What is it like to work at Grab? – ipadguides

When I visited the Grab office in South Jakarta some time ago, I had a chance to talk to some of my friends who work there. They are Mr. Reka from the 2-Wheels Community Engagement Manager and Ms. Shanti from Corporate Culture & Employee Engagement.

Since I’m also curious about what it’s like to work at a startup company that has become a unicorn — even now it has become a decacorn, which means the valuation is 10 times that of a unicorn — I finally tried to summarize a brief conversation with them in the Q&A below.

So for those who are interested in working at Grab, maybe this can be a bit of an idea about culture work there. Maybe it’s useful for interviews haha!

Let’s see below!

What’s so good about working at Grab, bro and madam?

You will be able to easily convey ideas! What other innovations are there? What else is the new service that can be made? What things should be improved?

Grab will accommodate all of that and even challenge you to make it happen. The culture here is thirsty for knowledge and always wants to be taughtchallenge positively.

It’s also not surprising because the average age of employees here may be in the range of 20-30 years, which is the age of millennials who are at their peak of productivity.

Working hours at Grab based on performance. You don’t have to work all the time at your desk. Even if you could say there is no work desk that is dedicated. Please put your laptop, the table is immediately yours. Just like in a cafe, right?

It’s okay if you want to work remotely outside. So if you want to work at the cafe next door, at the mall, or anywhere, you’re free! The important thing is coordination, you can still be contacted, and of course the work is done!

There are also no absences here, because Grab believes that we each have optimal working hours. Some came early in the morning. Some came a bit late. The important thing is that it works!

What is a comfortable office atmosphere according to Grab?

There are no partitions here. Grab’s office is not cubicle like a traditional office. Open spaces. It feels more relaxed and comfortable.

Apart from physical barriers, there are no barriers between employees and superiors. You don’t need to be awkward to convey ideas, opinions, ideas, criticism directly to your boss.

These bosses (even the founders) will just walk into the pantry, grab a snack, sit next to you, and yes, you don’t have to grin and bow respectfully.

Even at the monthly meeting you can say something like, “Where do you want to take this company, sir?!”

Most Grabbers (as Grab employees are called) must be young people, millennials and gen z. What are the biggest challenges faced?

So managing this millennial is a bit different from the previous generation. Really a challenge for the managerial section.

Millennials are hard to say! In the sense that if we need to walk from A to D, they will not want to be guided through C and D. They will say, “I have my own way that is better!”

If for example, they are too dictated, they will not like it and tend to decrease their productivity. Cannot be micro-management.

Yes, this has its positives and negatives. They do have high initiative. But sometimes something is too high to stray instead of ending up in D instead to Y for example. That’s the big challenge for managers how to make them keep on track at the same destination even though by different paths.

What are the main requirements to become Grabbers?

Here what is important is performance and culture. We don’t really look at the origin of college graduates for prospective Grabbers.

Performance That is of course the skills and qualifications. We will see their ability to solve problems in their respective fields. Prospective Grabbers must also have a culture to keep learning. Hunger for knowledge.

For fresh graduates, Grab also has a program Management Trainee. So those who pass this program will be exposed directly to the field. Interact with the community and drivers. Only later will you know where it will be placed. These people are expected to become Grab leaders in the future.

What is unique during the assessment process is that they really believe in the interview. There are no tests such as psychological tests, newspaper tests, or other tests that make you dizzy. Grab has its own method of whether this person is suitable or not.

Mas Reka in the partnership engagement team, who interacted with the drivers, also had a bit of trouble finding a team that met the criteria. Looking for people who like to chat, respect drivers, and can embrace the community.

Because at Grab, partners (drivers) are what made Grab grow to where it is today. Because Grab’s impact directly affects the country’s socio-economic status, the relationship with this driver is a crucial position.

How does Grab facilitate Grabbers to continue to grow both at work and personally?

Grab is arguably very competitive in terms of revenue. Full stomach (unlimited snacks in the pantry), healthy soul, and strong body. Yes of course you also have to be self-aware, don’t eat too much and don’t forget to exercise in the facilities provided haha!

In addition to regular training to upgrade skills, there are also walks or outings every 6 months so that the mind is fresh. Can be domestically and abroad. Each team has its own budget to determine its own location and activities during outings. Sometimes there are those who choose adventure to Jogja, there are those who want to take a spoiled walk to Singapore, or just be free!

Even yesterday they watched the Avengers together by renting a studio with a capacity of 500 people at the epicentrum haha!

Besides having fun, there are also internal competitions that hone skills such as hackathons, programming problem solving competitions for engineers at Grab. The prize is certainly a pretty tempting incentive.

What kind of drivers/partners do Grab expect?

Grab does not make it difficult for potential partners to register at all. The important thing is that the documents are complete, the condition of the vehicle is okay, and the drivers are healthy.

Because most of these partners have their own great stories. From students who need additional tuition fees, employees who have just been laid off or to increase their side income are here.

So Grab partners are indeed flexible in their working hours, so they can adjust if they are a source of additional income in addition to other sources.

What programs has Grab run to keep partners happy and loyal in partnering with Grab?

Of course, at Grab, there are many programs that always inspire and motivate. For example, there is a ‘morning order competition’, so the one who orders the most from that hour to that hour will receive a prize.

Usually, only Grab partners know these programs because they appear in the driver application. But what went viral recently were two Grab drivers who bowed in gratitude for getting free Umrah. Previously they were thought to be suspended because they were called to the Grab office. These are 2 of the top 200 performers who get free Umrah prizes!

For GrabBike drivers who happen to be in the Kebayoran area, there is also a GrabBike lounge. In this lounge there is a canteen, rest area, workshop, shower, toilet, so they can rest. Everything is full AC to fight the Jakarta air, you know, haha!

From the Grab management, there are also regular check-ups to the drivers. Visiting the basecamp of each driver community to always communicate about things that are happening in the field.

So that’s my short talk with some Grabbers friends. Hopefully Grab can continue to have a positive impact on Indonesia and the world. Cheers!

Btw, for those who want to see vacancy on Grab, go directly to http://grab.careers. There are hundreds of positions to apply for across Southeast Asia!