Goodbye Dubai…

It was in the middle of 2008 when rumors in Dubai about the global financial crisis were spreading like wildfire, people were getting alarmed concerning their company’s economic condition and anxious regarding their respective jobs. The government issued a press release informing their residents that Dubai‘s economy was still safe and not that much affected by the crisis, contrary to the international reports that Dubai’s glory days are over.  In the life of an Overseas Filipino Worker, losing job is a major setback especially when your family depends on you as their main provider.  

During the height of the recession when Dubai's corporate giants downsized and the city was struggling with billions of dollars in debt, a half-built city was largely completed; the over-construction of luxury hotels, swanky apartments and all-age entertainment meant they all virtually went on sale and many workers lost their jobs. Key investors pulled out causing several ongoing constructions abandoned; a number of high rise buildings and gigantic towers were left unoccupied, major banks and financial institutions were threatening their debtors in desperate attempt to recover from their loss.

Those in the top level management who were receiving fat checks went first, down to the entry level employees by batches. If you were among the first few batches that were layed off, consider yourself lucky because most likely you will receive your full benefits while others were given only a portion or worst, none at all.  Some workers who were desperate enough not to lose their jobs were willing to take additional workloads even 50% less than their original salaries while others, patience were stretched to the edge caused by delayed salaries.

A lot of dreams were shattered, big and small companies declared bankruptcy while others were on the brink of closing and many plans were put on hold.  In GCC countries like UAE, banks and other financial institutions are very lenient in giving out credit cards and loans but they have policies that put you into trouble if you are not able to pay. Following the mass lay off, employers were extending visas to give their former employees the chance to look for another job but if not, people are forced to leave the country while their names are not yet in the immigration list that restrain them to travel outside UAE.

It was very disheartening to see acquaintances and friends particularly those who have their families under their visas weeping or losing hope because of what happened. We tried to console and sympathize with them in our effort to ease their pain. Sometimes it is easier to give advice when you are not in their position. But when you experience the pain of losing your job and without enough money to bring with you home, the greatest fear is not knowing what the future will hold when you go back to the Philippines. Thank God that we Filipinos are known to be resilient and with a strong faith despite all these trials will surely be able to move on.

Business is business…

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

During the early times, a master considered his workers as machinery or slaves that could be bought and sold easily. They were subjected to long hours, miserable wages and undesirable working conditions; the more they increase production, the harder their work loads and get unjust treatment from people above them.

In the modern era, these barbaric practices were strongly opposed and laws concerning slavery, human trafficking or forced labor was enforced in order to protect the Human Rights in terms of labor and employment. Many advocates and labor unions fought even in the streets and were not afraid to die defending this cause.

As time passes by and technology advances, the need for people to catch up with their knowledge and skill increases so as to take full advantage of the new methods or tools that were designed to facilitate the demands of this fast-paced world. However, for your business to grow and remain healthy you must master certain basic skills in management and leadership.

These skills will help you avoid the crisis situations where you have to do "whatever it takes to stay afloat". ¹The basic skills include problem solving & decision making, planning, meeting management, delegation, basics of internal communications and managing yourself.* Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader.

²According to a study by the Hay Group, a global management consultancy, there are 75 key components of employee satisfaction (Lamb, McKee, 2004). They found that:

·          Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organization.

·          Effective communication by leadership in three critical areas was the key to winning organizational trust and confidence:

o    Helping employees understand the company's overall business strategy.

o    Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives.

o    Sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employee's own division is doing — relative to strategic business objectives.*

Being a manager gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the business but this power does not make you a leader, it simply makes you the boss. The basis of good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to your organization. You must be trustworthy and able to communicate a vision of where the organization needs to go.

Successful businesses have good planning strategies, innovative management styles and effective leadership skills. Character will be tested; patience will be stretched to the limits; resources will be maximized. Management theories can be a good foundation; it is a trial and error system. Plans may fail; yet it helps to improve in managing your business and your people.

References:

¹http://managementhelp.org/fp_progs/mng_mod/mng_ldr.htm

²http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.html

Work, Money & Satisfaction

“The pursuit of happiness in the workplace is as much of a holy grail as it is in life, but there are ways to make that pursuit a happier experience.” – Times Online

Satisfaction at work can have severe consequences on a person's performance and on his/her personal life. It also varies for each person.  A lot of factors contributes and affects our attitude towards work. What motivates us to work is essential in determining how we deal with problems either with the work itself, coworker/s, environment, our immediate boss or the company/owner’s policy.

Earning a living in order to provide for our family is a major reason why we go to work. We tend to endure a lot of sufferings and sacrifices just for the people we care and love. Another one is because we love what we are doing despite of the circumstances and nature of the work; it is our passion regardless of the pay. Our work inspires us even if it puts us into trouble.

Working in a corporate world here and abroad especially in a multinational environment entails much of your patience, skills, time and effort. Although the salary is good, you have to fight for it since competition is all over the place, “power trippers” are easy to find and coworkers who think like crabs should be watched out for.

Every organization faces the dilemma of employees leaving them for better pay or profile. Different managers can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious, too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over a trivial issue.

Why good people quit their jobs? The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called "First Break All The Rules". It came up with this surprising finding:

If you're losing good people, look to their immediate boss. Immediate boss is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he/she is the reason why people leave. When people leave they take knowledge, experience and contacts with them, straight to the competition. "People leave managers not companies," write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.

Managers have a big role in the success of every organization or project. It is like a Domino Effect- if the manager has a good planning strategy, transparent, he/she motivates and appreciates his/her staffs; obviously the outcome will be flourishing. Work should not always be about money. Job satisfaction is more important because if you perform well and love what you are doing, the income will come naturally.

If the company treats their employees as their most important resource in their service commitment to their clients and fosters a work environment where diversity is valued, quality of life is enhanced, individual aspirations are fulfilled and if you invest with your good people, noticeably, you will see the return of your business venture.

Greed will eventually be the cause of downfall. Either you’re the proprietor or the employee; it is all about your attitude towards money. Self fulfillment in work or enthusiasm in everything that we do pays well. “The highest reward for a man’s toil is not what he gets for it, but rather what he becomes by it. – Prism”