The problem of the migration of talent from developed countries is not a new one, and essentially it is understood that the reward systems of the countries involved are at fault in not providing individuals with rewards that they value. In the Sultanate of Oman, such a brain drain is not yet a problem, but over the last few years there has been an increasing departure of talented people from the Omani Government Sector, as the private sector has more to offer. Such a phenomenon is wasteful in respect of the training investment which might have been made in these people, but it is also damaging to the government sector as a whole since the aim of providing quality services to the nation is made more difficult to achieve as employees of high calibre leave. Consequently, this thesis explores the issue of why people resign from the government sector to work elsewhere, and in so doing it focuses on the current reward system within the sector. Through a comprehensive literature review, it considers both academic and practitioner perspectives on the issue of reward, concentrating particularly on the concept of Total Reward which embraces the notion of a mixture of wide-ranging tangible and intangible rewards that are designed with employee involvement to ensure their attractiveness, and to ultimately secure loyalty and reduce employee turnover. The study then conducts an empirical exercise in which a large sample of government employees from the full range of ministries where resignations are taking place, participate in a questionnaire survey, seeking to establish their views on the current reward system and the potential for the introduction of a Total Reward strategy. Additionally, a number of in-depth interviews are held with employees, and focus groups are also conducted, as a means of securing a third source of empirical information. The data obtained is triangulated to establish a detailed employer perspective, and then considered in the light of the literature. The finding is that the reward system in its current form is not appropriate since it does not cater for employees’ needs. It is characterised by a lack of rigorous and transparent criteria on which to assess employees’ eligibility for various rewards, and consequently, has allowed favouritism and nepotism to creep into a system that was intended to be operated on the basis of merit. This is dispiriting for employees who have no faith in their managers to determine their individual performance, and hence offer rewards on a fair basis. It is concluded that a Total Reward strategy is a desirable way forward since this would stem the flow of talented people from the government sector, but it is also acknowledged that there are critical success factors associated with the implementation of such an initiative and that for these to be in place, a culture change within the government sector would need to occur.

The problem of the migration of talent from developed countries is not a new one, and essentially it is understood that the reward systems of the countries involved are at fault in not providing individuals with rewards that they value. In the Sultanate of Oman, such a brain drain is not yet a pr...