Work Culture

Empowering the business through Work Culture

I hire people not necessarily because they are good at what they do, but most importantly that they fit in my existing work culture. I look for a specific type of women. Young, passionate, Bahraini, capable, ambitious, and is a chicken nugget.

How many times have we heard from a Khaleeji who is running a business or about too and were thinking about hiring someone the following: ‘Just hire a Hindi or a philippine person to the job for you for 300 – 400 BD!’

My reply is always the same. You will hire someone who will probably jump ship the minute they get a better offer, someone who is after the buck. And wouldn’t that be frustrating after investing time and effort in training them?

Going for the cheapest labour possible is not a sustainable option for a start up company.

When it came to hiring at Obai and Hill, I decided to interview young graduates that fit within my work culture.

Due to the fact that we work in open plan office at the office I needed to choose people that will work well with each other. My team had to be selected carefully as they would  have to work side by side and collaborate with each other on different projects. So earlier on I decided to define my work culture and business personality and use that as a checklist to hire people full time.

For one at Obai and Hill, I would not appreciate anyone with a princess attitude. Due to the size of our company, everyone had to carry on multiple roles and not complain about it. Though we had a receptionist, tea boys and a driver, employees still had to run errands and stay late if there was a deadline the next day. We are still in the early stages of establishing our company so commitment, ambition, and drive were key to have in every employee.

I was looking for women that were strong, ambitious and wanted to build their careers. Women like these were easy to spot amongst many at interview. They researched and understood my company well beforehand, they had an opinion over our work and were not afraid to speak their mind about how certain projects could have been improved. And they took initiative, took on projects before we they were hired to prove their commitment and followed up on their own. I was looking for women that had a strong command in english and arabic, and studied abroad, were passionate about what they were doing, and hoped to work within an organization where they could be of value.

Many of my clients ask me why I employ only women, and I am proud of the ‘women’s army’ that I am building. I recently had a man join our team, who is our new digital developer and  he always makes sure he has a pair of headphones ready to plug his ears on when we stray off subjects that have nothing to do with work. In my past experience, I most enjoy working with women, they are hard working and constantly wanting to prove themselves. I also think due to the nature of my industry, which is design, PR, and fashion consultancy it seems to attract women in the field in general. I personally get along with women in the workplace that are around the same age as mine, I find we can all relate to each other.

My first goal is always to employ local Bahraini’s. I get such negative feedback for doing that from people who say Bahrainis are ‘lazy’, ‘unreliable’, and that they quit when the going gets tough. But I think if you provide the right environment, one that is inspiring and open to change. I make sure that my employees get involved in the decision making process of the business, I make sure to assist in planning their careers in the company, so they can value the investment of their time with me. I also make time to sit with them on a daily basis to make sure they are handling the work and on a personal level to see if I can support them in anyway.

I am lucky that I have defined my company culture early on, and a lot of our key messages are evident on our company website which is our biggest marketing tool, and on our social media outlets. Through defining who we are , and how we work and approach subject matters I am happy to see that I attract the type of employees I would hire on a daily basis.

We also aim to be playful in our work and we aim to push boundaries and elevate the standard of design through our work and our clients. Our purpose is to be remembered for who we are as an agency and as a unit and support our design community.

My team are my family, I look at them as equals and I choose to sit in the middle of the office amongst them rather than isolate myself in a glass box in the corner. It keeps me close to the ground and allows me to deal with issues on the spot.

A defined work culture empowers the members of the company, allowing for synergy that is evident in all work produced. My advice to any company is to define the personality of your business earlier on or it will define itself on its own, and it could be in the direction you want to take it.