UAE Workplace Evolutions: Interns

Traditionally speaking, interns in the workplace was most commonly thought of as a source of free labour and could have the potential to be exploited by unscrupulous employers.  But, like many aspects of the UAE workplace, the role of interns has evolved, particularly in the last few years.  More and more companies are opening their eyes to the benefits of interns, in a multitude of ways, and that by engaging them correctly, you can actually add value to your business and its bottom line.   

Benefits to a UAE Workplace

At EER, we have long championed the inclusion of interns into the team.  This summer we once again hired two interns, one to provide assistance and gain experience in the immigration department and the other to work on our CRM implementation project.  Throughout the years we have hosted a number of interns from all over the world and with varying degrees of experience, knowledge and (let’s face it) success.  Much like with full time employees, you don’t always know what you are going to get and sometimes the fit just isn’t right, but in our experience the benefits far outweigh any of the few instances where their presence was short-lived.  What we have found to be most true, especially in the UAE workplace, is that interns can be extremely beneficial and offer unexpected contributions.  Sometimes, they can even become invaluable long-term team members that we wouldn’t ever want to be without!  The key outcomes of regularly engaging interns in the office include:

• An injection of learning enthusiasm. Interns often have a thirst for knowledge and opportunities that can reinvigorate a team and recharge their own passion for a project or service.
• A fresh perspective. Having individuals with entirely different experiences in the office can often result in a new point of view being voiced, particularly when they feel engaged and comfortable enough to speak up.  Their outlook could spark new ideas, change the way you see things and even improve performance, especially if they are close to your target demographic in age, background or character.  With younger aged interns, you can also sometimes gain insightful technical knowledge or experience that could be hugely valuable.
• Promotes an inclusive culture. Cultivating a diverse and multi-cultural office environment is highly beneficial to the company’s overall health and output.  Interns can go a long way towards mixing things up on a semi-regular basis and showing the value in a greater range of perspectives.  This year at EER, one of the interns is male in a predominately female UAE workplace, so that has a positive impact within the office, especially since he is very sociable and loves to engage with the whole team.
• Discover future talent. It isn’t easy to spot the employees who will make the most difference at interview stage, so having interns in the office can give you an opportunity to see if a spark of brilliance is ignited that you would like to make a permanent member of the team.

Our Interns…..

First up is Aleksander Ruusunen who joins EER in his first corporate role since leaving the army.  Already known to be somewhat of a perfectionist, his bubbly personality has made quite the impression in the office.  As the CRM Project Assistant he is part of the team working on the implementation of the Zoho CRM.  His day-to-day responsibilities including creating work flows, data cleansing, preparing and designing templates, setting up licenses and helping to train other team members on how to use the system effectively.  In his own words, “moving to Dubai and getting the role at EER was a chance to learn new things.  My goal is to explore new opportunities and find the right role, so gaining as much experience as possible is very helpful.  What I enjoy most about EER is the atmosphere and how my colleagues are so great, they really make me feel appreciated for the work that I do.”

The second star intern is Haupe Liyanage Kavindva Dewmir, better known as Kavi.  Having been at EER for around four months, she has quickly become almost indispensable with her diligent attitude and excellent team player mentality.  Kavi hard work has certainly paid off and she has proven herself highly adept at initiating visa applications, uploading invoices, creating and updating trackers.  Kavi’s previously worked as a Sales Associate at Marks and Spencer, but has fit in well in an office space and underlined her enjoyment of working at EER, “I am especially fond of the friendly and flexible work environment they have created and the opportunity I have to learn new skills.”  Her determination and excellent time management has been evident throughout her stay with EER, particularly as she managed to juggle some intensive driving lessons and the whole team can now say a huge congratulations on passing her test!   Although she is sadly leaving EER to return to university, she has the well wishes of the entire team behind her and hopefully this new chapter will aid her in her goal to obtain an auditing license and become a financial analyst.   Best of luck Kavi!