Hiring our and training a superhero team
The last few months have been interesting, surprising and rewarding. As we prepared for the company launch, we have gradually built the foundation for the @fabcrewsuperheroes team. Supported by Lorie our hard working and patient operations coordinator we interviewed and selected the team.
Diversity of experiences from house cleaning, hospitality, domestic help, logistic and the service industries contributes a diverse range of skill sets, ability and personalities to our crew. Each team member bringing expertise, understanding and a different perspective.
During our team building day we played a game at our house called ‘How to I clean that?’ each group had to work together to create a best practice approach on cleaning that area, customer preferences and other elements. We then went around group by group and they presented their approach and then we discussed it to create our quality standards.
Practical training sessions, masterclasses and machinery training were also completed. For our first week of operation the crews have been working together in their groups to reinforce the agreed standards and to ensure all are mentored to the same level of quality and consistency.
We have invested in high quality Italian cleaning machines that have super powers of their own đŸ˜‰ Industrial strength cleaning products for our deep cleans help our crews to work hard to ensure our customers are happy.
Deciding on our company values and behaviours
I have to confess that the interview process was a bit of an eye opener for me personally. I understood that many domestic workers and cleaning professionals had it tough (well I thought I understood) however listening to their personal stories first hand reinforced to me the importance of providing our team with a safe, secure and pleasant work environment.
The number one question we were asked was will we provide a visa, followed by a request to be paid, given a day off and health insurance – things that I always thought would have been given as standard! There were stories of poor living conditions, coercive control and other situations that had clearly been stressful and emotional for both themselves and their families. Emotions were often close to the surface when I asked the simple question ‘tell me about yourself and your last job?’.
We all have the right to go to work in an environment where we are able to focus on what is required of us in a positive and productive way. Allowing us the freedom to support our personal goals and interests. On our name badges we have each team members name with their super power underneath – a nod to the fact that each individual has their own interests and talent outside of work!
Our company values and behaviours are that each person has an opinion of value and is to be treated with mutual respect. They deserve to be paid well and to have all of the labour benefits they have a right to. Our super power is our team work and listening and being kind to each other. Ensuring our customers are satisfied is our priority and knowing when to ask for help from a manager or colleague to support you is essential. If something goes wrong, we are accountable for our actions and discuss what happened with a solution-based approach to problem solving and to ensure any issues are not repeated. Trust is at the centre of all we do and we work hard every day to earn and maintain that.
Attracting and retaining the right talent
In a post pandemic workplace flexible working and remote teams have become the norm. Our business is powered by technology and a management platform that allows team members to collaborate and respond to our customers’ needs.
As a result, I wanted to offer the opportunity to get involved to individuals that wanted to fit meaningful and productive work around family life and other time commitments. Our customer support staff are super hero mums, problem solvers, entrepreneurs and contribute so much to our small but close operational team.
We hope that by working together as a unit we will continue to develop into a business that fulfils the needs, ambitions and futures for each of us. Thank you for reading this blog post and I hope that you will be a part of our community and support the ethos that we have.
It means that we charge a little more (around AED15 per hour) than some of our competitors but we pass that on to our team in not only their basic package but also bonus payments for customer satisfaction and attendance. We hope you will believe, as we do, that this is a worthy investment.
