Workforce: Putting money where the youth is
HAVING A RELAXED AND PRODUCTIVE WORK CULTURE is important, especially if an organisation has a young workforce, says Promoth Manghat, CEO of UAE Exchange Group and executive director of Finablr.
Manghat maintains that there are many advantages to having a young workforce in an organisation. “The average age at our organisation has never breached 35,” he said. “Right now, the average rests somewhere in the late 20s. The advantages of this are that we work with the talent that is driven, focused on their goals, and very passionate about their work.”
Manghat, however, noted that it is important to have a work culture that nurtures young talent. “Small things go a long way. For instance, we made it known that it was not necessary for our workers to come to work in a suit and tie; they can dress down and be comfortable. There is also no marking of attendance or a monitoring of your working hours. Our concern is not what time you come to work and leave, but if you have been able to deliver. We believe in substance over form. In addition, there also has to be a lot of focus on delivering fairness and transparency across any organisation,” he said. Manghat further stressed that it is not possible to bring about all these changes overnight. “There is no shortcut to creating the type of work culture that brings in talented employees. We take our inspiration from the story of the UAE and how it has brought together people of different cultures from all over the world. It takes time, and the right amount of will.”
Speaking about the importance of mentoring young graduates and investing wisely in ensuring that they fit into an organisation, Manghat revealed that it had been a learning curve for the organisation.
“In 2008, we went to various academic campuses to scout out talent. We found some brilliant students and we then went about the traditional way of introducing them to our organisation. We failed, and not even one of those students is with us today. It is not about sourcing the talent, but making sure that you have properly identified their strengths and then integrated them into a position in your organisation, where they can fully apply themselves,” he said.
He added: “Today, we have learned from our experience and ensured that we hire, not only for our placements but also for our interns. We then ensure that our interns will be ready to take up a role in the organisation after they graduate.”