Allyship in action
3 July 2023
As part of the United Nation’s International Women’s Day in March, we shared that we would be focusing on allyship in 2023 to help make Menzies a more inclusive, diverse and equitable organisation which will benefit everyone.
In our continuing series, we’re pleased to share stories of allyship in action from colleagues in Kuwait, Morocco, Mozambique and Zambia.
Zainab Awada, ER Officer, Kuwait I applied for a job and was hired by a female manager who became a role model. Ms. Abir Baker, Human Resources Manager supported me in all fields of work and even in life. She taught me everything, and I am now a successful employee at NAS Menzies, a proud mother and wife as well as a student at the university. My message to all women out there today is to never give up. |  |
Nasser Al-Bathali, PA Manager, Kuwait In my experience of working with women during the past 17 years, I always support them with training and opportunities in my department because I believe in them. They are committed and work with high accuracy. This shows the equality of females and males in working fields and societies as they complement each other. |  |
Zineb Chouta, Passenger Service Agent, Morocco On International Women’s Day we honour women around the world. In Morocco, we would like to pay tribute to the immense contribution women have made to the development of our country and for their involvement in the construction of tomorrow's Morocco - I am proud to be part of it. I am proud to be part of an organisation that believes in the potential of women and ensures their equality with men. |  |
Elsa Mabosso, Passenger Services Agent, Mozambique Being an ally is much more than just being, it's doing something for someone. Being an ally is about understanding the power that exists when we listen to other people and give importance to their dreams and ideas. It's about understanding the power that is in us to positively influence others. It's about believing in others and making them believe that they can be much more than they imagine. |  |
It's about giving value to people who once suffered beyond contempt and indifference from the people around them.
In my community I met a girl who was living in very difficult conditions and life had dealt her hard blows. When I spoke with her, I realised that her life was much more difficult than I thought, her dreams and hope had already been lost and she could no longer look to the future as someone who could be or achieve something. Through our conversations, I took the opportunity to encourage her to believe that it is possible to have a different and transformed life. I motivated her to run after her dreams and to rescue the hope that had been lost, and today she is certainly not the same. Best of all she has also become an ally helping people in similar situations to run after their dreams and make a difference in their lives.
Asselina Morais, Lounge Operations Manager, Mozambique We have two examples of allyship in action in Mozambique. At the beginning of our monthly team meetings, we give every team member an opportunity to share how they are feeling about work. This has helped the management team to listen to the team and empowered everyone to speak up. The second way is through our internal newsletter where we share recognition and compliments from customers and each other. The newsletter is informal and has funny notes and captions. It’s well liked because it’s inclusive and helps us understand that we are all valued and valuable as people and that work can be fun. |  |
Frank Lokossa, Lounge Operations Manager, Zambia Allyship helps everyone in the team become the best they can be. Our team has a range of backgrounds and culture and everyone has their own talents. I encourage my team to use their talents and initiative, to get things done and develop their confidence in their abilities. I am proud of my team, who are mostly women, and how they have gained confidence and new skills. |  |
Allyship is important in any company and I am doing my part as an ally to help everyone work together to achieve our goals. Allyship is something we should all practice to make Menzies the most wonderful place to work.