Workers in Barbados do not believe their pay matches their responsibilities and duties, according to the Barbados’ Best Employers (BBE) 2022 survey from Caribbean Catalyst Inc.
Speaking at a BBE 2022 Awards press conference at Sandals Royal on Thursday, consultant at Caribbean Catalyst Junelle Brathwaite said those employees wanted a cost-of-living increase in light of rising inflation.
She also reported that more than 30 per cent of employees surveyed do not experience the benefit of a wellness programme, and suggested that such programmes in the workplace would be of significant benefit to staff.
Touching on other findings from this year’s survey, Brathwaite added: “It is worth noting that about 40 per cent of employees surveyed opined that they have not initiated any developmental programmes on their own. This may be as a result of lack of personal funds or the absence of motivation they would get from team members when they are working in the same space.
“For people to succeed in these times, it calls for even more personal drive and opportunities to own your own progress, developing yourself beyond the company.”
On the matter of employees providing good customer service, the consultant said that about 90 per cent of the employees surveyed indicated they thought of ways to improve their own performance.
“An average of 92 per cent of the employees know what is expected of them at work. In the small and medium category, customer service satisfaction seems to be high in both categories – over 85 per cent. This shows that companies are serious about building a customer service culture,” she said.
Brathwaite reported that participation in the survey has fallen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, from about 30 companies in the first five iterations to 15 and 17 in 2020 and 2022, respectively.
Sales Manager at Eric Hassell Shipping Limited Stephanie Bovelle (left) holding the Barbados’ Best Employers Award 2022 as her colleague Accounts Assistant Terrance Bradshaw looks on.
She lamented that in both 2020 and 2022 none of the participating companies was in the large category, which encompasses establishments with more than 150 employees.
“If large companies in both the private and public sectors are not willing to genuinely take the time to listen to their people every other year, where is Barbados heading? Our leaders will have to seriously work to improve the way they treat their people, which is Barbados’ most valuable asset,” Brathwaite said.
Caribbean Catalyst provides an extensive report showing each participating company’s results in all areas surveyed, and reports on each company’s results against their business category average and the average of all participants.
Management teams are also debriefed about the strengths in their organisational culture and provided with practical recommendations for any areas for improvement.
“Many past participants of BBE value the recommendations we have presented and have actively worked on improving specific areas of leadership for the benefit of the team members and the organisation,” Brathwaite said.
The BBE 2022 medium category was won by SigniaGlobe Financial Inc, while Eric Hassell Shipping Limited captured first place in the small category.
