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What would you do if you find yourself working professionally in a surrounding that hasn't the minimum level of professionalism needed?

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Question added by Roy Mayne , Warehouse Manager , Pamco s.a.r.l.
Date Posted: 2013/05/12
Samar Abu Shaban
by Samar Abu Shaban , Regional HR Operations manager , souq.com

I agree with Tamiko, also, you should know that such environment is for people who like challenges and has the ability to steer changes and maintain it.
Definitely you will need leadership support and if you managed to gain this support, you will have excellent opportinity to steer comprehensive changes and this will also add to your knowledge and experience.

This is definitely a situation of your work ethics and belief in yourself.
You would need to assess your situation and your objectives: do you want an opportunity for leadership and change, or do you want job stability? Start by approaching management (in a non-threatening way) with strategies to increase productivity and cost-saving measures.
If your suggestions fall on deaf ears, or met with resistance, you will need patience and a time frame to determine if the company is open to incremental change.
At the end of that time frame, if there is no change or your suggestions have created a rift, you will need to come to the conclusion of what you want professionally and if you are being true to yourself and your ethics.

Faisal Ba-aqeel
by Faisal Ba-aqeel , Procurement and Facility Manager - KSA , Delivery Hero

In my opinion there are several things: - I have to arrange the place and work where I am in.
- To wait (short time) for increment, or to move to a higher position thru other internal vacant.
- Last option: is to look for another company with a suitable postion where I can show myself and my energy as well (since there are so many companies which are waiting for a qualified manpower to help for improving its over all performance) because if you remain into a lower level company that would waste your skills and hide it from other employer who may need you.
Regards,

I would definitely stay and bring my work ethics and professionalism in my work.
I would hope that at some level it would rub off on my colleagues, my superiors and hopefully overall management and they would soon realize that things can be done more professionally that could yield much greater success and achievements.

أولا تحاول أن تفهم أهداف الشركة و ما مدى تطابق هذه الأهداف بأهدافك و لو مرحليا فإذا تحقق الحد الأدنى من التراضي; قم باقتراح :١ حلول لهيكلة الشركة - ٢: اقتراح أهداف واقعية و قابلة للتطور مرتبطة بجدول زمني - ٣: اقتراح معايير لانتقاء الموظفين و تفعيل برامج الدورات التكوينية لتطوير السلم داخل المؤسسة

Exactly that's where your skills, Your professionalism, your maturity towards your responsibilities, and persistency for doing something useful for your company, lie.
Look around yourself and realize that the people you see they deserve your presence lot more than you do their's.

Sanjeev Madavi
by Sanjeev Madavi , Vice President - SCM & Head of IT for the 4PL Consortium , Bahwan Cybertek LLC, Muscat, Oman

Professionalism is definitely a question of perspective.
Whats professional in one part of the world need not be appropriate in another.
I think the situation depends in the eyes of the beholder.
Take the case of east vs.
west.
In Japan/Korea and increasingly spreading into the south east asia, its considered inappropriate if you leave office before your boss does.
People usually work from 7 in the morning until 9 and 10 and its considered perfectly normal.
You cannot work 9 to 5 and be considered a professional whereas staying till late is not a prerogative in the west where the feel is that I work for the time I am paid for and outside that the organization is encroaching on my personal time.
Which one is right, I dont know but the illustration is meant to give you an insight into an individual view as opposed to a group view.
Every new job and org role demands certain time to ADJUST and ALIGN with the org culture (the rest of the people in that org).
While certain views about work culture and professionalism are endorsed as popular opinion and hence considered appropriate, org culture is shaped more by leaders and endorsed through their day to day behavior.
You know what is right and what is wrong (as concluded from your view of the org culture) and how you can best fit in the org and prosper.
The key question then is whether 1) your and your orgs goals are aligned and more importantly 2)the means to achieve them are also aligned.
People work most effectively and are most productive (for themselves as well for the org) when both these questions hit a positive note in your mind.
Even if one of the question leads to a negative answer, then it clearly shows that you dont agree with the org culture and their views.
Its now your next choice on whether you want to run along with the org or split.
Storng willed workers (I will refrain from using the term professionals) will try out circumstances where you try to usher change but this can only work quickly if you are in a leadership position and you get quick endorsements from your peers and superiors.
Unfortunately the unwritten rule for the subordinates is that you either shape in or ship out.

Houssien Kazbar
by Houssien Kazbar , Warehouse Manager , Fantoni

in such case i might suggest :
1- implement your business strategy and plan to improve work environment through applying business ethics and fundamentals on both managerial and administrative levels, arrange a presentation to show advantages for being professional and disadvantages for being unprofessional.
make sure everyone abide by the rules, keep following up your plan and strategy
2- " if you can't beat them, join them " - i don't recommend.

3- look for a job opportunity in a professional firm that fulfill your quest and utilize your professional experience.

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