Having been a stalwart presence in the Asian property market since 2007, online portal PropertyGuru have just recently moved their Malaysian operations into a spanking new office in Bangsar South.
Their new office boasts an open space concept complete with a hot desking system, where everyone starts with a fresh and different desk every day.
“We wanted an opportunity to create a space that truly belonged to PropertyGuru, an office that screamed ‘us’,” said Head of Consumer Marketing Ryan Thoo.
“The design of the office is one that got the majority approval of the staff. The focus is on the open space—one that portrays freedom and encourages creative thinking.”
Fun is a huge component of the PropertyGuru work environment.
Due to the hot desk concept, employees from different departments are usually found sitting together, and it’s also not unusual to occasionally see someone zooming around the office on a hoverboard during odd hours of the day.
Noise levels are usually cheerfully high throughout working hours, and can get extra loud during festive seasons.
“The bosses join in the fun, too. We pretty much have a flat level,” said Ryan. “An outsider looking in would never know that the person messing around with us is one of the C-levels, a Head of Department or Country Manager.”
Speaking on company culture, Ryan said cited mutual respect and care for one another as highly valued traits.
“If we have a problem, it is usually openly discussed. This helps to eliminate office politics.”
Employees are encouraged to always think outside the box and create something new, and according to Ryan, this culture was the factor that led PropertyGuru to win the Best Online Property Portal prize during the BrandLaureate SME BestBrands Awards 2017-2018 earlier last month.
“Every person owns and delivers their part of the work, striving to go beyond just ‘good’,” he added. “With every success, we celebrate and have fun.”
The new PropertyGuru office is designed with a focus on space. Clean sweeping lines are complemented by open expanses that fit right in with the hot desk concept.
There are small meeting rooms with different colours and themes, quiet corners for small discussions, hints of greenery throughout, and the walls of the office are adorned with Guru Values to keep employees reminded of company culture.
For fun and comfort, the office provides individual lockers for employees, has a Netflix lounge, PS4, dart boards, and a ping pong table in addition to the much coveted hoverboard.
And to make their hires feel more at home, they bring in a weekly supply of fresh fruits, and provide them with a pantry equipped with a coffee machine and juicer. There’s also a nursing room for parents.
Those interested in working at PropertyGuru will be pleased to know that they’re hiring. The qualities that they seek include those who can match their high energy levels and pace, and who are innovative and highly adaptable to change.
“Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that working at PropertyGuru is all about fun and games—we work hard and play hard,” said Ryan.
“We are extremely serious when it comes to work and beating our competition, but we believe that fun induces creativity too. So, it’s a fair mix of work and play in the office.”
- For a full list of available positions, check this link.
- Otherwise, check out PropertyGuru Malaysia’s website for local listings.
Feature Image Credit: PropertyGuru Malaysia
