Publisher: Podcaster, SAATKORN Podcast - 24. June 2021
Diversity is often reduced only to gender issues, but the topic is actually much broader. Personally, it really bothers me that disabilities are still so often a taboo subject. Yet there are inspiring examples of people who achieve remarkable things despite a disability.
1. Nadeem Arif is one such individual. He is the founder and CEO of Outsourcing4work. I’m very happy he’s sharing his story here on SAATKORN today. For me, it’s a living example of diversity—but read for yourself:
SAATKORN: Mr. Arif, please introduce yourself to our SAATKORN readers.
My name is K. Nadeem Arif. I was born in 1969 in Lahore, Pakistan, and came to Germany in 1985 as a refugee. Today, I live with my family in Groß-Gerau in the state of Hesse. Since 2007, I have had CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and a severe disability.
SAATKORN: What does Outsourcing4work do?
I founded Outsourcing4work in 1993. Initially a software company, we evolved into a consulting firm for HR matters and a broker of Indian IT specialists. Outsourcing4work combines the advantages of offshore outsourcing with the security and quality of a German contractual partner. Our business model is promising: flexible, time- and cost-efficient. We protect clients against the associated risks.
Our Indian IT experts work remotely from India, and at the same time, we also offer clients in Europe our successful Recruiting Outsourcing (Relocation) services. We find the best IT professionals and assist our customers with the relocation process. You can find more information here: wordpress-1281633-4676539.cloudwaysapps.com. Today, Outsourcing4work is considered one of the oldest and most successful “remote guru” companies in Germany.
SAATKORN: It’s quite remarkable that you run a company in your situation. How does this work in practice—managing an internationally successful business when you’re often confined to bed due to illness?
I’m fortunate that, despite my health limitations, I have meaningful and productive work. My company has always been both my job and my passion. Whenever my health allows, I work while sitting or lying down. Because I generally don’t attend client, partner, or other meetings and have delegated the day-to-day business to our highly independent employees, I’m not bound by a strict schedule. I mainly focus on strategic tasks in the company, which I can manage even from bed. I often use my smartphone to take notes or communicate briefly with team members.
SAATKORN: Outsourcing4work isn’t a one-person operation; you have more than 150 employees. How does leadership function in your situation?
First and foremost, trust is crucial—on both sides. Many executives and managers worry that employees will drift away under decentralized structures, or that they’ll lose control. However, even in a centralized setup, success is not about control but about trust and confidence in your staff. Trust forms the basis for leading remote teams.
At Outsourcing4work, employees receive greater responsibility and must be empowered to self-manage. This means our staff can contribute autonomously to the company. Our management team’s job is to develop and support employees and their abilities, enabling them to handle value-adding tasks on their own.
The management at Outsourcing4work takes responsibility for developing processes so that employees can carry out their assignments. Our leaders’ core tasks are to coordinate, support, advise their teams, and enable them to self-manage.
SAATKORN: In your opinion, what internal company conditions must be met so that a severe disability is not a barrier to being a leader—and so that true diversity can be lived out?
Basically, a leader’s job is to manage people and processes. The core of leadership is creating a social organization that can solve tasks, whether you set the tasks yourself or they’re given to you, while aiming at company goals and economic success. This is also possible for people with disabilities who have no cognitive impairments.
Digitalization offers endless new possibilities and opportunities to give people with disabilities an advantage in the job market. There are almost no limits if you use digital solutions. They allow companies to build decentralized and flexible structures, which also makes it easier to integrate people with disabilities. Of course, company culture and good change management also play important roles. A severe disability therefore should never be a disqualifying factor.
SAATKORN: How important is it to you, as someone with a severe disability, to serve as a role model for greater diversity?
It was a very hard decision for me to talk publicly about my illnesses and weaknesses, and it took me a long time to go through with it. People usually expect a successful entrepreneur to be strong and present everywhere in the company. There’s no doubt that because of my illnesses, I can’t do everything a healthy person can. However, I want to inspire hope for others facing illness or disability and, in line with diversity, show them ways to harness digitalization and remote work for a better, more financially secure life. For this reason, we organize various events and hold webinars under the title, “Remote Work: How People with Disabilities Can Benefit.”
My personal major goal is to develop the economically underdeveloped city of Rabwah (Chenab Nagar) in Pakistan—where I lived for a few years before emigrating—into an IT hub for remote work. I plan to create 1,000 new jobs in Pakistan over the next five years.
SAATKORN: What kinds of reactions do you get from clients and employees when they learn about your personal circumstances and story?
Unfortunately, I have been unable to have direct contact with our clients for many years now. Since I made my story public, however, I’ve received nothing but positive feedback and recognition.
SAATKORN: How can we, as a society, achieve a greater sense of normalcy around integrating people with disabilities into working life?
From my perspective, the main points include:
- Not viewing illness/disability as an obstacle
- Embracing the opportunities of digitalization
- Making remote integration of people with disabilities possible
- Keep an open mindset and be open to new things
- Ensuring equality
- Providing access to the job market (https://antidiskriminierungsstelle.de)
SAATKORN: Mr. Arif, thank you very much for this conversation on lived diversity. I wish you continued success and enjoyment with Outsourcing4work!
