"Distinguishing when to adjust the work-life balance is the real struggle."
Meet Abdul Azeem, part of 24Justice, the first and largest Online Legal Platform in Pakistan, which now operates all over Pakistan providing online legal services to both native and international clients.
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We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to Valiant CEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Abdul Azeem: I’m a British Pakistani, and my background is in IT and Digital Marketing.
CrystalOut is my outsourcing company which I have been running since I was in University, and through this outsourcing business I gained a lot of valuable experience, and made very good connections all over the world.
Based upon my own need of finding a reliable lawyer in Pakistan, I set up a legal platform (which is now run by Lawyers in almost every city in Pakistan) which now allows users all over the world acquire reliable lawyers to handle their legal issues.
Who has been the most influential person(s) in your life and how did they impact you? How did that lead to where you are today?
Abdul Azeem: My father.
He went through a lot to get to where he is today. He migrated to the UK with very little, and his struggles of being a minority in the UK back in those days are just incomprehensible. His jolly and realistic approach to life is beautiful.
2020 was a challenging year for all of us, particularly for businesses. How did the pandemic impact your business? Please list some of the problems that you faced, and how you handled them.
Abdul Azeem: Our platform experienced quite some growth (with regards to brand awareness) during the pandemic, as people were unable to go out and meet lawyers in person. The fact that people were being laid off their jobs, and businesses being negatively impacted, meant that the “work” in the market wasn’t there, but we managed by downsizing our operation and become more online-efficient.
The pandemic led to a myriad of cultural side effects, including one that was quite unexpected that is informally known as “The Great Resignation”. Did this widespread trend affect you in any way?
Abdul Azeem: This issue relates to countries where the government supported their citizens and their jobs/businesses.
Unfortunately, Pakistan was not one of those countries. So although “The Great Resignation” didn’t take place, we have seen that since the lock-downs have been eased, people are now going out and attending events more than ever!
This is why we are now sponsoring sports, in particular combat sports, in Pakistan.
This is why we are launching Fight Force, a combat sports and MMA franchise in Pakistan to bring people together and promote sports and sportsmen alike in Pakistan.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021. How do you feel about this trend? Explain.
Abdul Azeem: I think 4 million Americans finally realized their worth, and perhaps found out that their jobs can be replaced, and that they too can be replaced.
But, on the other hand, their families and friends are irreplaceable, along with their self worth and self esteem.
According to a study by Harvard Business Review, Employees between 30 and 45 years old have had the greatest increase in resignation rates, with an average increase of more than 20% between 2020 and 2021. That can be quite an alarming rate. What advice would you share to increase employee retention?
Abdul Azeem: Qualify them to become part of the company, or share an annual dividend bonus with them to give them recognition and worth in your team.
According to a Nature Human behavior study, In 2020, 80% of US workers reported feeling that they have too many things to do and not enough time to do them – a phenomenon known as “time poverty”. What is your take on the work-life balance? Explain.
Abdul Azeem: I think it’s the real dilemma. On the one hand (in some cases) an employee feels like they have to do extra work to ensure their job, and sacrifice their family life. On the other hand you find those so passionate about what they do that they end up losing their time with their families.
Work-life balance is important, but not an essential part of life at every stage in one’s career. In the early days if any career, work has to prevail to ensure that one is an expert of his field by learning. Distinguishing when to adjust the work-life balance is the real struggle.
A more recent survey by Joblist asked about 3,000 respondents if they’re actively thinking about leaving their job. That survey found that 73% of 2,099 respondents who answered this question on their employment plans are considering quitting. How are you preparing for the future to counter this potentially persistent problem?
Abdul Azeem: Every company should support their staff, which is why we have a transparent growth route in 24justice. Here, an individual can start of as a case handler and work their way up to division director. Having a clear ladder to success is what I believe would solve a few of these issues.
Thank you for all that, our readers are grateful for your insightful comments! Now, if the Great Resignation isn’t your greatest concern, what is the #1 most pressing challenge you’re trying to solve in your business right now?
Abdul Azeem: Creating awareness of the possibilities that the online world has to offer in Pakistan. For now, this is the biggest issue we are faced with, and are enjoying this challenge every day.
Before we finish things off, we do have one last question. If you had $10 Million Dollars to spend in one day, what would you spend it on?
Abdul Azeem: I’d spend it on creating wells and sustainable water solutions for countries that are suffering drought and famine.
Mike Weiss, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Abdul Azeem for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Abdul Azeem or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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