DOES UNCERTAINTY ABOUT PRIVATIZATION IMPACT EMPLOYEES' PERCEPTIONS? EVIDENCE FROM THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR IN SAUDI ARABIA

The study aimed to detect the relationship between the implementation of hospital privatization in Saudi Arabia and healthcare workers' perceptions regarding work conditions, the level of participation in decision-making, and the relationship between the privatized organization and the HRSD Ministry. The data was collected from 100 healthcare workers in various hospitals across Saudi Arabia. More than half of the healthcare workers believed privatizing the healthcare sector would hurt employment security and increase the workload and hours worked per week, whether the employees have permanent or temporary contracts. However, the workers have a positive perception of work conditions related to progression, teamwork support, the level of training, incentives, and other benefits. The employees also positively perceive the level of participation in decision-making, including training requirements and how assigned tasks are completed. Healthcare workers with fewer years of experience are more optimistic about privatization. Moreover, although the regulations left the authority to determine the appropriate privatization strategy for each governmental organization based on their specific needs and objectives, employees positively perceive the relationship between the privatized organization and the HRSD Ministry.