Moment Maker
Rushali Mahesh Cluster Welfare, Training and Accommodation Manager at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City and Park Inn by Radisson Dubai Motor City Rushali was born in a small city called Mangalore and raised in Kuwait. After graduating in early 2020 with a degree in Hospitality, she started an HR internship with RHG which was her first experience in a hotel and human resources. It’s been a little over two years, but she says it feels much longer thanks to the opportunities and experiences she’s been so fortunate to have. She joined as Human Resources Coordinator in July 2020 and was promoted to Cluster Welfare, Training and Accommodation Manager in September 2022.
1.
Three words you think define you and why
Driven, Engaging, Creative I am excited and driven by my goals and take a creative approach to engaging colleagues and myself to achieve these goals and contribute to my little but beautiful space in the big picture. A leader who inspires you I have had the pleasure of being mentored by really amazing leaders and am really grateful for all of their contributions to my growth and development. But if I had to talk about who inspires me, it’s definitely the people I work with and have the pleasure of learning from every day, be it the General Manager or a Housekeeping Attendant. Being able to see how you’ve impacted their days even in the tiniest of ways, getting to be part of their development, seeing them take the next big step in their career – that feeling is incomparable and is what keeps me going and inspires me every single day.
2.
A Culture Belief that most represents you In 2021 I was voted EMM Ambassador for the, “We value open and direct interactions to build trust,” culture belief. As a novice, I noticed how HR was seen as a back-of-house department that does paperwork and pays salaries. Moreover, people were often hesitant to come to the HR office or even say hi. But for me, I saw HR in a completely different light and wanted everybody else to feel the same way about it. HR is more than just paperwork and salaries – it’s about building relationships and trust so
Moment Maker colleagues can come to you when they need a shoulder to cry on or want to celebrate their wins. But it’s also about knowing where to draw the line, since you are the neutral force in an organization and might be disciplining those same people somewhere down the road. People think twice before knocking on the HR office door, so I just leave the door open myself. Baby steps and I think we can slowly change this stereotype. “We have fun in all that we do,” is also another culture belief I truly believe in. We spend most of our days at work, and having fun while we do it is something that I believe is really important. I’m nicknamed “Chuckles” because there’s always laughs and giggles around, there’s music playing in the office and in the corridor, funny little dance moves here and there, silly jokes, lunching with friends from other departments, sharing food and learning new things together. A lot of that comes from ability to let loose sometimes and enjoy those moments with my work family.
3.
What hospitality means to you
I was exposed to this big beautiful world from a very young age, and I couldn’t imagine a place better than this to work at, because you’re not just sat at a desk and facing a computer. You get to meet so many people from all walks of life, live so many experiences, share amazing food, serve and care for the people that come to your door for the service you provide – that is so fulfilling for me. To me hospitality is wholesomeness and the feeling of belonging. I am profoundly influenced by Maya Angelou’s quote, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel!”
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