Histotry of Al Hassan-Group of Companies (Essay Sample)

HISTOTRY OF AL-HASSAN GROUP OF COMPANIES
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Abstract
The Al-Hassan Group of Companies has evolved through adversities to become a leading firm with close ties to the Sultanate within the Oman Empire. The firm operates mainly within Oman and in UAE, with its main trade tool being petroleum products. The conglomerate believes in provision of quality services to clients in an attempt to maintain its ethical appeal. The vision of the firm is to seamlessly operate in multicultural and multidisciplinary outfits, with a commitment to uphold fair-mindedness and truthfulness. Evidently, the firm has constructed a positive relation with its employee base, implementing strategic disciplinary procedures to foster institutional stability. Evidently, the group actively employs warnings, employee transfers, contract terminations and deportation of staff as some of the disciplinary measures. In many cases though, the group embraces dialogue and counseling to correct stray employees.
Key Words: Al-Hassan Group, Dialogue, Warnings, Employee transfers, Contract termination, Deportation

History of Al-Hassan Group of Companies
Introduction
Organizational discipline has evolved to be an integral component of business entities. Through well stipulated disciplinary procedures, human resource managers are able to contain employee misconduct which could easily derail seamless operation of the firm. By definition, misconduct is an improper behavior that contravenes organization’s codes of ethics. Further, the managers can employ disciplinary procedures as investigative tools that can be used to prompt improved employee performance within the organization. Through such procedures, the resource manager is able to instill discipline, efficiency and professionalism in production process. Also, the procedures can prove central in promoting cohesion among the employees. Above all, properly designed procedures are applied by the managers to promote fair-mindedness and hence safety within the firm.
In modern organizations, a variety of disciplinary procedures are applied in different firms. The severity of the techniques employed in specific cases is directly related to the level of seriousness of the disciplinary case. Some of the techniques commonly applied include dialogue and counseling, verbal and written warnings, suspensions, contractual terminations and deportations among others. In implementing the procedures, however, the human resource managers are often faced with various challenges. For instance, instances of impartiality and rivalry are likely to affect administration of disciplinary procedures. Moreover, organizational politics and lack of support from relevant authorities remain a great obstacle towards disciplinary justice.
The Al-Hassan Group of Companies has continued to flourish against all adversities within the Oman economic setup. Currently, the Al-Hassan Group has eleven companies operating within the Oman and the UAE, mainly in the fields of contracting, trading and manufacturing (Al-Hassan Group of Companies, 2015). This has seen the group successfully integrate personnel of different ethnic, racial and political backgrounds in its operations. Al-Hassan Group of Companies has been successful in enacting and implementing strategic disciplinary policies and procedures leading to seamless operations. The company has actively involved dialogue, counseling, warnings, suspensions, contract termination and employee deportations as disciplinary measures (Al-Hassan Group of Companies, 2015).
Disciplinary Measures
The conglomerate has well established codes of conduct which all the employees are expected to observe. Similarly, the firm has structured disciplinary provisions aimed at governing employee behaviors. While many employees are conversant with the disciplinary codes, a few cases involving lack of awareness have led to contravention of ethical codes. This, consequently, calls for implementation of corrective measures (Al-Hassan Group, 2015). This section provides an in-depth analysis and review of these disciplinary techniques.
Dialogue and Counselling
As an entity, Al-Hassan Group of Companies promoting existence of a professional working relationship between it and its employees. As such, the company believes in dialogue as an ideal measure to foster a good working relationship and content. Primarily, the firm understands that signing of ethical codes hardly implies that the employees are conversant with the provisions and expectations instilled within such ethical codes. As such, dialogue provides the best platform for the management to enlighten the employees on the provisions of the codes of conduct which they may not be fully conversant with. In some cases, the firm notes that indiscipline may result from factors beyond the control of the employees (Merrick et al., 2012). For instance, the employees may be subject to manipulation from external sources. If such manipulation is not much and the firm believes the employee can be reverted back to their productive states through strategic interventions, the top management, and the human resource section may resort to counseling. In many cases, this measure is put in place in attempts to lure influential persons within the firm to desist from an impending decision to quit the firm. In fact, the firm notes that possible departures of such personnel may negatively affect business operations of the conglomerate, and may consequently paint a negative image of the Oman business setup.
At lower levels, the disciplinary counseling is administered by supervisors on employees. These low-end counseling often concentrate on specific workplace incidences with potential of disintegrating workplace harmony between the workers. In addition, counseling may be in a bid to kill a negative image that an influential employee is spreading to other employees. As an example, an influential employee may promote a culture of laxity and laziness, a development that may prove costly to business success of the giant group of companies. Notably, such counseling sessions are often carried out in private, providing the employee with the platform to air their side of the story, and to explain the causes of their queer behaviors. In general, counseling between supervisors and employees in Al-Hassan Group of Companies has been instrumental in construction of socioeconomically and politically inclusive workplace environments.
Within the Al-Hassan Group of Companies, counseling is done through a concise procedure. This technique involves two important phases. The first phase, which is the most prevalent within the firm, is informal counseling. This involves informal discussion between the supervisors and the employees. It involves verbal communication which results into exchange of ideological principles and beliefs with the aim that the employee will be more committed to their work. In many instances within the firm, this initial stage is always successful in achieving its goals (Rutgers University Human Resource, 2014). In isolated cases, however, the employees remain defiant prompting implementation of the second phase of counseling, written counseling. This phase involves a planned meeting between the supervisor and the employee, with the issues discussed being noted down, and a consensus finally reached. Such consensus defines the frameworks to be followed by the parties to the counseling sessions in building a mutualistic working relationship moving forward. Within the Al-Hassan Group of Companies, conditions hardly worsen beyond this phase of corrective measure. Rare situations have, nevertheless, seen defiant employees contravene the written agreements of the counseling session, calling for stricter corrective measures.
Warnings
Al-Hassan Group implements a progressive disciplinary procedure. This incorporates severity of the offense and the circumstances under which the breach was committed by the employee. Following failed sessions of counseling, both written and verbal, the employer may resort to warnings. Like in the case of counseling, the preliminary phases of warning involve involves verbal warnings. Such verbal warnings are applicable in minor offenses, are hardly accompanied by other formal disciplinary processes. When the employee fails to heed to the verbal warning, it progresses to written warning. According to the provisions within the Giant Oman firm, verbal warnings are followed by written warnings which may be accompanied by summons to appear before the disciplinary committee. Such written warnings may also be given out upon repetition of offenses for which verbal warnings or prior written warnings were given out. In many cases, the firm tolerates the employee defiance by issuing a third warning which is also in the written form (The South African Labor Guide, 2014).
Notably, written warnings must incorporate the parties, mainly the supervisor issuing the warning and the employee to whom the warning is directed. Further, the dates of the warning and other preceding warnings must be evident. The warning must define the validity period during which a change is expected of the employee, and the expected repercussions should the employee fail to adopt the expected change.
Employee Suspension and Pay-cuts
Another strategy frequently applied in Al-Hassan Group involves suspension of the employee without pay. This measure is enacted when previous attempts have failed. It is implemented in relatively serious offenses, but may also be instituted when curbing progress of minor offenses (Gale, 2006). In addition, this technique is commonly used when the firm would like to hold onto a given employee who is central to the production process within the firm, and hence the firm would not want to lose them. To implement suspension, the superv...