What do you do when you have to get 30 people to 25 destinations?
We don’t know but Maryam Haruna does.
Maryam Haruna works with the operations team at our Kano campus as the Senior Associate in charge of travel. Here is how she works traveling and accommodation miracles for our staff coming in and out of base locations on a daily basis.
1. Be prepared, even in your sleep
Keeping track of travels is no mean feat! Sometimes, demands for tickets come at odd times and require urgent attention. Maryam’s strategy is to have her work tools on her at all times so that she can access and verify information and respond to travel requests. Of course, this is slightly easier for her because she used to be a Project Field Officer (PFO). Before joining the operations team, Maryam worked on several field tracking and disease surveillance projects and this experience helps her to anticipate and mitigate the challenges of field staff who require her support.
2. Think fast but pay attention to detail
In Maryam’s line of work, it is all too easy to mix up information about who is going where and when. She prevents this with her keen eye for details and her best friend, Google Calendar! Her calendar is one of her most priceless tools and she uses it to manage her time and keep track of appointments and deadlines.
Maryam at work
3. Communicate frequently and clearly
There will always be changes and last-minute developments to accommodation and travel bookings. Sometimes, flights can get delayed for hours leading to changes in pick-up and drop-off arrangements. Maryam has to ensure that she shares information with the fleet team, the staff member and any other stakeholders as soon as possible.
4. Reward yourself
After a long day, she congratulates herself with a pat on the back and a bowl of frozen mango slices.