We sat down with Dr Ghalib al Hosni, Omantel’s Chief People Officer and Tejarah Talks panellist to discuss employee creativity, communication, resilience, flexibility, trust and more.
Has the pandemic changed Omani corporate culture for the good?
Undoubtedly, the pandemic has transformed Omani corporate culture. Indeed, it has had a tremendous and swift impact on the work environment. People have discovered they do not have to be in an office and can get most things done remotely. In response, organisations are reimagining and reinventing the way work gets done post-pandemic.
Today, Omantel is embracing the many necessary changes needed for success in a post-Covid era while understanding and preserving the elements of company culture that led to our success. For example, we are rethinking operating models and hierarchical structures with a focus on objectives rather than operations.
Uplifting employee and customer experience to achieve sustainable growth is a priority as is revamping learning and development programmes, equipping staff with the skills and knowledge needed for the jobs of tomorrow. We recognise that to remain dynamic we need to encourage and harness our employees’ creative power and we are doing that through a successful intrapreneurship programme, an initiative we believe will fuel growth and be a source of Omantel’s ongoing competitive advantage.
How important is it that employees know what their company stands for?
A purposeful culture stands for and takes action on something bigger than a company’s products or services. Purpose can be an organisational strategy, a roadmap to remain competitive in a fast-changing world, helping an organisation achieve its goals. At Omantel, the bigger picture guides our decision-making, priorities, strategies and goal setting. After all, if in doubt we can ask ourselves “is what I am doing right now helping achieve the business mission?” If not, it is time to rethink and change our course of action.
Most people believe workplace culture does not change very much or very quickly. Rather it adjusts slowly over a long period. Is this true today?
Based on what we witnessed during the pandemic this is not true. In a matter of days, the pandemic disrupted existing behaviour and we noticed staff becoming more adaptable, task driven, productive and collaborative. We also noticed employees wanted flexible time and better work-life balance. Clearly, the change in behaviour and routines has influenced attitudes and mindsets and the overall corporate culture. As a result, we have become more aware of the importance of being resilient and flexible.
It is the million-dollar question – how do you ensure a positive employee experience in the workplace?
With the right employee experience strategy in place you can boost your ability to attract, engage, develop and retain high-performing employees as well as improve the organisation’s overall performance. If you are looking to develop an employee experience strategy, there are a few things that need be on your radar:
Workspace – create a work environment that meets your employee needs, this includes everything from comfortable ergonomic furniture to healthy cafeteria food.
Communication – utilising different channels and approaches that include one-to-one meetings, roadshows, social media, e-mail and WhatsApp. We have found that strong communication ensures everyone is on the same page; it allows room for questions and concerns and creates a safe space for open dialogue. Let us not forget that listening is a key element of communication.
Feedback – act on recommendations received from staff. Being receptive to feedback and taking real action in response to it is crucial if you want to nurture and grow your company and employees. From experience, capitalising on employee feedback has helped Omantel perform better while making sure staff feel recognised and appreciated. This is key.
Employees – help staff become the best version of themselves. We pride ourselves on creating a stimulating work environment that encourages and enables staff to develop new skills. We also provide them with opportunities to grow that are personalised to their circumstances, interests and aspirations.
Diversity and inclusion – this means valuing, respecting and treating employees fairly. It also means empowering them and recognising their unique talents. This has to be at the heart of company culture.
Management – the manager’s role is shifting from performance monitoring to performance coaching. Managers are focusing more on how and not just on what is accomplished with greater attention paid to value and impact.
The role of trust is central to positive, healthy work cultures.
I completely agree. Trust is a key element of effective communication, teamwork and productivity. It leads to stronger working relationships, a healthier organisational culture, helps make challenging conversations easier, teams more integrated and employees more engaged. In fact, we have been evaluating the level of communication and trust at Omantel since 2013 through pulse surveys, and according to the last evaluation conducted in 2020, the Communication and Trust Index was 71 per cent. This is an area where we are always looking for improvement.
