HR specialist challenges Barbadians to confront self-esteem, other issues

A national conversation on Barbados’ long-standing struggles with self-esteem, service delivery, and identity took centre stage at a recent St Philip edition of the Ideas Forum, hosted at the Princess Margaret Secondary School.

Human resource specialist and former educator Janis Marville issued a sobering call to action, urging Barbadians to confront what she described as a crisis of self-worth undermining national development. Drawing on her experience in the hospitality industry and years of conducting workforce interviews, Marville said despite the island’s high educational attainment and strong work ethic, low self-esteem remains a pervasive obstacle.

“We are so educated, we are so friendly, we are so hospitable and we still cannot get service right,” she told the audience. “It’s not about the education system—it’s something deeper.”

Marville, who led a talent screening initiative at Almond Resort modelled on Ritz-Carlton standards, said the issue became apparent during mass recruitment exercises.

“Every time I say it to Bajans, they push back,” she said. “But it’s true. Barbadians have a high work ethic and low self-esteem. Saint Lucians, on the other hand, have a lower work ethic and their self-esteem is going in the opposite direction. They have self-esteem to burn.

“And I told my boss then, ‘This level of service that we have fought to get in Barbados, we are going to get easily in Saint Lucia.’”

She warned that the consequences of poor self-worth extend well beyond customer service.

“These are the people who struggle with suicide ideation. These are those who complete suicide. These are those who end up in the gangs. These are those who end up in prison. Are you joining the dots?”

Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who also addressed the forum, endorsed Marville’s analysis and tied the issue directly to government’s long-term development strategy.

“I am fundamentally of the view that this is one of the major, major problems confronting us…The building of self-esteem is the emancipation of the mind,” the prime minister said.

She encouraged the public to revisit Mission Economy: Mission No. 2, a key component of the Charter of Barbados, which explicitly calls for targeted efforts to build confidence and self-belief among citizens.

“How many of you have read the Charter of Barbados?” she asked. “When you finish reading it, also look at the mission economy—because Mission Number Two is about confronting low self-esteem and low self-confidence.”

Citing a culture of fear and doubt, Mottley said it was not uncommon to find Barbadians hesitant to take initiative or claim space.

“In a hotel, you ask someone to move a plant pot and they tell you, ‘That ain’t my job.’ But then that same person will go home and paint the manager’s house for free,” she noted.

“The three most powerful words in this country are ‘we is we.’ But it is anchored always by a fear and a doubt.”

Both Marville and Mottley emphasised that the transformation must begin in schools. The Prime Minister called for a radical shift in how education is structured and delivered.

“Why do we go into a room and Bajans typically sit at the back? Even when you tell them to come forward?” she asked.

She called for a national effort to move beyond academic achievement and focus on fostering emotional intelligence and confidence from an early age.

“It’s about values. It’s about attitudes. It’s about a habit of excellence,” she said. “Not just the academic, but also the technical and the social and emotional learning targets.”

The prime minister also linked the current crisis to Barbados’ colonial legacy, arguing that aspects of the post-emancipation tenantry system had a lingering impact on dignity and autonomy.

Describing the located labourers arrangement as “the closest thing to a form of forced labour that replaced slavery,” she said: “That existed for almost a century. We need to come to grips with this.

“If we don’t carry each other along on this small, small space… then all the other things that we are facing will continue to exacerbate.”

Both speakers stressed that addressing low self-esteem must become a shared national mission, cutting across sectors and communities.

“This is not the mission of government alone,” Mottley said. “It’s not the mission of the private sector or the church alone. It is the mission of all of us.”

Marville also warned that if Barbados fails to harness its people-centred assets, it risks falling behind.

“Our resources are people… and if we are to remain marketable and competitive in today’s world, people will pay money to come to Barbados—but only if we understand service. And that begins with who we believe we are.” (SZB)