of them rated HR in the GCC as excellent. Employers are also missing out on a key opportunity to motivate young nationals and give them the right skills to excel in meaningful job roles in their organizations.

Obeidallah Al Turkestani says: “Knowing how to motivate young members of Generation Z and make them highly productive for our businesses is emerging as a major concern for HR chiefs across Saudi Arabia and the GCC region itself. Our GTAB meeting showed that other bosses shared these concerns in our vote. We are really looking forward to supporting the development of a new research report into this subject and maybe even building some apps to explore new ways of motivating our young nationals, as this is a critical area where we all need to unite and find ways to solve this issue.”

Professor William Scott-Jackson from Oxford Strategic Consulting says: “I believe that every member of Generation Z can be motivated and engaged to achieve his or her maximum potential to make them attractive to employers as a valuable asset to their organizations. Motivating young nationals is a problem across the world, not just the GCC, and we are sure that new research can lead to productive new solutions to this issue.”

Professor William Scott-Jackson recently led a presentation called “HR in the GCC: A New World HR for the New World Economy” at the 12th International ASHRM Conference and Exhibition on February 11 at The Atlantis Resort in Dubai. The new report, supported by energy company Saudi Aramco, is the biggest ever study of its kind into HR in the GCC, and is the result of over 1,000 interviews with HR leaders across seven countries.