Revamp!

Khalil Daoud, the new chairman and managing director of LibanPost, has set aside a small patch of land outside the company’s headquarters, next to Beirut Airport. “It’s for the employees, so they can grow cucumbers and tomatoes.” he explained. “But they don’t care.” The failed horticultural experiment illustrates how difficult it is to spawn a sense of esprit de corps among LibanPost’s 600 employees, as well as the notion that they have a stake in its success or failure. Only a year and a half ago, after the original LibanPost had folded, many thought they were going to be laid off. In a bid to bolster consumer confidence, Daoud has started giving the country’s post offices a “rejuvenated look,” by redecorating the offices. LibanPost is now allocating $300,000 to $350,000 a year – about 2% of its roughly $16 million annual budget – to this endeavor, and has spent $300,000