How to Build a Brand Internally Through Employee Experience
May 15th, 2012 | Posted in Employers Blog, Human Resources by Suha Mardelli Haroun | No Comments
Question: Some companies have successfully managed branding and differentiating themselves from their competitors. Is it possible, in the same way, for a company to build its brand internally through employee experience?
Answer: That is a very good question and the answer is simply, yes, it is possible to ‘brand’ employee experience and a lot of organizations have managed to do that amazingly well. Here at Bayt.com for example, our brand values such as striving to be the best and empowering others are communicated well through our website and our online job search tools, and these are in fact also the same values that define the employee experience at Bayt.com offices. Other examples of companies who have got it right include Zappos, Google and Pixar Studios among many others.
Branding of employee experience is just a different way to explain ‘corporate culture’. Some of the benefits of having a well thought out corporate culture are:
1) Credibility - Consumers are very savvy and they can see right through you if you lie. Your corporate culture is one way to communicate your brand message strongly.
2) Employee engagement – How many times have you heard of people leaving a company because they no longer believe in its values? A company’s corporate culture is experienced physically through the ‘vibe’ in its office and is evident in policies regarding reward and promotion. Many times companies that appear in the ‘best places to work’ lists are also known for their superior products, good customer service and profitability. This is not a mere coincidence because it takes high employee engagement and motivation to get there.
3) Attracting talent – In today’s highly competitive market, constant innovation and developing superior products/services is the key to staying ahead. To fuel this innovation you need to attract and get the best minds to work for you. Good compensation alone cannot be the motivating factor, especially for the Gen Y workforce. Your HR department spends a lot of time and effort in attracting, screening and retaining talented people. A strong and effective corporate culture helps you brand your company well and attract the best talent which in turn will help you save on the selection process as you will have a growing pool of prospective employees through referrals.
4) Leadership – A trickle-down effect is noticed between the personal qualities of those who lead successful companies and the corporate cultures of these companies. Leaders set the example by living the elements of the corporate culture: values, behaviors and actions. This sets the tone for the rest of the organization to follow.
Having mentioned a number of benefits, I now recommend the below changes to help you better incorporate and communicate your corporate culture at the workplace:
1) Office setting: Your office layout influences how an employee views your company. Offices with cubicles signify that the company values autonomy, while transparent meeting rooms and an open layout show ‘transparency’ in communication and team-work. Similarly if your company operates in the creative domain keep your office colour scheme fun and vibrant.
2) Reward: Regularly and publicly celebrating success is important. Rewarding provides positive reinforcement and strengthens desirable behaviours among employees.
3) Company handbook: Before a new joiner walks into the office, he/she should be given the company handbook that clearly lists the company policies, mission and vision statements. Communicate your corporate culture in a simple and clear manner so that they know what to expect as soon as they walk into their new office.
4) Blog: Internal blogs are a great way to have your employees connect with each other, especially if your organization has far flung regional offices. This will make sure that the regional offices don’t feel like isolated autonomous units. One great site for connecting and networking internally is Yammer.com.
5) Social media: You need to communicate your values and show your corporate culture in action to everyone outside. Posting pictures of office festivities and celebrating successes every once in a while on your social media pages further communicates your core values, humanizes your brand and helps attract talent.
Good luck!
Interview with Rohit Bassi, Managing Director at In Learning, UAE
May 13th, 2012 | Posted in Employers Blog, Human Resources by Rohit Bassi | No Comments
Bio:
Rohit Bassi is the founder of In Learning, and is passionate about learning and development. Rohit has extensive years of international work experience in the UK, Ireland, France, Australia, USA, India, Africa and the Middle East. Apart form being the only Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway® Licensed Facilitator in the UAE, he has worked on projects with companies such as Cadbury Schweppes, PwC, British Airport Authority, Jumeirah, Harrods, Marriott and many more.
Rohit strongly believes that our skills are our most vital assets. He says: “An organization’s assets is its people.”
Questions:
1. How do you like living and working in your country of employment?
I have been in Dubai since August 2006. I love this place. Every day is a surprise for me. Life is so much more energetic over here when compared to London, and the city is diverse and cosmopolitan. To me, Dubai is East-meets-West, the best of both worlds.
2. What is your average day at work like?
Running my own learning and development consultancy requires a lot of focus. When I am not at a client site, I typically carry out research to up-skill myself, follow-up on existing clients and work on building my sales pipeline. A lot of networking is required in developing a business.
3. What is your biggest professional challenge?
There are two challenges that I face on a regular basis. Firstly, it is unprofessional behaviour in terms of interacting with others. We all need to respect each others’ perceptions and find common grounds to achieve common goals. Secondly, there is a lack of customer service towards both internal and external parties.
4. What is the most important thing you look for in new hires?
In my experience in the recruitment industry, one of the most important things to look for is the right attitude and commitment.
5. What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent?
I find a number of individuals whose technical skills are amazing, yet they lack the behavioural/soft skills to interact confidently and towards providing practical solutions.
6. What is your favorite part of your role?
I get to interact with people at all levels. So, I would say meeting people and looking at things from their unique perspective is the favourite part of my role. In fact, it’s amazing how the perception of individuals is greatly influenced by the organisation’s behaviour towards them.
7. What has been the highlight of your career in HR?
Well it’s the ability to assist both individuals and organisations to excel in their performance. It is about allowing them to unleash their true potential so that they can better themselves. I am thankful that I worked with numerous well-known organisations such as PwC, DP World, Alshaya, Al Futtaim, Azadea, DEWA, Gerab, KPMG, Drake & Scull, Emirates NBD, Transport for London, Baskin Robbins, Bayt.com, and many more.
8. What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments?
There are a variety of sources from which I pick up on what is happening in the industry. Some of these include LinkedIn groups, the Harvard Business Review, New Scientist, The Economist and Psychology Today.
9. What is your advice to someone looking to enter the field of HR?
Before you get into HR, I would seriously advise you to have work experience in other departments. It could be in IT, sales, procurement, marketing, logistics or client services. The best people in HR in my experience are those who have come from such backgrounds as they comprehend that HR is not about policing but about people.
10. How do you see the Middle East evolve as a place to practice HR?
The Middle East has great potential, it has a lot to offer. HR is an ongoing practice and it is important for this region to be aware of and consider all the cultures that coexist here. Every culture brings something new and innovative to the region. So, we need to be open in our thinking in developing practices that will be fair to all cultures and at all levels.
11. If you could wave your magic stick and make a significant development in one specific area of HR practices worldwide, where would that fall?
This would clearly be in learning and development. We are always “in learning” thanks to the many challenges we face on a day-to-day basis. Our ability to assimilate these learnings and apply them effectively determine our success. Learning and development never stop.
12. Anything else you’d like to share with the community of Bayt.com Employers?
With change being constant, “up-skilling” is a necessity. Invest in learning to keep your employees motivated while giving them a competitive edge. Apart from acquiring knowledge and new skills, providing training programs shows your employees that they are valued enough for you to invest in them and their development, and that you see a future for them in the organisation. This offers a stability which is much needed.
Interview with Paul Lalovich, Director Talent Acquisition at Norconsult Telematics, KSA
April 25th, 2012 | Posted in Employers Blog, Human Resources by PaulLalovich | No Comments
Bio:
Paul is a global HR professional with a wide experience in human capital management. He has helped organizations achieve their strategic HR goals by guiding geographically spread out teams to achieve critical objectives. Paul specializes in talent acquisition, talent management and implementation of HR strategies and development of talent programs supporting business efforts in fast-growing, public and private organizations. He is currently responsible for leading and supervising the talent management strategy, process and programs for Noronsult Telematics.
Questions:
1. How do you like living and working in your country of employment? In my current role, over the last year, I have spent a significant amount of time working in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is unique in terms of contrasting lifestyles as many cultures co-exist including the Saudi nationals and the expatriates.
Although somewhat restrictive, life in Saudi Arabia can be comfortable and socially rewarding for expatriates. As for its location, Saudi Arabia is beautifully positioned, an equidistant from Europe, Africa, and the rest of Asia.
2. What is your average day at work like? I work with a Telecom Consultancy on a project-basis which is very different from a traditional operator’s setup. The days are longer and you work on an average of 12-14 hours/day, which can sometimes spike up to 16 hours on particularly busy days.
While on a project I live and breathe with the client and project teams. This means a lot of meetings, a lot of reporting, memos, slides etc. and an opportunity to build meaningful professional relationships and to ‘manage’ operational teams to get the job done.
You always have to work closely with your team, communicate with your superiors at least once daily if not 4 or 5 times, and since 80% of the time I work hands-on with the entire team, I am always ‘on-call’ and constantly interacting with other team members. A lot of hard is required of an HR professional but I wouldn’t change careers with anyone.
3. What is your biggest professional challenge? Making sure that we, as an organization, strike a balance between running a profitable operation, managing our clients’ expectations, delivering high quality service and offering rewarding career opportunities to our employees.
4. What is the most important thing you look for in new hires? The most important thing I look for is drive and passion for excellence.
5. What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent? My biggest challenge is achieving a balance between the time to hire, the quality of candidates and the overall hiring cost.
6. What is your favorite part of your role? Without any doubt my favorite part is the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
7. What has been the highlight of your career in HR? When seeking success in the workplace we regularly encounter a variety of roadblocks that prevent us from reaching our full potential. I personally take a great deal of satisfaction in removing some of those roadblocks and helping young professionals advance in their careers. Looking back, I measure my professional success by level of positive impact I have made on the careers of people I have been working with.
8. What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments? Where should I start? I get most of my information via social networks. When I come across an interesting piece, I typically add it to my network or follow the writer on Twitter. This way I build my own database that supplies me with a continuous digest of information on the latest developments in my field.
9. What is your advice to someone looking to enter the field of HR? I guess that the key factor to success is being well informed about the HR profession by actively communicating with people who can give you the right career information, advice, and/or job leads.
10. How do you see the Middle East evolve as a place to practice HR? The Middle East has one of the world’s fastest growing markets. With exceptional factors shaping the economic growth of it, regional companies are increasingly looking locally and globally for talent. Successful implementation of Human Capital strategies is key to maintain a sustainable growth.
With a large young population and an increasing influx of talented people into the workforce, the Middle East is the place to be for HR professionals on the lookout for a challenging and fulfilling career.
11. If you could wave your magic stick and make a significant development in one specific area of HR practices worldwide, where would that fall? It’s crucial to infuse a sense of humility into the corporate world. I believe it is very important to keep in mind that as an HR professional your attitude towards others can make or break corporate cultures.
12. Anything else you’d like to share with the community of Bayt.com Employers? Over the years Bayt.com has proved to be a true partner to all organizations I have had a pleasure working with in the Gulf region. With the major downturn in the employment market, it seems that Bayt.com continues to stride in the right direction by continuously evolving its portfolio of services and enhancing value propositions to its customer base. Great job guys.
Interview with Hazel Cowling, Partner & Consultant Director of Biz-ability, UAE
April 9th, 2012 | Posted in Employers Blog, Human Resources by Hazel Cowling | 1 Comment
Bio:
Hazel Cowling is a partner and the Consultant Director of Biz-ability. Her role includes driving the direction, development and quality of Biz-ability’s consultant team. Hazel began her career in the UK in 1985 where she started building her extensive knowledge and experience in leadership and HR management. Since then, she has held various senior HR management roles in the service, retail, sales and financial sectors. In 1995, Hazel moved to the Middle East, and has since then worked on several projects for multinationals, governmental and local organizations. She is an accredited Top Grading consultant and an accredited Multiplier trainer.
Questions:
1. How do you like living and working in your country of employment? I have lived in the UAE for 16 years now and I find it a fascinating environment to work in, with plenty of opportunities for Biz-ability as a business entity (to add value to other businesses) as well as for personal growth.
2. What is your average day at work like? My average day at work is very mixed. At Biz-ability my role is dual: I act both as a business manager and as a consultant. I thoroughly enjoy both elements as they give me intense variety, so I can’t say that I ever have an average day!
3. What is your biggest professional challenge? Prioritizing among the exciting opportunities that come our way and choosing which to devote our time and resources to.
4. What is the most important thing you look for in new hires? A good ‘values-fit’ for our organization and our clients; we hire and fire based on values. Although obviously competencies play a major role, getting the values right is critical because if we get the values right, we get the customer experience right, and that is critical to us.
5. What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent? Sourcing great people who have the right competencies and level of experience, as well as, the values we seek.
6. What is your favorite part of your role? The interaction I get to have with people and adding value to what they do, whether through training, managing a client relationship or interacting with the team at Biz-group.
7. What has been the highlight of your career in HR? Seeing Biz-group and its team grow and develop to where we are today, and being able to take the whole team to Kenya last year to celebrate our success!
8. What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments? I keep myself updated through my membership of international bodies, journals, business books, and by the work developed by my team when they embark on new projects.
9. What is your advice to someone looking to enter the field of HR? Explore first before committing; get a chance to live the role by possibly shadowing someone in HR – it’s a big commitment of learning and also a tough role to fulfill, so do make sure it is what you want!
10. How do you see the Middle East evolve as a place to practice HR? From the start of my career here I have seen such possibilities. Back in the mid 90’s, companies were keen to get HR right, and they needed help in doing so. In the last 5 years, I have seen HR play a much more central role in organizations, and get that all-important seat on the management board. This is fabulous, not only for the HR function, but because it also demonstrates that the need for a strategic focus on people has been recognized. HR professionals arriving here will be pleasantly surprised by the genuine desire among many companies to learn more about ‘Global Best Practice’. They will also encounter a need for structuring the way HR is applied, plus a need for education on what works in best practices. This is a great opportunity for a seasoned professional to get the sense of adding value and contributing towards HR in the region.
11. If you could wave your magic stick and make a significant development in one specific area of HR practices worldwide, where would that fall? That significant development would be in aligning tools provided by HR to the business, so that they support and fully utilize the intelligence we have within our organizations.
Increasing Job Counts but Against What Economic Backdrop?
April 1st, 2012 | Posted in Bayt news, Employers Blog, Human Resources, Using Bayt by Lama Ataya | No Comments
Over 12,000 regional jobs are posted on Bayt.com today and a very healthy number of active employer search packages mean that recruitment activity by employers with unadvertised positions is also very healthy. The number of professionals registering daily on the MENA’s leading jobsite has also grown tremendously in recent months. Its great news for employers and jobseekers alike as recruitment confidence seems to be lifting and there is an abundance of talent in the market at all career levels pursuing the top jobs from fresh college graduates, to senior executives across industry boundaries and job roles. In fact an average job advertised on the trilingual Bayt.com jobsite in places like Qatar, Kuwait, KSA and UAE today receives well in excess of 600 applications and Bayt.com’s brand new revamped jobsite has just made it that much easier for professionals to upload their CV in their format of choice and to apply to relevant roles and also made it that much more encouraging and rewarding for employers to hire quickly, easily and effectively through the site.
But what economic backdrop are Bayt.com’s rising job counts playing against? Bayt.com’s March 2012 MENA Consumer Confidence Index Survey revealed that 45% of the region’s respondents have positive expectations regarding the country’s future economy and financial conditions and another 22% feel that it would remain the same. However across the region there is low to moderate satisfaction with current compensation reported by the residents and 34% of respondents also claim low satisfaction with job security. Moreover a staggering 70% of the region’s respondents in the same survey also claim that their salaries are not keeping pace with the cost of living.
Interestingly, an online survey conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s number one jobsite, in partnership with the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy at Stanford University‘s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law as well as research and consulting organisation YouGov, has revealed that while the Arab Spring had an immediate negative impact on the economy in the MENA region, its effect has been positive in driving higher interest in both economic and social development.
The majority of survey respondents state that the Arab Spring has resulted in deteriorating employment conditions. Personal economic situations are also perceived to be negatively affected by the Arab Spring. The negative economic impact of the Arab Spring is felt across all age groups and economic levels. Yet, even with this disparity, the survey shows that professionals are no longer looking at the government as the main provider of employment opportunities. In most countries, roughly two-thirds of respondents express interest in the private sector and there is widespread interest in business ownership; in every country surveyed a large proportion of respondents said that if given the choice they would prefer to be self-employed or own a business. In fact about 40% of respondents expressed interest in being self-employed. As far as the reasons are concerned, 50% of respondents said that they started a business because they wanted greater independence, 27% said it was because they could not find a job at that time and 20% said because of higher income.
However in order for entrepreneurs and small businesses take on an increasingly active and sustainable role in the regional job creation equation, key barriers preventing professionals from starting their own business need to be addressed head-on. As per the same survey the impediments that professionals most agreed on were: lack of financing, inability to self-finance, and fear of failure. Other reasons stated by the respondents include economic uncertainty, the lack of entrepreneurial skills, and strict government regulations.
Interview with M. M. Banerji, CEO of Youbook, UAE
March 29th, 2012 | Posted in Employers Blog, Human Resources by M. M. Banerji | No Comments
Bio:
Mr. MM Banerji is the founder and CEO of Youbook, a company specializing in executive-level recruitment. He lives and breathes talent attraction, engagement and acquisition, and more specifically leveraging processes and technology for identifying and hiring the right talent. Over the last 18 years, he has worked closely with many leading IT firms globally and placed over 3000 IT professionals.
Questions:
1. How do you like living and working in your country of employment? The United Arab Emirates has been my home for the last 17 years. Though this region, I feel, has a lot to improve in terms of professionalism, there exists a competitiveness in the retail arena, which is not dissimilar to that seen in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the USA for decades now.
2. What is your average day at work like? I typically have a 12-hour work day at the office (which is four hours more than an average workday) and this has been standard for me for the last 26 years. I have a habit of keeping a clean inbox. So, irrespective of that fact if I am travelling, or what time-zone I am in, I like to make sure that my email correspondence is not left unanswered beyond 12 hours. This also applies to missed calls and incoming messages.
3. What is your biggest professional challenge? The biggest challenge for me in my industry is to successfully identify a good candidate. I feel that there are preconceived notions held by some when acknowledging a candidate’s potential if he/she holds a degree from a certain part of the world. He/she is sometimes considered to not be at par with someone who holds an MBA from a university which is in a first world country.
4. What is the most important thing you look for in new hires? I look for the right attitude or ‘fire in the belly’, and not mute obedience. I look for candidates who are confident when challenged. They also need to have good sportsmanship with the right technical background. I admire professionals who don’t mutely follow rules but rather make their own rules and have the world follow them.
5. What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent? I have never faced any challenges. Earlier, a decade back, it used to be challenging luring talent to this region. Yet in the past decade, the business atmosphere in the UAE has worked wonderfully at making this region more attractive to professionals. I however also feel that the professional atmosphere could still improve as it is not at par to that seen in other leading business hubs of the world.
6. What is your favorite part of your role? Creating a ‘family’ i.e. my team; I have never had to sack anyone during my career of 17 years in the UAE and as an employer for 10 years. In our organization, no employee has left us unless it was for personal/family reasons. I am glad to say that some of those I had the opportunity to mentor moved on to work wonders in the Silicon Valley (USA).
We have always had a system of giving a chance to good performers to step into the management chair and take charge for a month, however not all take up this opportunity as they prefer working in their position rather than managing 50 other people.
7. What has been the highlight of your career in HR? I would like to say that I am an executive search specialist. I find the right ‘fit’ for an organization, I ‘marry’ the right professional to an organization hoping that they live happily for long and that they positively contribute towards the organization’s values, ethics and revenue. I look to make this a win-win situation for both parties involved.
My entire 16-year career in the UAE has been interesting, during which I moved from being an IT professional to an entrepreneur with my executive search company.
8. What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments? Keeping track of industry developments is easy. Information is available on your tablet, every second, thanks to the internet. You cannot escape it! The issue rather is that I need to filter all this information as I can only absorb so much. I read up on industry news on LinkedIn.
9. What is your advice to someone looking to enter the field of HR? I would advice this- look at a professional as akin to tangible capital. When starting your career look for personal development and knowledge – money will follow.
10. How do you see the Middle East evolve as a place to practice HR? The Middle East right now is a hot spot of opportunities as there is a lot of untapped potential. Those with a talent in the field of human resources can make a lot of money.
11. If you could wave your magic stick and make a significant development in one specific area of HR practices worldwide, where would that fall? If you look into the success stories of companies that are doing really well in the business arena, you will find that these companies made sure that their staff has values. They treat their employees as their partners. I would like all companies to do the same.
مقابلة مع يوسف العريان، مدير الموارد البشرية في مصرف “إتش إس بي سي”، الكويت
February 13th, 2012 | Posted in Employers Blog, Human Resources by Yousef Al Eryan | No Comments
السيرة
إن يوسف العريان حائز على شهادة في العدالة الجنائية وعلم النفس. وقد استلم يوسف في خلال خبرته المهنية السابقة، العديد من المراكز المهمة في شركات كبيرة في الكويت. وفي “إتش إس بي سي” في الكويت، تخصص يوسف في التوطين، والتوظيف، وتطوير الإستراتيجيات، والتخطيط وتطوير مهارات القيادة.
الأسئلة
كيف تجد العمل والحياة في البلد حيث تعمل؟ تعتبر الكويت من البلدان ذات النمو الإقتصادي السريع والعمل في القطاع المصرفي بشكلٍ خاص مهم جداً لأنه أحد أكثر القطاعات تنافسية. وبما أن الكويت هي بلدي الأم، فأنه من المهم جداً بالنسبة الي أن أرى قطاع الموارد البشرية يتطور ويتغيير كل عام
كيف تصف يوم عادي في العمل؟ المذهل في وظيفتي هو كيف أن كل يوم مختلف عن يوم آخر فكل يوم أواجه تحدياً جديداً. فأنا أبدأ يومي بالاطلاع على الرسائل الإلكترونية وتفقد جدول أعمالي اليومي وتحديد أولوية المهام التي عليّ القيام بها
ما هو أكبر تحدي مهني بالنسبة اليك؟ أعتقد أن إدارة توقعات الناس هو أكبر تحدي مهني. ففي بعض الأحيان، يصعب علي إرضاء الجميع وعندما تعمل مع الناس دائماً تكتشف أن هناك إحتمال كبير لعدم تلبية رغباتهم وتوقعاتهم
ما هي أهم الصفات التي تبحث عنها لدى الموظفين الجدد؟ أهم ما أبحث عنه لدى الموظف الجديد هو السلوك وحسن التصرف. فإذا كان الموظف يتمتع بسلوك جيد ويحسن التصرف، يمكنه اكتساب الخبرة والمعرفة من خلال العمل. فأنا من أشد المؤمنين بالتدريب أثناء العمل. في الواقع، إن التعلم في أثناء العمل واكتساب الخبرة من خلال القيام بمهماتٍ عدة أمر جوهري لتطور الموظف الجديد ويساعده على ذلك تمتعه بسلوك حسنة والتصرف الصحيح من البداية
ما هو التحدي الأكبر الذي تواجهه في خلال عملية التوظيف؟ التحدي الأكبر هو ضمان تلبية توقعات الموظفين الجدد سواء كان ذلك يعني التوقعات المتعلقة بالرواتب، والتطور المهني و/أو توقعات الفترة التدريبية
ما هو أفضل جزء في عملك؟ التعرف على أشخاص مختلفين هو الجزء المفضل لدي سواء كان ذلك من خلال الشبكات الإجتماعية، أو إجتماعات العمل أو المقابلات فأنا أقوم بمقابلة أشخاص جدد باستمرار
ما أبرز ما حصل معك في خلال مسيرتك المهنية في الموارد البشرية؟ من أهم الأحداث بالنسبة الي هي رؤية الأشخاص الذين قمت بتعيينهم يصبحون قادة في مختلف المجالات في الكويت
ماذا تقرأ لمواكبة آخر التطورات في مجال عملك ؟ أحاول دائماً متابعة آخر التطورات في مجال عملي لذا أتصفح بعض المقالات والرسائل الإخبارية عبر الشبكة. فالعمل لدى مصرف “إتش إس بي سي” المتعدد الجنسيات يسمح لي بالتعرف أكثر على أفضل الممارسات الإقليمية والعالمية
بم تنصح الأشخاص الذين يودون العمل في مجال الموارد البشرية؟ أنصح كل شخص يود العمل في مجال الموارد البشرية في الكويت بالعمل بنشاط من أجل تحقيق ذلك. فمجال الموارد البشرية مجال ناشط وجديد في الكويت لذا ففرص التطور المهني والنمو إقليمياً أمراً واعداً جداً
كيف تجد الشرق الأوسط كمكان لممارسة مهنة الموارد البشرية؟ إن الشرق الأوسط يشهد تطوراً مستمراً في ما يتعلق بممارسات الموارد البشرية. فكل بلد من بلدان المنطقة عمل على تقديم ممارسات وإجراءات متميزة لذا فإنه من المثير للإهتمام كيف أن كل بلد ينمو في هذا الإتجاه
ان حصلت على عصا سحرية تمكنك من القيام بتطور هام في مكانٍ معين خاص بممارسات الموارد البشرية في جميع أنحاء العالم، ماذا كنت لتغير؟ كنت لأجعل الموارد البشرية “شريكاً تجارياً استراتيجياً” لأقسام أخرى وأود لو يكون للموارد البشرية دوراً أكثر حيويةً في عملية صنع القرار في مجال العمل
Interview with Yousef Al-Eryan, HR Manager at HSBC, Kuwait
February 13th, 2012 | Posted in Employers Blog, Human Resources by Yousef Al Eryan | 2 Comments
Bio:
Yousef Al-Eryan holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and psychology. In his past professional experience, Yousef has held key positions in several leading companies in Kuwait. At HSBC Kuwait, he specializes in localization, recruitment, strategy development, and planning and leadership development.
Questions:
1. How do you like living and working in your country of employment? Kuwait is a rapidly growing economy and working in the banking sector is especially interesting because it’s one of the most competitive industries here. Since Kuwait is also my home country, it is of particular interest for me to see the HR field develop and change every year.
2. What is your average day at work like? The great thing about my job is that every day is different; every day is a new challenge. My average day starts by going through my emails, checking my schedule for the day and prioritizing what needs to be done that day.
3. What is your biggest professional challenge? My biggest professional challenge is managing people’s expectations. Sometimes it’s difficult to make everyone happy and whenever you deal with people there is always the possibility of not meeting someone’s expectations.
4. What is the most important thing you look for in new hires? The most important thing I look for in new hires is attitude and behavior. If a new hire has the right attitude and right behavior, the experience and knowledge can be gained on the job. I’m a firm believer in on-the-job training. Learning by working and experiencing different tasks, assignments and projects is extremely valuable for any new hire’s early development and it helps when someone has the right attitude, as well as, the right behavior from the beginning.
5. What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent? The biggest challenge I face is ensuring that the expectations of new hires are met. Whether that means meeting expectations associated with their salary, career development and/or their training expectations.
6. What is your favorite part of your role? The favorite part of my role is meeting new people. Whether it is through networking, business meetings or interviews, I am constantly meeting new people.
7. What has been the highlight of your career in HR? The highlight of my career is seeing individuals I have hired become leaders across various industries in Kuwait.
8. What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments? Whenever time permits I try to keep abreast with latest industry developments through various online articles and newsletters. Working with a multi-national bank such as HSBC gives me also a great exposure to regional and global best practices.
9. What is your advice to someone looking to enter the field of HR? My advice to someone looking to enter the HR field in Kuwait would be to actively pursue it. HR is a very “young” field in Kuwait, so the opportunities for career growth and development in the local HR field are very promising right now.
10. How do you see the Middle East evolve as a place to practice HR? I see the Middle East continuing to evolve in HR practice. Each country in this region has managed to introduce unique practices and procedures in this area, and so it’s interesting to watch how each country grows in this direction.
11. If you could wave your magic stick and make a significant development in one specific area of HR practices worldwide, where would that fall? I would want the HR department to become more of a ‘strategic business partner’ with other departments, and I would like the HR to have a more active role in the business decision making process.
بيت.كوم يحصل على جائزة أخرى
February 9th, 2012 | Posted in Bayt news, Employers Blog, Human Resources, Jobseeker Blog by Lama Ataya | No Comments
يعمل بيت.كوم دائما، كونه أكبر موقع للتوظيف في الشرق الأوسط، على تمكين الأشخاص في المنطقة. في الواقع، ترتكز كل من رؤيتنا ومهمتنا على أن نصبح من مؤسسات الشرق الأوسط المعترف بها عالمياً والتي تحظى باحترام وتقدير الناس الذين لا يستغنون عنها. كما أننا نود تمكين الناس بالأدوات والمعرفة من أجل بناء حياة خاصة بهم. وأفضل دليل على إلتزامنا بتحسين حياة الناس ومن ضمنها حياة فرق العمل في بيت.كوم، هي الجائزة التي حصلنا عليها للسنة الثانية على التوالي، جائزة “أفضل عشرة أماكن للعمل في الإمارات العربية المتحدة
إن ما يجعل بيت.كوم من بين أفضل أماكن للعمل هو مزيج من العوامل الملموسة وفي الوقت عينه ثقة ثابتة في المنطقة بأن العمل الذي يقوم به بيت.كوم يساعد جميع أعضاء المجتمعات التي يخدمها بشكلٍ مباشر. فغالباً ما تعبر الإدارة العليا عن أن توفير الآليات والتكنولوجيات والتقنيات والبنى التحتية اللازمة يساعد المهنيين في المنطقة على إيجاد فرص عمل عبر بيت.كوم وهو عمل نابع عن محبة وود وفخر لدى جميع العاملين في المؤسسة. وأكبر دليل على ان شعور المودة هذا متبادل هي شهادات الباحثين عن عمل الناجحين وأهم أصحاب العمل في المنطقة الذين يوظفون عبر بيت.كوم
إن العوامل الملموسة التي تجعل من بيت.كوم مكاناً رائعاً للعمل متعددة وتبدأ مع إنشاء بيئة عمل مثالية تتخطى الحواجز الجغرافية حيث يمكن للعمل الجماعي والإبداع الإزدهار وتبادل الأفكار بحرية. بالإضافة الى ذلك، ومن أجل خدمة المجتمع بأفضل الطرق، يضمن بيت.كوم باستمرار أن مختلف الفرق المهنية في المنطقة تتلقى باستمرار أحدث التدريبات والدعم. فمنهجية التدريب والدعم الدؤوبة والمنظمة التي نتمتع بها تشمل جداول التدريبات الداخلية الشهرية وبدل التدريبات الخارجية بالإضافة الى دعوات متبادلة لمؤتمرات عدة في مختلف التخصصات. كما أن الميزات الأخرى تشمل نشاطات بناء فرق العمل وساعات عمل مرنة للأمهات العاملات و”ثقافة متفهّمة” حيث تتركز القيم حول كسب إحترام المجتمعات الداخلية والخارجية وتقديرها والتركيز على الإحتفال دائماً بالإنجازات الكبيرة والصغيرة على النحو المحدد في نظام التقييم الشهري للأداء والإحتفالات الواسعة حيث يتم الإعلان عن كافة الإنجازات ومكافأتها
إن مجموعة فرص التدريبات المتميزة والتطور والتدريب والتوجيه المتاحة أمام فرق بيت.كوم والثقافة الشاملة والإبتكار المنتشرة في الشركة هي التي سمحت لبيت.كوم أن يبقى في الطليعة سواء من حيث التكنولوجيا المتطورة أو خدمة العملاء والدعم. بالإضافة الى ذلك، فقد ساهم كل من توفر ثقافة أعمال تفاعلية، حيث من المتوقع مشاركة الفرق في مختلف التخصصات والتعلم والمشاريع وحيث يتم تشجيع الجميع على الحلم والإبتكار والتفوق والإبداع، في جعل منصتنا من الأنجح على مدى السنوات الـ12 الماضية كوننا استجبنا لكافة احتياجات مجتمعنا. ويظهر ذلك في عدد المنتجات والخدمات التحسينية الرائدة التي قدمناها مؤخراً من أجل خدمة مجتمعنا بشكلٍ أفضل من ضمنها معارض الوظائف الإفتراضية من بيت.كوم، ورواتب بيت.كوم ، ومجتمعات بيت.كوم، والمراقبة المهنية الخاصة ببيت.كوم، والصفحات الشخصية المتطورة التابعة للباحثين عن عمل وأصحاب العمل وأدوات البحث المتطورة التي لا تزال الأكثر تطوراً في مجال عملنا اليوم
إن الشعور الذي يطغى على موظفي مكاتب بيت.كوم هو شعور بالإنتماء لشيء أكبر وأهم من مجرد وظيفة، فهم يشاركون في عملية تحسين المنطقة وإغنائها وتنمية إزدهارها. ان كل تحسين يقوم به بيت.كوم على صعيد بياناته ومنتجاته وخدماته قادر على التأثير بشكلٍ إيجابي وفوري على نمط حياة العديد من المهنيين في المجتمعات التي نقوم بخدمتها، الأمر الذي يعتبر حافزاً قوياً لفرق العمل لدينا. فقد تمت مكافأة اعتزازننا مجدداً بمنصتنا وفريق عملنا هذا الأسبوع! هنيئاً لبيت.كوم وجميع الشركاء في بيت.كوم
Bayt.com Receives Another Prestigious Award
February 9th, 2012 | Posted in Bayt news, Employers Blog, Human Resources, Jobseeker Blog by Lama Ataya | 6 Comments
As the Middle East’s #1 jobsite Bayt.com obsesses about empowering people across the region to lead better lives every minute of every day. In fact our very vision and mission are respectively to be a Middle Eastern institution that is a globally recognized, respected and admired indispensable extension of people’s lives; and to empower people with the tools and knowledge to build their lifestyles of choice. What better testimony to this commitment to improving people’s lives including our very own teams at Bayt.com than receiving this week for the second year in a row the 2012 Great Places To Work Award for being among the Top Ten Places to Work in the UAE.
What makes Bayt.com a top place to work is a combination of very tangible factors but also a very firm belief that is proudly shared across the organisation that the work we do for the region at Bayt.com is very directly and profoundly helping each and every one of the communities we serve. Senior management often voice that ensuring the right mechanisms, technologies, processes and infrastructures are in place to aid the region’s professionals find job after job through Bayt.com is nothing less than a labour of love and this pride in our premise is shared across the organisation. A quick glance at samples of testimonials from our successful jobseekers and the region’s leading employers who recruit on Bayt.com indicate that this love is well reciprocated.
Tangible factors that make Bayt.com a great place to work are manifold and begin with creating across geographies the ideal bright cheerful work environment where teamwork and creativity can flourish and ideas can be shared freely. Moreover, to serve our communities best Bayt.com continuously ensures our pan-regional teams of professionals across disciplines are receiving ongoing state-of-the-art training and support. The diligent, systematic approach to training and development they enjoy includes monthly internal training schedules and generous external training allowances as well as a regular revolving door of conference invitations across disciplines. Other perks include regular team-building activities; flexible working hours for mothers; a ‘kind culture’, where values are centered around earning the admiration and respect of internal and external communities, and an emphasis on regularly celebrating achievements large and small as highlighted in the monthly performance appraisal system and the widely celebrated monthly ‘’fiestas’’ where all achievements are publicly recognized and rewarded.
The combination of sophisticated training, development, coaching and mentoring opportunities available to Bayt.com’s teams and the culture of kindness and innovation that permeates the organisation have allowed Bayt.com to remain at the vanguard of its industry both in terms of cutting-edge technology as well as in terms of client service and support. Moreover a highly interactive entrepreneurial culture where participation in cross-disciplinary teams, learnings and projects is expected and all are encouraged to dream, innovate, excel and create has meant over the past 12 years that our platform has proactively anticipated the needs of our communities rather than reacted to them. This is very evident in the number of pioneering product and service enhancements we have introduced lately to serve our communities better, including Bayt.com Virtual Job Fairs, Bayt.com Salaries, Bayt.com Communities, Bayt.com Career Watch and the enhanced jobseeker and employer Workspaces and Search tools which remain the most sophisticated tools in our industry today.
The overall feeling throughout Bayt.com’s offices is that employees are involved in something much bigger and better than merely a job; they are involved in making the region a better, richer, more prosperous place. Knowing that every enhancement Bayt.com makes to its platform, products and services has the potential to immediately and positively impact livelihoods of many multiples of professionals in the communities we serve is a powerful motivator for our teams to excel every day. Our pride in this platform and in our people has been once again rewarded this week! Congratulations Bayt.com and all Bayt.com’s stakeholders!
