Wednesday 30 November 2016

What 'excitement' lurks behind the glass doors of HCT?

As most readers of these pages are aware, the gulf between the reality of working at HCT and the bullshit spouted by the HR department when recruiting is substantial. The advertised promise of working for an “exciting organization” soon morphs into a nightmare as the organization turns on its own staff and attempts to chew them up and spit them out.

Don’t believe me? Well, the most recent postings at glassdoor.com hardly leave a positive impression. I fact, the overall Rating Trend is a mighty…

1.9 !!


Even better, 18% of the posters would ‘Recommend to a Friend’, whereas the figure relating to those who ‘Approve of CEO’ stands at … ZERO!

Take a look at some of these headlines…

"The Place is a Sham"

"inexorable death"

"Legacy gone!"

"slash n burn"

"Great Institution spoilt by nepotism, cronyism and greed"

"Fire the VC"

"Just avoid it"

"Deteriorating"

And if those headlines don’t send out immediate warning signals, just take a look at some of the detail. After all, it is where the devil tends to reside.

In recent years the organization has deteriorated. Awful autocratic management by unqualified people who do not have experience in education and certainly have no idea how to motivate people. Continuous changes of policies. Culture of punishment and threats. Very frustrating. Co workers were excellent and salary was excellent but the environment was toxic.

Abusive and unprofessional administration, including unethical, immoral, and illegal activities.

To sum up how they operate, in 2012, I was given a 2.5 year extension to my contract one day and a 6 month termination letter the next day. My college director and HR officer knew nothing about it.

Things have got much worse since. HCT has lurched from being an excellent vocational training organisation to a very poor "university" and now it doesn't know what it is!

Cons: Unmotivated students can become shockingly malicious towards teachers having professional integrity and who steadfastly will not manipulate results or attendance records to halt the malicious behaviour.

There are ever changing and unclear rules and policies that make working life equate to climbing Mount Everest without the correct equipment. Some HR policies are cruel. The impact of these on the well being of the staff is noticeable.

Cons: Senior Management. Was always bad but with Emiratisation is now worse beyond belief.

Click below for more great news about HCT!

30 comments:

Delma said...

The 'excitement' that typically infects HCT is usually related to firings. Do you have some more news of random dismissals to 'excite' us with, SO?

Suede Oasis said...

Oh dear, 145 hits today alone from our fans in Russia! How come SO is so popular there? What can those mysterious Russians be up to?

Suede Oasis said...

Hmm, and more than 700 today!

What ARE you up to, Russkies?

Anonymous said...

Suede's afraid! He's deleting comments now!

Son of al Shamsi said...

Too right! He's cracked his pants and scarpered!

Anonymous said...

I am happy to report that the author of this blog has been arrested and is currently sitting in jail. Well done to those Russians!

Suede Oasis said...

I am equally happy to report that the rumour of my incarceration is no more than that - a mere rumour! Unless you call being on a skiing holiday in Austria some sort of imprisonment...

In fact, these days, having a job at HCT is more akin to being imprisoned. But watch this space for more news about current inmates, as well as fugitives, in the new year!

Anonymous said...

Over the past three month we have been taking 3 emails per each day on the subject of "happiness" and 'team bilding' .... I don't know where I can stop this because it come automatically from my email from the HR. I never have this before in my job especially now we have everybody angry with stupid mangers in the central services make change to everything. I laugh at stupid man who come say everyone is HCT version 2 happy and not listen to anything. Students know nothing except play game with management to have high grades.

Suede Oasis said...

But my dear Anonymous above, that is EXACTLY the 'exciting organisation' that HCT claims to be, just like Orwell's 1984. You are frequently told how happy you are and reminded to keep up the wonderful teamwork, and at the same time your views are ignored - in this case by ignorant, inexperienced and idle Emirati 'managers'.

And you have the temerity to COMPLAIN?! How dare you!! The Party will deal with you accordingly!

Anonymous said...

Departmental meetings across the system are apparently scheduled for this week. In most campuses, the majority of the Foundations team are up for renewal, thanks to the one year renewal of employees last spring. Scary and uncertain times at HCT made worse by demoralising management. Friends who were rejected outright on their equivalency (online degrees or masters degrees with no bachelors) were told to expect to be let go. Because the management of the Colleges has been so unpredictable, many of my friends there say it's hard to say if they will follow through on their threat. Those who haven't applied for equivalency at all have been told that they won't be renewed. Threats? Reality?

Anonymous said...

For an answer to this dilemma, one only has to look at the idiot manager of central HR, CHRO Abdulaziz Alraeesi who recently stood up in front of a large assembled faculty at the Spring conference stating bluntly that he wasn't interested in people. Once you have the HCT badge you are in the HCT culture where people do not matter, only the system culture matters. Such breathtaking ignorance for a presumably American educated public servant, the stench of hypocrisy was rank especially in the so called 'Year of Faculty'. No wonder people walked out into the sunshine given the pathos on stage. It really is beneath one to continue working for such luddites.

Delma said...

Erm, so you are telling us that head of HUMAN resources admits that he has no interest in PEOPLE?!?
surely this could only be possible at HCT!

Suede Oasis said...

Wow, that was SUCH a mistake!

Just look who is the new face of this blog!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Suede!
I'm a big fan of your work, and was wondering if you are interested in hearing about another tyrant, namely the CEO at Abu Dhabi school of management - Abdullah Abonamah. There are many factual stories of issuing fake Harvard certificates, issuing fake grades/credit hours, copyright and trademark infringement, unjustified terminations etc.

Delma said...

So fake grades and corruption, arbitrary sackings, etc; it's not just an HCT thing!?

Yet surely HCT leads the way, no?!

Anonymous said...

Got your ticket for the Arsenal match Suede?

Suede Oasis said...

Yes thanks, Sijo! Do you want me to get one for you too?

BTW, the forecast for that day is VERY WET - just like old times, eh?!

Anonymous said...

Had no idea Suede was an Arsenal fan. Shame on you, gobshite Gooner!

Anonymous said...

Here's one from Glassdoor to add to those 'recommendations' above, Suede.

"Upper management merry-go-round"

Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
Doesn't Recommend
Negative Outlook

I worked at HCT full-time
Pros
Compensation package was nice and tax-free income made it even better. Although benefits have been cut from what I've heard.
Cons
Students with "wasta" (aka "connections") were capable of rallying together to get teachers terminated; full-on regime changes were very frequent and academic directors only stayed a few months at a time.
Advice to Management
Hire and retain qualified educators with proven cultural experience and results; don't only seek PHD's at all costs. Also, when handling student complaints - maintain neutrality and wait to forming an opinion until investigating...all too often students had the ability to shift policy and push-out anyone/anything that increased student work-load (especially if it involved stricter attendance, or increased amount of writing/homework).

Anonymous said...

While we're in the habit of stealing HCT-unfriendly quotes from other sites, what about this one from eslcafe.com?

It’s now February and still no signs of new contracts. As many faculty last year were given only one-year renewals, near two thirds are waiting to find out if they will be employed from next academic year. Faculty are still required to give six months notice of resignation, but management fiddles while its employees have to make important decisions about employment, housing, and the education of children. So much for the Year of Faculty.

Take a look here for the full details:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=110713&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=135

Anonymous said...

To make matters worse, the round of layoffs, firings or whatever you want to call it that happened last Thursday, saw many individuals (I only know of 10) lose their jobs by email. Not by a formal meeting, no, an email with an attachment. Is it too much to ask that such a life changing event be handled with dignity? No, an unannounced email a few hours before going home for the weekend. I am simply flabbergasted at the sheer arrogance of this organization. Needless to say the HCT reputation elsewhere in the academic community ought now be consigned to the untouchables basket. In no place on this planet could such uncouth, arrogance be tolerated by professional educators. Be fairly warned that the intellectual cancer that pervades this once decent institution is now an open festering sore of hatred and discontent.

Anonymous said...

Looks like rumour was true. freeze in 2017. Maybe closure/100% emiratization next?

Delma said...

100% Emiratisation would effectively make HCT non-functioning and ineffective. So there would in fact be a downward trajectory from the current malfunctioning and only half effective state of affairs.

Another cracking success for HCT!

Anonymous said...

Gandhian

Anonymous said...

Karma left me. Watch out at HCT for Herveen Singh and Ayisha Yaseen in business div, two-headed snake smiles but is poison. This is truth. Last year beg for Gandhi and some renewed. This year no cannot happen. Herveen plotted to remove best who worked with Ayisha, now corrupted by haram mind, Canada with no love, but evilnez of chairs kept. assoc Dean not surviving long. Minority is selflessly follow benefit of Ghandi and maybe love from circle of life return to HCT. I am sorry I hav bring dishonor, speak for my friend. Maybe karma will returns. D. Babu Surratan.

Anonymous said...

Could somebody please translate the above into English? It looks sort of interesting, but I have trouble getting past the tortured syntax.

Anonymous said...

It seems Glassdoor has removed HCT reviews.

Anonymous said...

أحمد السعيد حرامي ونصاب وشحات. الله يلعنه ويلعن بناته وزوجته

Anonymous said...

Ahmed Al-Saeed is a thief, a quorum and a beggar. May Allah curse him and curse his daughters and his wife.

Anonymous said...

So just who is this thief, Ahmed Al-Saeed?
Can anybody provide some enlightenment?