Inside Osome: Building a Thriving Global Team

Building Successful Global Teams: Our Expert’s Insights

Building a thriving global team is no easy feat. With offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur and teammates working across Europe, the Osome team is well-positioned as a global business. Of course, there are unique challenges and opportunities that come with this kind of business setup.

We sat down with Osome’s Chief People Officer, Sharon Johal, to take a look behind the scenes and see what goes into creating a successful global team.

Sharon has always worked in the People Space, across various industries and organisations of different sizes, and is a naturally curious and passionate advocate for people. She joined Osome in August 2022 and during her time leading the People Team has particularly focused on fostering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and cultivating high-performing workplace cultures.Read on as Sharon shares her valuable insights, from the importance of hiring the right people to the ways Osome fosters a culture of collaboration, inclusion and innovation.

Key Ingredients for Global Team Success

In today’s global environment, opportunities for business success transcend borders. But with so much potential, and so many entrepreneurs striving to make their mark, it can be difficult to know where to focus your energy. Luckily for us, there are some key areas to look at. “Although it will be different for different companies as you face challenges at different stages, I do believe there are certain ingredients that can help build successful teams despite company sizes and industries,” says Sharon, “starting with the right recruitment and hiring the right people matters. This one is crucial I feel because in growth stages, you focus on bringing in people very quickly. In a scale up environment with limited resources, every hire truly counts.”

Once you’ve got the right people on board, you need to be confident that you’re setting them up for success. Ultimately, this is what will help your business succeed. For this, Sharon shares that Osome optimises their onboarding and induction processes which is important for hybrid and remote companies, where new joiners won’t necessarily have a traditional, in-office onboarding experience.

“We also need to set managers up for success,” adds Sharon, “we have to bear in mind that this could be their first time being a manager. With that comes regular check ins, asking if they are hitting the goals and objectives, and that’s where in the moment feedback is really crucial.” Sharon adds that offering learning opportunities and key objectives processes which help you reward talent fairly are both super important factors to consider.

The final ingredient for success? Having a great culture. “Company culture means different things for different people because we can’t possibly be everything for everyone, but if we know what we want to be known for and we’re very deliberate about building that, we can definitely hire the right people for us,” says Sharon.<br>

The Power of Culture as a Cornerstone

During her time working in the People Sphere, Sharon has learned that company culture and success go hand in hand, “It ultimately starts with understanding why people should join and stay with us. While some factors may temporarily keep someone in the role, the reality is that culture matters.”

Osome operates around four core values: Care, Transparency, Attention to Detail, and Continuous Improvement. Additionally, normalising DEI as part of everyday practice is hugely important. These values are reflected in the work we do with clients and how we work behind the scenes, so it’s important to have teammates who align with these values.

“Data consistently shows that disengaged employees are less productive which directly does impact the business and the people around them,” shares Sharon, “so having that strong culture where people do feel connected, valued, respected, where they’re aligned with the mission, we do create an environment where the individuals and the company will thrive.”“Culture isn’t just about words for me, it is genuinely about actions and behaviours. And if we think about our personal lives - and this is a philosophical way of thinking about it - we typically gravitate towards environments where we feel valued, where we belong, where we enjoy the people we’re working with, we have a purpose in what we do. And I do believe that the same principles apply here in the workplace.” It all ties back to empowering individuals to make the right decision for themselves, making sure they’re choosing the company that is right for them.

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Creating a Collaborative Environment

Sure, that all sounds great, but how does that translate into cultivating a work environment where collaboration and innovation flourish, especially in a company with offices across the globe? “For innovation to happen, we need collaboration done through the right people,” Sharon shares, “on a practical level, it’s about the teams and the people coming together, bridging the gaps and addressing any challenges they may have. And from an employee perspective, innovation and change come from bridging the gap between doing what’s right for the business but also doing what’s right for the people.”

This kind of collaboration is often situational, which is where feedback is vital. At Osome, recruitment surveys, new starter surveys, leavers surveys, engagement surveys, focus groups, and brainstorming sessions help develop informative feedback which can be translated into actions. Sharon adds that the diversity within Osome’s teams is a benefit as it enables leadership to hear different perspectives, experiences and viewpoints.According to Sharon, all these different perspectives have been a huge help in shaping the People Plan at Osome, “Often the natural thing to do is to impose our way onto others. But true inclusion comes from adapting to different perspectives, especially at Osome where the majority of our colleagues and clients are based across Asia. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is the importance of listening and adapting.”

“I would say if you’re looking to work across global offices, being flexible and adaptable will be super important,” she adds.

Grow with Osome

Internally, Osome promotes several DEI initiatives, one of which is Grow with Osome. “We launched our ‘Grow with Osome’ program at the beginning of 2023, which played a huge role in shaping our culture and setting the tone of what we want to be known for as an employer. The program offers colleagues the opportunity to grow personally and professionally,” explains Sharon.

Fostering genuine diversity and inclusion is a collaborative effort. While the People Team may implement and promote initiatives, culture doesn’t come from HR alone. It’s driven by leaders and managers across the business. “Ultimately they are the people that hold the power to set the tone,” says Sharon, “so it’s important for us as a leadership team first to align on ‘how do we want to show up for our people?’ as this alignment will lay the foundation for everything that we do.”

“While we may not all have the same belief system, and that’s absolutely fine because that’s what true inclusion is, I do feel that we need to align on some shared values and have a collective vision together. Real change happens collectively,” she adds.

Grow with Osome initiatives include: celebrating and supporting different health and well-being needs in all forms, whether that’s supporting working parents, women in the workplace, and colleagues from the LGBTQ+ community. Sharon explains that the team is continuously looking at ways to grow and adapt the ‘Grow with Osome’ program to make it fair and accessible for everyone.

Investing in Your People: Growth & Development Opportunities

Any company looking to grow and succeed will need employees who are passionate about their own growth and development. The great thing about a scale up is that people can grow very quickly. The challenge however is that the opportunity can sometimes be limited. That’s where creativity comes in; you need to find ways to make people want to stay and grow within the business. “Career development can sometimes come from unexpected opportunities, especially within scale up business or growth business,” says Sharon, “the people that I’ve seen grow at Osome genuinely care about the work that they do, the impact that they’re having. They have a great attitude, they’re really solution-focused, and that continuous improvement mindset plays a big role as well. Individuals often end up creating themselves a role and that’s truly great to witness.”

Sharon outlines how Osome conducts promotions twice a year and works creatively with colleagues to explore growth opportunities for them, maintaining the important balance of building structures around business needs while remaining fluid to a certain extent in how to best support our people’s careers.

What Kind of Person Thrives at Osome?

Sharon strongly believes that the diversity of thought is what makes workplaces, social groups and the world special.

“In terms of characteristics for Osome, I’d say you need to be super comfortable with change and have that solutions-focused mindset. Creative problem solvers tend to thrive here. We do need people who are open to change, new ways of working, new ideas, and embracing challenges. We also want individuals to really care about the work that they do but also care about the clients and the teammates as well,” says Sharon.

The People Make Osome Awesome

There are many great things about working at Osome, but for Sharon, the top one is the people, especially the People Team, “Having a team that genuinely cares about the business and the people as much as you do, is truly something special. And quite rare sometimes. Secondly, for me, it’s definitely the impact and autonomy I have to do meaningful work for our people.”

Heather CameronBusiness Writer

From expert guidance and helpful accounting tips to insights on the latest trends in fintech, Heather is here to empower entrepreneurs and small business owners in Singapore with great content. With a background in digital marketing spanning eight years, she has experience writing for various industries and audiences. As Osome’s copywriter, she’s here to inform and inspire our readers with great storytelling.

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