We met up with His Highness Sayyid Dr Adham al Said, Founder, The Firm and Tejarah Talks moderator to discuss work-life balance, empowering employees, values, mental well-being and more.
Why aren't more workplace cultures extraordinary?
To create an extraordinary workplace culture, organisations need to have a unique ethos. But such an ethos is not created by simply setting visions, missions or values. It is the DNA of the organisation, why it exists and what its purpose is. If organisations fail to cultivate such an ethos, it is unlikely to foster an extraordinary culture. It is fair to assume that many organisations believe that brandishing ‘values’ will achieve the desired workplace culture. However, SMEs have proven time-and-time again, that it is not the values alone that matter, but what you do within the organisation that delivers the desired impact.
Do corporate policies around work-family life and mental well-being really have a positive impact on a company’s bottom line?
There are many schools of thought about work-family life balance. Some experts argue it is not just the number of working hours that matter, but the ability to disconnect from work. Certain industries have much to gain from such an approach while others still find it difficult to grasp. Interestingly, in a study published in Organization Science it was found that managers could not tell the difference between employees who worked 80 hours a week and those who just pretended to.
Despite the lack of one-size fits all approach to work-life balance, mental well-being has become a priority for many companies around the world. Work burnout, higher than normal turnover and mass resignations are strong signals of imbalances within the work culture — imbalances that are not being addressed. Locally, there is little talk about why work-life balance and mental well-being are important. Moreover, the pandemic has proven that many businesses are not prepared to manage these issues head on — often seen as additional costs rather than human capital investments. Every investment has it rewards, productivity improvements are one of those returns.
Whether you are an entrepreneur starting a new venture or a leader at an established business, how can you best ensure your organisation stays true to its culture?
It is easy to be distracted by firefighting in any business. This behaviour is acute when crisis hits. However, management needs to realise culture is key to any business looking to navigate challenging times. Staying true to the values that drive your company is the way forward. How do we stay true to those values? Leaders need to remind employees and themselves of those values. Reinforcing the culture through practice and actions, justifying decisions and their consequences will support the corporate culture.
As a result of the pandemic, do you think there is new-found trust, empowerment and collaboration in the workplace?
The pandemic has clearly produced a mix of outcomes. Some organisations have managed to support employees through the worst times and continue to do so. They have helped empower employees ensuring they remain committed to the company. In other instances, businesses have lost talent because they failed to adapt to employee needs. They chose to prioritise business outcomes as they struggled through the pandemic.
Organisations that harnessed technologies and adopted a more compassionate and understanding approach were more likely to produce positive outcomes for the business. Those that failed to follow suit have missed the opportunity to enhance the workplace culture as well as the potential positive outcomes.
Is a positive culture the most important competitive advantage a company can have?
For any company, no matter the size, a positive culture is critical to gaining competitive advantage. Toxic work cultures lead to a frustrated and unhappy workforce that is less engaged and less productive. Companies need to understand that the one competitive advantage they can leverage on a daily basis and cannot be copied by competitors is company culture. As I mentioned earlier, your culture is unique to your organisation, it is the one thing that helps shape your organisation’s brand identity, improve employee retention, attract talent, motivate staff and ensure success. Indeed, perhaps now is a good time to step back and reflect on how we are working and managing people and ask whether what we are doing is productive and efficient. Why not allow staff to work when and where they please, as long as they contribute. If we do this we will probably find people more productive, less stressed and most importantly, happier.
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