Lockdown Diaries - Lamis Alsuwaidi, Electrical Engineer

When she joined Petrofac’s Graduate Development Programme in Sharjah, UAE, in 2019, Lamis Alsuwaidi, Graduate Engineer, knew what to expect – an exciting and diverse start to her career with rotations in our Engineering, Procurement, and Construction departments. What Lamis didn’t expect, what none of us expected, is a world full of challenges and question marks, one in which the word ‘lockdown’ became part of our everyday vocabulary.

“I have been supporting the procurement team for one of our Oman projects since January as part of my first graduate rotation. Working as a ‘buyer’ allowed me to gain an understanding of procurement procedures," Lamis says.

Chasing improvement

Lamis ensures documents such as purchase orders are duly checked and approved before she moves forward with an order. Now working from home, one of her biggest challenges was to adapt to the lack of face to face interaction that is usually highly beneficial in her line of work.

“After experiencing a sudden change in the way we used to work, I started to question myself and have been trying to chase improvement with every task I complete.”

“During the first week of lockdown it became obvious that our jobs were not going to be the same. Face to face interaction as well as immediate assistance were no longer possible. We needed to be responsive to an exceptional situation and guarantee we were ready to continue delivering for the business,” she adds.

“We adapted an online tool for document review, which has been allowing us to assess and sign documents while working remotely.”

“After experiencing a sudden change in the way we used to work, I started to question myself and have been trying to chase improvement with every task I complete.”

Teaming up for work and life

Remote working came hand-in-hand with new ways of communicating. Video conferencing tools enabled us to keep in touch, share information, and help each other.

“Covid-19 has proved that employees can effectively perform their duties from the office or from home. We just needed to be trusted and provided with the necessary tools.”

“As a team, we adapted well to working from home and have been as efficient as if we were working in the office. We have been using video conferencing not only to discuss work, but also to provide support and keep an eye on each other,” Lamis says.

“Digital-first way of working has also been key for my own development. Whenever I have questions, I can reach out to more experienced colleagues and get answers,” Lamis adds.

As a young graduate, with a long career ahead of her, we were curious to know what Lamis thinks the future of work will look like.

“Covid-19 has proved that employees can effectively perform their duties from the office or from home. We just needed to be trusted and provided with the necessary tools. Companies now know that working from home is possible and we could soon start considering our home to be our new office.”