According to Shamma Hadid Alali, Emirates Post Group (EPG) is an excellent company to work for as it encourages growth and career progression – regardless of gender. “My experience of being a female in the postal sector has been great,” she says.
“In today’s digital society, which merits a person based on their individual skills, experience, and talent, we are witnessing increasing career opportunities for women across all industries. At EPG, they are offering us women the tools to enhance our professional and personal skills, encouraging us to take on new opportunities, training, and responsibilities.”Alali prides herself on improving her customer service skills on a daily basis, by carefully listening to the customer and understanding their needs. “The best thing about my job is that I get to see people’s faces light up after providing my services,” she says. “At the Customer Happiness Center, I help customers with their shipping needs, and I meet people from all different backgrounds, which enables me to learn and develop my skills further.”
The postal service has changed over the years in terms of gender equality, according to Alali. “I have personally seen my colleagues become more willing to teach me ways to improve my skills. I have also witnessed how customers have warmed to being assisted by a woman. The industry in general is becoming more open and appreciative of what women can contribute for its betterment,” she explains.
Alali still finds some situations difficult, such as expressing opinions and making suggestions, but she believes this is mainly to do with level of expertise rather than gender. “My colleagues do not measure the quality of my service based on my gender, which is very important to me,” she says. “EPG is a company that celebrates women for who we are and in what we can accomplish.”
Looking at why more women should join the postal sector, Alali concludes, “The postal industry is undergoing a wide-scale transformation in terms of digitalization, but it is also transforming from a male-dominated sector into one that promotes women into leading management positions. This provides an array of unique opportunities for us.”
This article first appeared in the Summer 2021 issue of Union Postale.