For the third consecutive year, DHL Express has been officially recognized for its high-performance culture and awarded the ‘Top Company To Work For’ 2016 in the UAE by the Great Place to Work Institute. To learn more about their successful recipe of maintaining a happy workforce, InBusiness.ae got talking to Anu Daga, Head of HR, DHL Express UAE who explained the company’s commitment to be an Employer of Choice
How would you describe your career at DHL express?
The learning and development for all our employees is a very important area that we make sure all our employees benefit from, this is done through several initiatives that we have implemented to develop our employees and prepare them for their next progressive role. Some of these initiatives include the Certified International Specialist (CIS) and Certified International Manager (CIM) training programs that educate our employees in an interactive way to raise awareness on cross functional areas as well as the industry.
DHL also conducts a yearly employee assessment for all our employees to see where each person stands from their specific KPI’s and understand the aspirations of our employees and review their career path, this way we can identify the talents that are ready for their next step ahead. It is also worth mentioning that all vacancies within DHL are given a priority to be filled in first from within our organization, before deciding to source external talent.
How do you maintain a positive work environment in your workplace?
First of all, DHL is a global company that respects and maintains high standards when it comes to the working environment of our employees, who are considered to be our most valuable asset. We take pride in our reputation that represents excellent standards, and this can only be delivered by the great people that work in DHL. This all comes down to motivating our employees and being a company where people want to come and work for.
According to you, what keeps employees motivated and loyal to their company?
Once an employee joins our organization – we recognize that the first couple of days, weeks and months are crucial in establishing a rapport; an employee’s initial impressions are generally lasting impressions and may make the difference between an employee choosing to stay on or leave during the probation period.
The new “DHL in a box“ is a welcome box delivered by one of the DHL couriers who welcomes the employee to the team. This is a truly unique differentiator and creates a truly WOW experience. Our on-boarding covers all the practical aspects of relocation, starting a new role, integration with the team, developing functional expertise and ensuring a welcoming and smooth transition. But more importantly, it ensures that the employee feels part of the “Red and Yellow family” and is absorbed into the DHL culture. Our fantastic induction program “Welcome to my Company”, issuing of the CIS passport, which makes the employee a DHL “Certified International Specialist” are just some examples of how we make employees feel welcome and part of team DHL. In addition to the company induction, each employee undertakes an in-depth role specific functional induction which gets them ready for their role.
The proof of our success in getting this important element of engagement right is evident in our retention and engagement rates of new employees.
How is DHL Express continuously enhancing employee’s development?
The DHL culture can be summarized as engaged and motivated employees having their Best Day Everyday! This is what we believe makes a great workplace – respect as our core value, nurturing employee career development, creating a fun work environment, being transparent, listening and acting on employee feedback and celebrating successes.
Together with the more forward thinking initiatives such as the Certified International Specialist program, Global DHL’s Got Talent, Fitness Center and wellness at the office and the management team spending time with frontline employees (on courier rides/CS calls) we ensure that our employees know at every step that they are the key to our success and that of our customers. The differentiator is that we do it consistently and always look at ways of improving it every year.
We believe our success as a workplace is because of our continuous focus to go from Good to Great. This is ingrained in our mindset and culture by our philosophy “Everybody, Everyday, Everywhere….A little bit better”. Who wouldn’t want to work for a company where they know they are empowered to make a difference for their colleagues, the business and our customers. Moreover, they have an opportunity to give back – the Spirit of Yellow CSR umbrella is run by employees who are passionate and inspire those around them to make a sustainable impact
What makes your company an Employer of Choice?
The participation process requires a lot of work and effort to put together, as it involves going through all the various areas within the business and highlighting all our best practices to build and justify our case for the Great Place to Work (GPTW). Through this practice, we have definitely identified a few areas which we can improve or enhance for our employees.
GPTW is one of the renowned and respected organizations worldwide and any recognition presented by them is definitely regarded very highly by DHL and any other organization. That is why we are very adamant on winning this award and striving to be at the number 1 spot.
How would you advise other companies and newly appointed managers to ensure constructive relationships with their staff?
It all starts with the basics – spending time with employees, listening to them, acting on the feedback, building an open and transparent management culture, creating a fun work environment. Engagement is about getting the basics right, creating a work environment where people are respected and doing it consistently.