Cheers to 10 years!

A decade

or

10 years

or

120 months

or

522 weeks

or

3653 days

or

87,600 hours

or

5,256,000 minutes

or

315,360,000 seconds

On March 1at 2022, I celebrated my 10-year anniversary at Servcorp and despite the rather large numbers above, it has flown by so quickly! As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun!

I still remember my interview in 2012 very clearly; I walked into Servcorp and received a warm welcome. While I was sitting waiting for my interview, I was mesmorised by the stunning view. I was so impressed by the reception area and the design of the floor and thought to myself, is it really possible that I could soon be working here? That question was answered 30 minutes later; I was offered the job of receptionist on the spot. It was a Thursday afternoon and my first day was the following Sunday. I walked into my first team meeting, feeling nervous but excited and keen to get started.

Before joining Servcorp, I had been working as a flight attendant for 8 and a half years. I had forgotten all of my computer skills; I had never worked in a corporate environment, I was tired adjusting from working shifts to typical business hours. There was so much to learn. However, I had the will and the drive to succeed, I had the most amazing, and supportive team, and luckily enough, most of them are still part of my team today. I regained and improved my computer skills, I learned from my team and clients about the business world and different industries and I became a really good Corporate receptionist.

Fast forward two years and a promotion opportunity came along. After 2 rounds of interviews, I was awarded the Assistant Manager position. This is where the fun (temporarily) stopped. It was a huge change, so much more to learn, so much more responsibility and accountability. I lost my confidence, I wanted to go back to my comfort zone of the reception, but then I thought, if Servcorp has put its faith in me, then I should put faith in me too. A couple of months later, I had leased my first office out and this gave me the confidence boost I needed.

Three years later an opportunity arose and I was promoted to Manager. This promotion was not half as drastic as the first one as I was already doing the majority of the job and with support from my colleagues; I learnt the remaining aspects of my new role.

I did go through a very rough and tough patch at one point, where I had some very difficult personal issues and, simultaneously, some mistreatment at work from a couple of more senior managers. When I tried to stand up for myself, I broke down. Despite the hurt this caused, it was a learning curve. I learned that I was not the problem and I should not let people get me down. I learned that people who treat others badly are not normal, that normal people do not go around trying to destroy others. I learned to open my mouth when I have something to say and not just hold it in and cause myself pain and upset.

Luckily, karma came calling, my personal issues disappeared, and the work bullies left the company J

I have been the Manager of Servcorp Bahrain for just over five years now, it hasn’t always been easy. Like everyone, I have faced and will continue to face challenges, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my team, my current boss, my colleagues globally and Servcorp as a whole.

Through Servcorp, I have travelled to Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul and Sydney, met many of my global colleagues and toured their floors, which is always an enjoyable experience.

Servcorp prides itself on promoting from within and encouraging women into leadership roles, and I am so grateful and proud to be able to represent our brand in Bahrain.