Where were you this week? Workers in Oman extend holiday leave

Muscat: Offices and roads were largely empty even after the Eid Al Fitr holidays, as many workers in Oman took three additional days off to enjoy nine consecutive days of holiday.
Many expat workers who had left for their home countries didn’t report to work from Tuesday until Thursday. “I will be coming back only on Saturday and joining work on Sunday,” an expat worker from India said.
Deserted roads and largely empty offices greeted residents and citizens who went to work. Many were spotted hanging out at Qurum Beach, the Muttrah Corniche and the souq. However, those who went to work had a tough time at the counters.
At some service provider offices, early morning queues reached up to 60 people in a relatively short period of time, with multiple service counters empty because staff had not turned up for work. “I had to wait for at least two hours for a simple query,” a customer said.
Latif Shahdad, General Manager of Mass International, said, “Personally, I have seen this problem mostly with expat workers. It’s a big issue and it is growing.”
“As an employer I encounter this problem every major holiday, especially during Eid. Employees travel for the holidays and then afterwards, while in their home country, ask for an extension. For us, this is a sensitive issue to handle. We first look at the law, which makes it clear that unplanned or unauthorised leave cannot be extended or granted,” he said.
However, in some circumstances, some expats while visiting their home countries after such a long time discover problems within their families or other circumstances, which they then convey to their employers. If the reason is valid, they are granted what we call a ‘compassionate extended leave’,” said Shahdad.
“But simultaneously, it is not easy for employers as it affects work, operational effectiveness and may lead to losses or damages in essential operations. Additionally, it may give rise to jealousy among other employees and they may ask for the same,” he added.
“For those reasons, it is not an easy thing for employers to make decisions on such issues and should be dealt with strictly to maintain internal company discipline.”
He added, “For Omanis, from what I have seen, it is a trend and in most cases, they either ask for an extension or simply remain absent.”
“This occurs every Eid. We deal with it on a case-by-case basis, granting compassionate leave to those with valid reasons and a formal warning to absentees. Employees who consistently ask for such extensions may reach the point of no return,” said Shahdad.
“It adversely affects work and causes financial losses as well. For that reason, it should be dealt with seriously and should never be encouraged. It should be dealt with through social seminars, coaching, and internal company awareness campaigns,” he added.
But in other sectors, things have, in fact, improved.
Ahmed Al Hooti, a member of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that cases of employees not showing up for work to extend their Eid holidays were a lot lower this year. “This year, it was a lot less than in the past. It’s much better now. I believe it is because of the limited supply of available jobs in the market, so people are more wary and prefer not to risk their jobs because it’s very difficult to find new ones.”
“I believe there should be more awareness about this issue, so that more employees understand the private sector simply cannot allow this to happen before or after Eid, as we produce services, goods, materials, and so on that the market needs. We cannot give excuses to our customers that we don’t have bread or meat or whatever it might be. If people are not working, then we cannot do our job properly,” he added.
“So overall, it was a lot less this year and I am happy that Omanis are doing their best to maintain their jobs, showing their dedication to their professions and I believe it will be even better in the future,” he further added.
So how did most people spend their long break? According to hoteliers, many people decided to spend it in Dhofar, where visitors have begun streaming into hotels as the Khareef 2018 kicks off.
During the Eid period alone, 10,422 visitors headed to cool off in the pools and streams of Wadi Bani Khalid from Thursday, June 14, to Monday, June 18. The Eid holidays also coincided with Oman’s turtle nesting season, with visitors to the Ras Al Jins Turtle Reserve looking to catch a glimpse of rare and endangered turtles as they emerged from the Arabian Sea to lay their eggs near the coast.