This feeling is borne from the presence of senior managers who often focus on destroying a new employee’s talent instead of nurturing him to work to his full capacity. This is often done to ensure they do not threaten their positions in the future.

Ahmad, a 30-year-old Saudi banking consultant who holds a BA in finance from the UK, said that on returning to the Kingdom five years ago he took on a job at a bank. Ahmad, who asked for his surname not to be mentioned, said he left after two years because of the monotonous nature of the job.

“Teamwork is considered the key to success around the world. The need for this is urgent in Saudi Arabia. However, this is often viewed negatively by managers. When I used to work in the bank, I used to be harassed by colleagues because I was the only one educated in the UK,” he said.

“I could understand the resentment to my presence from colleagues, but when it came from my manager, then I felt there was something wrong. I was told indirectly to keep my innovative ideas to myself and never think about taking his position in the future,” he added.

Lamia’a Al-Ansary graduated from the United States with a degree in preventive treatment. She finds it difficult to work in Saudi hospitals because of old-fashioned managers and their dictatorial attitudes.

“After coming back to Riyadh, I worked for a government hospital. My managers hated me because I had specialized in a rare field ... I was treated badly and many times reminded that I had wasted my years in studying something that could be treated in a traditional way. It was all jealousy,” she said.

Al-Ansary changed jobs and moved to Jeddah where her managers also harassed her and tried undermining her confidence at work. She then received an offer to work in the UAE where she believes the working environment is better.

Basma Adnan Al-Seiouf, a job trainer, consultant and writer in management and leadership, confirmed that the private sector is the perfect working environment for Saudi youths with degrees.

“The private sector is always interested in attracting Saudi youth who are looking for innovation. Most private sector employees refuse the traditional way of thinking. They also search for highly qualified employees who are looking to adopt new work strategies. In contrast, the government sector is full of bureaucracy,” she said.

Hani Khoja, a managing partner and co-founder of the Elixir Consultancy Group, said old-fashioned Saudi CEOs focus on financial returns instead of innovation. “Managers should change the way they deal with employees. Highly qualified employees find the Saudi working environment improper because of old-fashioned mangers. Those mangers focus on the financial returns and ignore creativity. They are only concerned with financial profits at the end of the year,” he said.

“Once Saudis return from studying abroad, these old-fashioned managers become worried. They believe that these well-educated employees may compete with them. They’re simply concerned with trying to keep their chairs for as long as possible by giving employees limited freedom,” he added.