Working from home has been a huge adjustment for all of us over this last year. We had to change how and where we worked but also how we interacted with our coworkers. To bridge the gap in the distance working from home has caused, Chenega Agile Real-Time Solutions (CARS) Program Controller, Rabab Hashim started one-on-one Knowledge Sharing Coffee Dates.
These knowledge-sharing dates are a great way for employees to get to know each other on a professional and personal level. Every month, Rabab reaches out to a Chenega MIOS SBU employee in a different department or company that she doesn’t know well or at all. Usually, these 30-minute dates are in-person, where two employees leave the office to share their knowledge either over coffee or lunch. However, since most of us have worked from home this last year, Rabab adapted and started hosting these dates virtually.
Rabab started with Chenega in 2015 as an Administrative Assistant at Chenega International Consulting (CIC). Her strong business administration skills and ability to speak Arabic fluently made her the ideal candidate for the position. Rabab started assisting with the finances with CIC and eventually became an Operations Analyst and assisted with contracts and business for CIC in many countries. In 2019, she started her current position as a Program Controller for CARS.
Rabab was born in Sudan and moved to the US 2005. Before coming to the US, she got her degree in Business Administration at the Ahfad University for Women in Sudan. She then went to the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands to earn her Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration.
In her recent annual evaluation, she was brainstorming personal goals for professional growth, and she came up with the idea of starting to get to know coworkers in other departments. She reaches out to people in other departments that she does not normally work with with the goal of getting to know the person and what they do. She enjoys getting to know her fellow employees that she might not know otherwise and also learning about other roles and aspects of the SBU and subsidiaries.
Rabab recently met with Nicole Cox, Marketing Analyst for Chenega MIOS, for a Virtual Knowledge Sharing Coffee Date. Over the 30-minute date, Rabab and Nicole shared their background and how they came to work at Chenega. They also shared what they do for Chenega. This meeting was interesting, informative, and fun for both parties!
If you are interested in having a Knowledge Sharing Coffee Date with Rabab, you can email her to schedule a time and date to meet virtually. If you are interested in starting your own Knowledge Sharing Coffee Date series, you can start reaching out to coworkers whenever you would like. If you would like pointers, tips, or best practices, you can reach out to Rabab or read about another coffee date program at started at an organization here.
You can also connect with Rabab Hashim or Nicole Cox on LinkedIn!