Strengthening the foundations, the DAMAC way

Over the tenure of DAMAC's presence in the real estate market, the realization of having a positive employment structure which focuses on the happiness and well - being of the employee as well as their productivity, have prompted DAMAC to have a complete overhaul of their HR practices and dedicate a whole team to specifically execute these objectives.

According to Mr. Menon, DAMAC Group's Training and Development Manager, the first step was to employ a Manager solely for the purpose of ensuring the satisfaction and happiness of the employees: "We realized there was a need for a strong, personable individual who would really be 'employee - centric' and be able to fill a very specific role," he said.

"Most companies play down the importance of the HR Manager and expect them to fulfill a myriad of roles like administration and salary - handling, but with this approach, we aim to underline the value of our employees by dedicating one manager specifically to their needs beyond work," he continued. "All payroll, visa handling and recruitment are to be handled by separate managers."

As part of the new HR manager's role a whole new set of guidelines are currently being developed and will be put in place to enforce HR in the company as a kind of 'brand'. The HR guidelines will seek to form a structure in the way that staff are dealt with on a business and a personal level, with every employee accountable for maintaining good relationships within the company. "One of the things we would really like to build on is a good level of morale and an emphasis on the 'team effort'" Mr. Menon stated.

"This recognition that we all have different abilities and different strengths can easily be turned to the advantage of any work force, especially in big and bustling companies like DAMAC where demands on employees are high," he continued.

For assessing DAMAC's working practices and performance the new HR manager will be conducting 'exit interviews' with employees leaving the company. With these interviews they hope to either hold on to the employee if the situation can be resolved, or learn why they are leaving. If it is an internal issue that needs resolving, then an effort will be made to do so. If it can't be resolved then this issue will be registered in order not to lose subsequent employees for the same reason.

Mr. Menon described this new practice as a real learning experience: "In the worst case we will lose an employee, but at least there will be a chance for them to air their views and learn from the experience. At best we could resolve the issues and keep that employee," he said.

Mr. Menon is realistic about the cost to companies when an employee leaves. "In a sales - driven environment like that of DAMAC a lost employee is both time and money lost," he said. "As well as the money and training we have invested in that person, a competitor seeks to gain if our employee defects to them. By dealing with these problems from the root cause, we hope to cut them out completely," he continued.

The new HR programme will also encompass training for existing managers in order to make them accountable for the performance of their team. "Where traditionally blame was passed around from person to person, we aim to set guidelines to ensure each manager is trained and responsible for the actions of their agents," Mr. Menon said.

"It's not good business practice to allow managers to perform badly and shirk responsibility. As long as we provide the training and necessary tools, we know that as a company we can move forward with every individual employee aware of their role and their goals," he continued.

In recognition of the different needs of new employees, the new HR scheme has also developed individual orientation packs based on their needs. For example a new employee with a young family can expect to see a pack specially designed with a focus on the family. Information will be specially tailored to include a list of schools and telephone numbers, doctors and pharmacies or anything related to the needs of the whole family - all with location maps and contact details. By making these packs personal, DAMAC are showing the worth of their employees.

Mr. Menon concludes that the outcome of all these changes is a focus to Total Quality Management or TQM which is incorporated into DAMAC's vision. This entire goal will take 3 to 4 years to fully achieve but will be helped along the way by another of DAMAC's key beliefs: Quality Through Accountability or QTA. "The framework is firmly in place, we are now brushing up on the minor details and actually implicating the new HR guidelines," Mr. Menon said.

"Over time we are confident that these adjustments will be beneficial to the whole company and to each individual employee. With some fine tuning we are sure that DAMAC will head the field in the real estate arena as well as being the employer of choice in the UAE," he concluded.