Islamabad, Oct 21: In an environment where keeping top personnel can be as erratic as the monsoon season in Pakistan, WeatherWalay announced an Employee Stock Options Plan (ESOP) in honor of its third anniversary.
Although corner offices have always benefited from a portion of the company’s profits, WeatherWalay’s ESOP is innovative. With a vesting term of three years, which is far longer than most Pakistani weather forecasts, fifteen employees, or “change champions” as WeatherWalay calls them, currently own stock in the company.
They are counting on this program to turn their workforce into a fighting force against climate change, equipped with meteorological knowledge and a stake in the company’s prosperity.
“We always wondered how we can create shared vision and ownership among our employees, so we created a mantra that puts country before company before teams before individuals and our employees showed the dedication and ownership to deserve this historic initiative.”
He said that attracting and retaining top personnel is crucial to developing a climate tech ecosystem in Pakistan, and Pakistan ESOP is a fantastic tool for the private sector to help with this.
When asked if it was difficult to find climate tech talent in Pakistan, where institutions rarely support it, Junaid acknowledged that, in contrast to Australia, where he lived for fifteen years, climate education has not yet fully found its way into Pakistani classrooms and that, because of its uniqueness, even technology professionals find it difficult to work with weather tech.
To fill in any knowledge gaps, WeatherWalay has made it essential for all new hires to complete multiple courses in climate and weather education.
Additionally, they communicate to their staff the positive effects they are having, such as providing farmers with hyper-local weather advisories that are precise and fast and can prevent billions of dollars’ worth of damages. Employees’ shared vision and sense of ownership only deepen as they learn more about the issue they are resolving and the individuals they are assisting.
Based on my firsthand observations of the larger startup ecosystem, WeatherWalay is an exceptional example of how to create a dynamic workplace culture. What’s even more amazing is how they’ve carried this positive vibe over to their expanding online community, fostering a feeling of unity around climate action and weather awareness.
Mishal Awais, one of their first interns, is largely responsible for this. He helped the team establish a common goal and was crucial in initiating the Employee Stock Options program, which gave staff members more leverage over WeatherWalay’s achievements.
According to the study, glacial melt may initially boost the Indus River System’s water supply, but when glacial reservoirs empty over the next 50 years, flows might drop by 30–40%. A 7-8% fall in the agriculture sector by 2030 might be attributed to delayed climate action, while water constraints could result in a 4.6% annual loss in GDP.
There has never been a greater pressing need for cooperation as the climate situation gets worse. The work being done by WeatherWalay serves as a potent reminder that no one organization is able to take on this enormous task by themselves.
It requires more actors from the public, commercial, and nonprofit sectors to work together to spread awareness and take action. We can only expect to create a future for Pakistan and beyond that is climate resilient by combining our resources, knowledge, and vision.
