Purpose: In the contemporary workplace setting, the significance of attracting and retaining a talented workforce has become more challenging; simultaneously, work–life balance (WLB), employee well-being (EWB) and organizational support (OS) have emerged as being strategically imperative for organizations to ensure their success. This study aims to evaluate the direct and indirect impact of WLB on organizational performance (OP) from the employers’ perspective within the Saudi Arabian context, while also exploring the moderating role of OS in the relationship between EWB and OP. Design/methodology/approach: The data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to 150 participants. To test our hypothesis, the data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro in SPSS. A non-probability sampling technique was employed to collect data from managers of large-scale companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) using snowball and convenience sampling. Findings: The findings indicate that WLB plays a crucial role in increasing OP and is mediated by EWB. When employees experience an environment that ensures balance between their work and life, their well-being increases, consequently positively influencing OP. Additionally, OS has been found as a key moderator in this association. In the future, researchers may use a mixed-method approach and conduct cross-cultural studies by collecting data from diverse nations. Originality/value: This research makes an important theoretical contribution to the existing literature on WLB, EWB and OP. The study also provides important insights regarding the moderating role of OS as a strategic imperative for organizational success. Furthermore, the data collected from the managers contribute novel perspectives to the literature on the importance of WLB and EWB and their impact on OP in the Middle Eastern context.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the institutional challenges shaping talent management (TM) within the public healthcare sector in Saudi Arabia. Drawing on the institutional theory, we aim to examine how coercive, normative and mimetic pressures interact to influence and constrain TM from the perspectives of internal actors within the healthcare sector. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative, multi-case study design was adopted to gain in-depth insights across four public healthcare institutions in Saudi Arabia. We conducted 81 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, including senior leaders, HR professionals, line managers and frontline healthcare staff. The data were analyzed both within and across the four cases. Findings: The study reveals that TM within Saudi Arabia’s public healthcare sector is shaped by multilayered institutional challenges and pressures – coercive, normative and mimetic. Coercive pressures, driven by policies such as Vision 2030, emphasize workforce localization and talent development but exacerbate reliance on international training, prolong recruitment processes, and create critical talent shortages, particularly in rural areas. Normative pressures stem from underdeveloped TM infrastructures, gaps in managerial expertise and limited access to professional development for high-performing employees, hindering strategic growth and professionalization. Mimetic pressures involve the adoption of international TM models, which enhance training quality but reinforce dependency and fail to address regional workforce disparities. Importantly, we highlight tensions between these institutional pressures – as national reform goals clash with weak institutional readiness, and global emulation conflicts with local constraints – ultimately constraining TM and limiting its impact. Originality/value: This study places institutionalism at the core of its analysis and provides novel contextual insights into the institutional complexities of TM within Saudi’s public healthcare sector – a unique context shaped by Vision (2030)s transformative goals of workforce localization and human capital development. It addresses a significant gap in the literature, which has often overlooked non-Western and public sector contexts where TM is influenced by unique institutional dynamics and sector-specific challenges. In doing so, it surfaces overlooked tensions in attracting, developing, and retaining talent. The study advances a context-sensitive view of TM, offering practical insights into how localized strategies can support national transformation agendas.

Purpose: The study aimed to identify factors affecting talent attraction and selection in Saudi Arabia’s private sector and to compare the practices of domestic firms (DFs) and multinational corporations (MNCs).Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and archival evidence from three DFs and 3 MNCs in Saudi Arabia. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis.Findings: Integrating institutional logics and dynamic capabilities theory, this study develops a novel framework explaining how firms manage a talent-starved environment. Unlike traditional models that emphasize targeting “ready-to-go” talent, our findings reveal that firms increasingly seek individuals with potential, balancing institutional pressures and business needs. MNCs and DFs alike must exercise strategic dexterity – sensing environmental shifts, seizing emerging opportunities, and reconfiguring selection criteria – by either merging existing logics or adopting new ones.Practical implications: Although MNCs have been practicing formalized talent attraction and selection for longer than DFs and have more sophisticated processes, both organizational types have scope for improving their practices in the context of institutional logics at play in Saudi Arabia.Originality/value: This study advances the understanding of talent attraction and selection in the Middle East by empirically demonstrating how institutional logics shape human resource practices in Saudi Arabia. It also applies a dynamic capabilities perspective to explain differences between DFs and MNCs, highlighting how firms strategically adapt talent management practices to labor market constraints.

This study examines the influence of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices on organisational sustainability based on survey data from 159 respondents (39 managers and 120 employees) across five service industries in Saudi Arabia. Data were analysed using a multi-level design and hierarchical linear modelling. Findings show that GHRM practices directly enhance sustainability through structural pathways such as recruitment standards and certification, while employee eco-friendly behaviour (E-EFB) partially mediates the link between GHRM and organizational sustainability. The observed E-EFB partial mediation mechanism integrates the Ability–Motivation–Opportunity (AMO) and Social Identity perspectives, as it demonstrates the concurrent operation of behavioural and structural pathways under Saudi Vision 2030. Moreover, presenting evidence from service industries in Saudi Arabia extends prior research in the Gulf Corporation Countries (GCC) beyond the manufacturing contexts. Practically, the study identifies high impact levers like training, performance reviews, and incentives programs that directly influence sustainability, as well as structural elements like certification and hiring. The study offers actionable insights for policymakers seeking to embed sustainability into organisational systems by linking outcomes to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 8, 12, and 13).

Enhancing the relationship between academia and professional accounting bodies is critical for developing professional accountants and making them ready for real-world challenges. Not only that, it will also reflect positively on the advancement of the accounting profession. This study explores the interrelationship and the extent of collaboration between accounting education and the professional accounting body in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly focusing on the Southern region of the kingdom and aiming to provide recommendations that will contribute to the development of the accounting profession. To achieve this objective, a quantitative design was employed, using a questionnaire and covering accounting academics. The data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings indicated that of all participants believe in the importance of collaboration between academic institutions and the professional accounting body in Saudi. In addition, the findings reveal that almost of the participants believe there is a significant gap between academic curricula and the needs of professional practice. This gap is attributed to factors such as outdated accounting curricula, limited integration of practical skills, and insufficient collaboration with the Saudi Organization for Chartered and Professional Accountants (SOCPA). The study recommends enhancing academic curricula, increasing practical training opportunities, and fostering collaboration between universities and SOCPA to better align academic programs with professional requirements.

Purpose: The Sustainable Career Model (SCM) is used as the theoretical framework in this study to investigate how Saudization, demographic factors and informal networks influence career sustainability in Saudi Arabia's private sector. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approach was used, drawing on survey responses from 438 Saudi nationals across various industries. Data were collected across three waves with four-week intervals to minimize common method variance. Hierarchical regression analysis was employed to test direct and moderation effects. Findings: Saudization significantly enhanced perceptions of career sustainability, particularly among individuals with stronger demographic profiles. Demographic factors emerged as the most powerful predictor and also moderated the Saudization–career sustainability relationship. Informal networks had no significant direct effect and did not significantly moderate the Saudization–career sustainability relationship, suggesting a potential institutional shift toward merit-based systems under Vision 2030. Originality/value: This study contributes to the field of career development and public policy by extending the application of the SCM to the unique socio-economic context of a Gulf Cooperation Council setting where nationalization policies, demographic imbalances and informal social structures shape career trajectories. It challenges conventional assumptions about the dominance of informal networks (wasta) in Arab labor markets by demonstrating that, while networks may facilitate initial access to jobs, they do not contribute to long-term career sustainability. The study presents practical, demography-sensitive recommendations for policymakers seeking to enhance the inclusivity of Saudization and for private sector employers aiming to align HR policies with national workforce goals.