Work With Love

Hawra Abdulla, Assistant Manager - IT Department (Networking & Infrastructure) talks about her role, her aspirations, and her growth at Y. K. Almoayyed & Sons (YKA).

Tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to YKA?

I graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Bahrain. Through a Ministry project for undergraduates, I joined YKA. It’s the first and only company I’ve worked at and I began my career here without knowing much about the work environment. Twelve years on, I’m still here and I’ve learned everything I know in this space and improved within YKA. I was recently promoted to the position of Assistant Manager in the IT Department. It’s been a great experience working here.

What does a typical day look like for you while managing the IT networking and infrastructure at the company?

It is a critical and challenging role as we are a group of companies with multiple branches, more than 800 users spread across different locations, dealing with various customers. In my 12 years, I’ve interacted with almost everyone in the company, something I’ve come to love and enjoy doing. Each day involves me speaking with different people - from technicians and new staff to sales team members, my team, and managers.

What are some big lessons you have learned along the way in the last 12 years at YKA?

The first lesson is to be patient and focus on your strengths. The second lesson is to improve your listening skills. The third and most important one is that the customer truly matters.

How do you go about creating a positive work environment and experiences on the job?

A positive work environment begins with my team. Work relationships should be supportive and energizing; enable each employee to trust that their peers, superiors, and managers are there to help them and that everyone in the team can learn from each other. Offering growth opportunities to the team through professional development courses is another important way to build a positive work environment that focuses on enhancing an employee’s skill set. Since taking on the position of Assistant Manager, I’ve been planning an appreciation structure to recognize hard-working team members to encourage and motivate them to continue their pursuit of excellence.

How do you envision your growth with YKA?

I’ve always looked forward to a leadership role and I’m happy to have received this position now at YK Almoayyed. For now, my sole focus is on fulfilling my new designation. I plan to gain greater experience with new projects and continuous professional development to prepare myself for the next role. I’m currently studying Microsoft Modern Desktop Administrator and planning to get the certificate this month. I would like to be Microsoft 365 certified and become an enterprise administrator expert this year.

What advice would you give to new employees joining YKA?

First of all, work with love. Don’t rush your growth and don’t be in a hurry to reach somewhere. Slower the growth, the deeper the roots. Try to learn something from every moment, from each person, and from each situation. 