Your journey as a woman in the cleaning industry

The cleaning industry was initially a very male dominant industry especially at the higher levels where we find very less women in executive & leadership level. Being an ESG & Sustainability professional I joined Farnek with an objective to transition from the conventional cleaning & maintenance service model to a business that is sustainable & socially committed with gender diversity & inclusion being the main agenda. I was one of the very few ESG professionals in the UAE FM industry since the ESG was not a priority focus for the cleaning industry. This is where I tried to bring a change by promoting sustainability & ESG in the industry to make the industry adaptable and resilient to changing client & societal expectations. This has resulted in Farnek & the industry being recognized as a leading sustainability business through winning multiple Sustainability & ESG awards & recognitions in the region.

Gender related challenges in your career
Women around the world have faced and are facing a myriad of gender related challenges at the workplace. In the early stages of my career when I was working in the Sustainability and Health & Safety field where there were less women in the field. Some of these challenges included not being accepted by fellow male colleagues & also not being accepted by clients as well who had the notion that women are not suitable to work in a dangerous work place like construction sites. The same can also be said about the cleaning industry as well, especially if you are at an executive level in the FM industry. When it comes to this industry there is definitely a gender gap in the hierarchical levels. When I started my career with this industry I had faced many challenges within and outside the industry. Many times in meetings or discussions I was not given the required representation or was able to voice my opinions since most executive boards are mostly male dominated which has had a great shift in recent times. My advice to all women who are faced with similar challenges is to overcome these challenges with a positive attitude, voice out your knowledge and opinions, understand your rights, be ambitious  and support & empower other women in the workplace bringing out a collectiveness. This is how it worked for me. 

Advice to young women who aspire to pursue a career in the cleaning industry
To the young women who want to join the industry I would recommend that this is a great industry that not only gives great learning but also has a great potential for career advancement. We need more women who break job stereotypes & move to newer industries and professions that not only give more employment opportunities for women but also help to inspire other women and also empower each other.