Case study: How Omantel promotes employee development
With a state-of-the-art, integrated network infrastructure providing extensive coverage throughout Oman as well as internationally, Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) is the first telecommunications company in Oman and the primary provider of integrated telecommunication services in the country. Enabling the potential of every employee, making sure that its people are empowered to add value to the business, the local economy and the country as a whole, is a top priority for Omantel.
This case study is based on the 2019 Sustainability Report by Omantel published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
In 2019, Omantel invested OMR 435,792 in employee training and development programmes Tweet This!, and every Omantel employee had an average of 16.65 hours of training. In order to promote employee development Omantel took action to:
- support technical competencies
- operate Learning Academies
- implement the STARS Programme
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Omantel has identified;
- How Omantel proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Omantel to promote employee development
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2019 Sustainability Report Omantel identified a range of material issues, such as customer satisfaction, network coverage & quality, regulatory compliance, products & services innovation, GHG emissions. Among these, promoting employee development stands out as a key material issue for Omantel.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups Omantel engages with:
| Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
| Shareholders
| · Regular Meetings · Financial reports · Investor’s Presentations · Press Releases and Media · Sustainability Reporting Engagement |
| Government and Regulators
| · Direct meetings · Regular communication · Mandatory and Voluntary Reports · Cooperative workshops · Sustainability Reporting Engagement |
| Subsidiaries & Sister Companies
| · Direct meetings · Investor’s Presentations · Press Releases and Media · Sustainability Reporting Engagement |
| Employees
| · Daily, Weekly and Monthly Meetings · Intranet · Newsletters · Emails · Events · Sustainability Reporting Engagement |
| Customers
| · Social Media · Outlets and Service Centres · Surveys · Media Advertisement · Direct engagement during installation or recovery operations · Sustainability Reporting Engagement |
| Community Beneficiaries
| · Sustainability Reporting Engagement · Surveys · Press Release and Media · Sponsorship and CSR activities |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritise material topics Omantel engaged with its stakeholders through a survey.
What actions were taken by Omantel to promote employee development?
In its 2019 Sustainability Report Omantel reports that it took the following actions for promoting employee development:
- Supporting technical competencies
- Omantel’s Business Support Schools include Human Resources, Finance, Strategy & Communication, Internal Audit, Sustainability, MARCOM (marketing communications) and the Legal School. Each one of these schools includes a group of modules that serves a specific group of technical competencies. In 2019, Omantel carried out the Human Resources school, along with phase 1 Finance and MARCOM school.
- Operating Learning Academies
- In order to leverage leadership development towards the achievement of the Omantel 3.0 Strategy, Omantel has deployed the ‘Learning Academies’ approach as one of its key strategies. This model encourages cross-functional learning, innovation in operations and builds capabilities based on current gaps with the goal of addressing future needs and organisational strategy requirements. The objective of the ongoing programme is to achieve “Job Mastery” in the respective sphere of functioning. Omantel’s four functional Academies have been titled Commercial, Telecom & IT, Corporate Enablers and Leadership, with each one serving specific levels and teams. The journey allows leaders to gain the knowledge and skills needed to fulfil their current leadership roles to the best of their ability.
- Implementing the STARS Programme
- The STARS Programme identifies High Potential (HiPo) employees. A HiPo is an employee who consistently exceeds performance expectations and demonstrates the potential to succeed at higher levels in the organisation. When employees are identified for this programme, their progression is fast-tracked. The programme combines the methodology of the 10/20/70 model for a period of two years, where employees go through e-learning modules, coaching, mentoring, on-the-job training (OJT) and behavioural skills. These employees are leaders and professionals who are anticipated to progress quickly, fast-tracking their career. In 2019, Omantel identified 176 HiPo employees divided in 3 categories:
- STAR 3 who could grow into an executive position in the near future.
- STAR 2 who could who could grow into a management position in the near future.
- STAR 1 who could who could grow into a team leader position in the near future.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:
1) Disclosure 404-1 Average hours of training per year per employee
2) Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs
Disclosure 404-1 Average hours of training per year per employee corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education
- Targets: 4.3, 4.4, 4.5
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Gender Equality
- Targets: 5.1
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Targets: 8.2, 8.5
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10: Reduced Inequalities
- Targets: 10.3
Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Targets: 8.2, 8.5
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References:
1) This case study is based on published information by Omantel, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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