The biggest asset for a company or organization is its people. Good employees align with the vision of the company and strive for collective growth. Organizations are always on the lookout for employees who quickly learn, are team players, and are satisfied with their jobs. Other than taking up the hiring process themselves, they also seek advice from specialized companies to find the right human resources for them.
Founded in 2013, Meethaq Employment Agency, based out of Dubai, is part of Al Ghandi Group. The Agency has been built on the foremost principle of trust, to bring a unique proposition that ensures a seamless link between its business partners and their employees. Whether the client is looking to hire a temporary assistant or wishes to outsource its entire Customer Service operation, Meethaq knows how imperative it is to motivate and engage every employee, just as a member of a growing team would be.
The Company
Meethaq helps its clients recruit the best employees. It works with the client to ensure that the recruits are fully trained and have a complete understanding of the organization’s values and culture.
“Our objective is to ensure that temporary workers are integrated as closely as possible into our clients’ operations, so as to maximize engagement, without creating the possibility of co-employment,” says the CEO, Maryam Buti AlMheiri.
Meethaq works continuously with its business partners to maintain these high levels of engagement and employee enthusiasm. This has uniquely enabled them to create an environment of trust, longevity, security, and career development that, in turn, has resulted in consistently low rates of absenteeism and attrition.
A Confident Leader
Maryam confidently serves as the CEO of Meethaq Employment Agency, where she weaves in her expertise and passion for the sector and plays a strong role in its operations.
Maryam comes from three different work backgrounds. She had a career in TECOM Group, a semi-government group, as an administrator in 2005. It served as a stepping stone to her journey. In 2011, she joined the Dubai government sector where she was involved in a variety of roles, including managing the Dubai land departments. Finally, in 2015 she settled into the private sector with Meethaq Employment Agency as CEO.
These opportunities provided Maryam with a platform to grow as an individual alongside her management career, despite some challenges. The new concept of outsourcing came into the Dubai market around 2013 and she decided to choose the outsourcing industry because it is driven by a combination of business goals, market conditions, and individual career aspirations and she wanted to explore that. Convincing people about outsourcing services was a challenge initially. “There is one major challenge that I have faced since I started my career, which was to educate people about the outsourcing industry explain the new concept of outsourcing to them within the UAE and drive Meethaq Employment Agency to success. I overcame this challenge by completing new business deals from all around the world. I have learned that always “just do and don’t think”, take the risk and think out of the box,” shares Maryam.
In her current role, Maryam is responsible for setting Meethaq’s strategic direction, making critical decisions, and overseeing the execution of business plans. Also, she guides the entire organization toward its goals and ensures that all departments and teams work in alignment with the company’s vision. Additionally, Maryam often represents the company to stakeholders, including investors, the board of directors, and the public, fostering relationships and maintaining the organization’s reputation. “In essence, I am the driving force behind the company’s success, balancing leadership, decision-making, and accountability for the overall health and performance of the business,” she says.
A Role with Multiple Layers
As a CEO, Maryam’s working style varies widely depending on the individual and the organization’s culture and needs. She gets to play the role of a visionary as she sets a clear and inspiring vision for Meethaq’s future. She needs to utilize her strategic and decisive skills while developing long-term strategies to achieve Meethaq’s goals and making tough decisions to drive the organization forward.
She needs to be collaborative as she must work with leadership teams and employees to foster a collaborative culture. At the same time, she needs to be inspirational to motivate her teams to excel. She is expected to be accountable and take responsibility for the company’s performance and results. She also needs to consider global perspectives in decision-making for multinational companies and focus on achieving measurable outcomes
As the CEO, Maryam has introduced many novel ideas at Meethaq. One of them is to extend its recruitment services to doctors, teaching professionals, and financial units. Another idea was establishing an Emiratization program within the organization where they support the local candidates to find their dream future careers. She also helped establish an electronic system for the company, which led to speeding up the work, maintaining its quality, and saving operational costs.
A Strong Presence
Meethaq established a strong presence in the market, serving as a bridge between skilled individuals and organizations in the public and private sectors not just in the country and region, but also internationally. The firm assists with the initial recruitment process, designs customized solutions for businesses’ objectives, and introduces flexibility in the workforce for staffing requirements.
Being unique as a 100 percent Emirati-run organization, it caters to a variety of job sectors, with plans to extend its recruitment services to doctors, teaching professionals, and financial units in the future. The agency also takes pride in client retention, loyalty, and trust.
The rapid advancement of technology has transformed the way businesses operate, and successful entrepreneurs are leveraging this power to their organization’s benefit in innovative ways. At Meethaq, the leadership has built virtual teams with members located around the UAE. Collaboration tools like video conferencing, project management software, and shared document platforms enable effective teamwork despite distances. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote work, but Maryam was one of the first entrepreneurs who adopted this trend already. “Remote work options and flexible hours are becoming the norm, improving work-life balance and employee satisfaction which led to the operation saving costs on the company and increasing profits,” shares Maryam.
Current Challenges in the Industry
The outsourcing industry, which has experienced significant growth in recent years, is currently facing several challenges that threaten its progress, shares Maryam. These challenges include increased competition, cybersecurity threats, changing customer expectations, and evolving regulatory landscapes. To maintain and enhance its position in the global business landscape, the outsourcing industry must address these issues with strategic solutions.
According to Maryam, cybersecurity threats and changing customer expectations are the biggest challenges nowadays. As a potential solution for cybersecurity threats, she believes in investing in state-of-the-art cybersecurity infrastructure, including encryption, intrusion detection, and employee training. Also, the implementation of real-time monitoring and threat intelligence systems to proactively identify and respond to threats can be done. The potential solution for changing customer expectations is to develop a deep understanding of client needs and preferences, tailoring services to meet their specific requirements. Fostering open and transparent communication channels with clients to build trust and provide regular updates on project progress can also help.
Maryam encourages young entrepreneurs to come to the fore with creative ideas to resolve the issues. She says, “Starting a business is a challenging but rewarding journey. Remember that every successful entrepreneur faces obstacles along the way. Your determination and dedication can lead to a prosperous venture. Believe in yourself and you will be successful. You can do it. When you are planning to pursue something, you need to have a vision and set goals — think about what you want to be and where you would like to go with it. Learn to improve yourself and accept risks.”
Plans Ahead
“As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of our industry, it’s important to set clear expectations for the future. The expectations for the next few years from my team revolve around innovation, customer satisfaction, efficiency, collaboration, personal development, and ethical conduct. We believe that by aligning our efforts with these expectations, we can achieve our strategic goals and continue to excel in our industry,” concludes Maryam.
Drawing Inspiration
“The quote that I live with is the saying of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, “They say the sky is the limit of ambition …. We say: the sky is only the beginning.”
Quote: “I hold an innate curiosity for the world of business management.”
