Wendel Abel - I AM WHAT I THINK MARIA WORKED as a secretary for 10 years. She says, "I am fed up with this place. We are afraid to talk. No one listens to us."
Another worker, Elaine, commented: "We never get a chance to talk to our mangers. They eat in separate dining rooms and at meetings they are always talking down to us. This place is run like a plantation."
That is the grim reality many workplaces in Jamaica are still run like plantations. Workers are treated with contempt, an environment is not created for communication and there is no system of feedback. Managers secure comfortable, air-conditioned offices for themselves while at the same time neglecting the comfort and well-being of workers.
Are we then surprised at the low levels of productivity and low morale in many work environments? It is not all about high interest rates, the crime and violence but it is about the way that many businesses are operated. Too many employers have taken workers for granted.
Business has become very competitive. In a service-based economy, as we have now become, it is important that workers are treated well in order to ensure that they give the highest quality of service. If we add quality to workers' lives then they will add quality to our business. Far too many offices are run like a plantation in which workers are badly treated and little attention is placed on the comfort and safety of workers.
HOW CAN QUALITY BE ADDED TO THE LIVES OF EMPLOYEES? HERE ARE SOME TIPS:
1. Implement activities that improve the management of people. Put systems in place to facilitate communication at all levels of the organisation. Efforts should be made to encourage interaction between management and workers.
2. Ensure that the work environment is comfortable to all. Workers should have access to clean and comfortable work areas. Offices should be painted regularly and walls should be clean. Staff should have access to comfortable lunch rooms and rest areas.
3. Invest in the ongoing training of workers. Good habits die quickly and it is important that every organisation should strive to constantly improve the knowledge, attitudes and skills of its employees. The investment in training of staff pays off in the long run.
4. Ensure that programmes are in place to promote the physical, emotional and social well-being of workers. A worker who is happy and motivated will produce more. All workplaces should have programmes that promote safety, prevent injuries and promote workplace wellness.
5. Stress management and motivational workshops help to make individuals within the organisation function well and enhance performance.
6. Establish a supportive and compassionate environment. This involves providing access to counselling services and trauma support services.
7. In the work environment, an important need for workers is the need for self-actualisation -- this is a need for personal growth and development. It involves having an opportunity to further ones education to achieve mobility through promotion in the organisation and to realising personal goals and dreams. Every effort should be made to facilitate this.
These measures will result in increased productivity, reduction in sickness absences, reduction in staff turnover and the retention of valued staff. In addition the measures will facilitate improved staff attitudes and greater staff morale, ultimately creating enhanced business reputation and customer service.
Dr. Wendel Abel is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Senior Lecturer, University of the West Indies.
