Scheila

Scheila Tope joined the Royal HaskoningDHV family as HR Business Partner in Mozambique in February 2020. She was in her previous role for 18 years before she decided to make the jump.

“COVID hit just as I joined, and I'm the only HR person in Mozambique, so it was quite a big adjustment, but everyone was so supportive and welcoming that I knew I’d made the right choice,” she says.

“I love interacting with people, so that’s my favourite part of my job. I get to know people – different people from all over the world, different cultures, different academic backgrounds, religions, and races. It’s fascinating and fun.” Whether it’s an interview, onboarding, or even day-to-day activities, Scheila is there for it, ready to offer her support.

Scheila says she’s seen a lot of change in how people work since the pandemic started. “I think it’s a global thing,” she says, “not just an HR thing. People have changed themselves – they changed how they think about life, about family – how to approach them, and how to prioritise them. Everyone was affected by COVID, but there were both negatives and positives. We’ve come back to a different reality. Where people might’ve been a bit insensitive before, they are much more empathetic; they’re giving much more attention to other human beings.” She notes that leadership has shifted their focus from constant work and delivery to supporting a more well-rounded employee experience, which, ironically, she says, has made people more productive.

Working remotely means people are online for extended hours, never truly switching off from work. What advice does Scheila have to combat this problem? “When people know you’re online at 19:00, they’ll contact you then. It’s important that you decide for yourself that you switch off at a certain time because no one will decide that for you. I realised that when my daughter started asking me questions about things happening at work – I knew then that I had let it permeate my family life too much, and I had to separate the two. If you don’t respect your own boundaries, other people won’t either, so you need to stop, look at your situation, make the change, and be disciplined about managing your time.”

Scheila says she's particularly proud of the team in Mozambique and their resilience throughout the pandemic. “It’s how they’ve been so courageous and faithful to the company – I admire them for that. And I’m getting to learn that from them too.”

And would she recommend RHDHV to people entering the market? “Absolutely! Because of our diverse community and the different opportunities people can have working with a range of people. You get to gain experience by doing rotations and being mentored by your colleagues. You get to have international experience. Once you’re here as an engineer, there are many opportunities for you to go where the projects are. And you should just go! I would recommend that young engineers join RHDHV. For sure.”