Abdul
Building better workplace cultures
I started working in logistics when I was eighteen years old. It was during the summer and I was loading outbound freight. Being inside a container on a hot summer day is no joke. It really made me respect every person I worked with and made me the hands-on leader I am today.
Those early experiences taught me the importance of hard work and gave me a good understanding of how supply chains work. That first job sparked my passion for simplifying logistics processes and helped me understand how the work environment impacts worker health and wellbeing.
I also learned about the importance of values and behaviours at work from my first boss. I remember listening to him on the phone when he would speak to a driver, and his first question was always “How was your day?”. It was never “Where’s the freight?”.
From that, I learned the value and importance of talking to people like they’re human beings and not just part of the process of moving goods. My boss recognised and rewarded the hard workers and all of us were made to feel really appreciated and supported, particularly when we were struggling to manage our own health and wellbeing. He made time for us to share our “good, bad and ugly stories” without feeling judged. He really knew how to promote a positive working environment and this is what I hope to demonstrate as a leader in the workplace today.