In an exclusive interview with Mid-day,Siraj Saiyed, Director, Arete Group shares insights into the company’s expansion plans as well as the group’s endeavors to keep morale high and encourage a healthy work environment for employees.
1. What is your ideology when it comes to maintaining a healthy environment for your employees at the workplace?
As anyone who has ever worked in a corporate environment knows, team building is an essential part of keeping morale high and preventing burnout. That is what we endeavour to do as well. And while there are a variety of ways to build team morale, one of the most effective is through games. By encouraging healthy competition, you'll be integrating the gamification technique to make your team more efficient and work for rewards that inspire them to stay more dedicated. It'll further create a sense of camaraderie and esprit de corps. Of course, it's important to set clear guidelines for how employees should compete and excel in their own performance.
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Therefore - at our company, we encourage employees to take on leadership roles within their teams and to take ownership of the projects they are working on. This not only builds confidence and experience, but it also helps to prevent any one individual from feeling overburdened or stressed. Ultimately, by creating an environment that encourages healthy competition, we are able to foster a sense of community and common purpose that helps us to achieve our business goals.
2. Please shed light on work culture, employee-led programs, and practices that stand Arete group apart from others and make it the best place to work?
Arete Group is committed to ensuring that each one of us has the opportunity for personal growth through our shared values. We believe in promoting an open work culture where people can share their thoughts without fear, and giving every employee a chance at liberty so they are able make decisions on how best contribute towards society's overall health while also feeling empowered within themselves as well! These principles have been integral parts from day one because it ensures both team happiness along with positive productivity but more importantly- increased success rates across all areas.
As previously stated, we put a lot of emphasis on igniting the spirit of oneness and sportsmanship along with a collective effort of getting through things together. As part of this strategy, we regularly organise rooted activities like trekking, camping, interactive sessions and other cooperative initiatives designed to help them bond. These further help to promote open interaction and honest feedback. These activities are designed to help our employees to understand each other better and to work together more effectively. In addition, we also provide an opportunity for our employees to learn new skills and to develop their own individual strengths. By taking part in these activities, our employees are able to grow both professionally and personally, which benefits both them and the company as a whole.
3. Please elaborate on all the business verticals of Arete Group
The ARETE Group established in 1990, is a diversified business conglomerate with a significant presence in a wide array of segments like industrial parks, retail, real estate, and investments. For us, business cannot be just termed as trade rather building relationships and trust amongst our clients is what we call business. We have always tried exploring and creating new opportunities for our clients and also for the people living in and around the region.
Industrial Parks - Industrial development is the backbone of every strong nation, and industrial parks are the areas that provide a conducive intellectual and physical environment where industries can flourish at a rapid and stable pace without any inconvenience. Currently, we have 9 industrial parks spread across 6000+ acres. In addition, we have 2 warehouses – Galaxy Hubco as well in Vapi and Dahej.
Real Estate – Our real estate portfolio is widely spread from construction to hotels and from rental to affordable housing. In residential, we have developed 2 affordable housing projects and will soon be launching a new premium housing as well. In commercial, comprising of 35+ national & international brands – Galaxy high street is catering to the people of Vapi, Valsad, Daman &silvasa. In the hospitality segment, ITC Fortune park galaxy is situated in Vapi, which is a preferred partner for corporates across India.
Retail – We are happy that our 18 years of retail experience came in handy to bring forth the brands that truly made a difference. We have some franchise owned brands like Westside, Raymond, US Polo, Ritu Kumar, FabIndia,etc and some of our owned brands as Legend Square &Chere. In dining, we have specialty restaurants such as Woodlands, Alive Again & Bell tower under our portfolio.
4. What are the key challenges faced during pandemic? How have you managed to tackle them without getting any significant impact on the business?
The Arete Group is committed to the health and wellness of its employees. To maintain this commitment, during times when many corporations were experiencing pandemic situations Arete ensured that no employee left or felt that their job was in danger because of our company trying to cut off on expenses by slashing down the employees in its team. We made it a point to be certain that their family’s well being remained intact too.
In an effort to better engage young professionals at our organisation, we created Rising Stars -a group for them to share thoughts & ideas directly with management. In addition to this, we also focused on extracurricular activities which heavily empower them individually. As a result, we have seen a significant increase in morale and motivation within our company. We are thrilled with the progress that has been made and will continue to invest in our Rising Stars!
5. Would you like to share the business expansion plans, if any under different verticals?
ARETE Group is committed to helping accelerate economic growth within specific industrially-developed and potent regions of Gujarat. Our flagship project PIP in Dahej, GUJARAT-- will be facilitating the entry and regulatory approvals for large scale industries while also working shoulder to shoulder with key stakeholders involved on their development plan; creating a sustainable road map that everyone can benefit from. Instead of just showing off the facilities, we'll now give you an immersive experience that is both realistic and engaging. Our newly-unveiled Experience Centre at PIP, Dahej will help prospective clients make informed decisions about their future projects and expansion plan.
In the residential segment, we are shouldering the responsibility of our honourable PM in building homes for affordable segment. We believe to give a better life to people & for us home is not just four walls, it’s more than that. Generally, in affordable segment there is a lack of any feature but we do provide amenities like Kid’s play area, sports courts such as volleyball and badminton, Gym, Gardens etc. in a gated society. Soon, we will also foray into premium housing as well.
In retail segment, we intend to create a retail destination in Tier 2 & 3 cities on the model of Galaxy High Street. Our second retail centre – Galaxy Emporia will soon see the light.
6. Any important messages to share with readers?
Our vision is to be a strong growth engine for businesses, and create value for stakeholders. And our daily mission is to empower leaders to build strong and ethical businesses. We work every day with these 2 principles as our guiding light. And we implement them in everything we do. From the way we develop products and services, to how we interact with customers, suppliers and employees - these principles guide everything we do. Our commitment to growth means that we're always looking for new ways to help businesses succeed. And our dedication to creating value means that we're constantly working to improve the products and services we offer. We believe that by following these 2 principles, we can make a positive impact on the world around us. This is where we extend our vision to connect with our employees and our patrons both and inspire them to understand the power of dedication and commitment. We further strive to welcome more energetic & enthusiastic people to come & board the train of our organization. We believe that by doing so, we shall be able to better serve the community & also keep our own selves updated. So, if you think you have what it takes to be a part of this growing team and family - it might be time for us to connect. We’re all game to have you on board!
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