Executive Director of the Barbados Employers’ Confederation (BEC), Sheena Mayers-Granville.
Executive Director of the Barbados Employers’ Confederation (BEC),
Sheena Mayers-Granville, says that the Barbados Optional Savings
Scheme (BOSS) is a “creative response” to the challenges facing
Government at this time.
Her comments came yesterday morning during a webinar put on by the
Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business on the theme ‘Labour Relations in
the Caribbean’.
“That [BOSS] I believe is a creative response to an urgent need that
the Government had. An urgent need in terms of cash flow [and]
operations – they want to maintain employment levels, but knowing that
cash is needed to be freed up to do capital projects. So a creative
response to a need,” she said.
Contending that it cannot be business as usual, the BEC’s Executive
Director said that just as Government has done, the business community
will also have to look for creative ways to handle the challenges that
they face and are likely to face in the months ahead.
“That is where businesses need operate in that space, where they are
looking at how do we maintain employment, how do we continue to be of
service, but in a creative way. And I would say labour also needs to
do the same thing – how do we deliver what we have always delivered in
a new format to meet the changing needs,” she stated.
Meanwhile, turning her attention to the new occupational health and
safety challenges that can arise in the “new” work reality, especially
where remote working is concerned, she said employers still have a
duty to ensure that employees can function safely and maintain their health while
performing their duties.
“... If you had a chair or work station that was specifically designed
for you, there may be elements that you can transfer to your home.
There is a wealth of information available online, helping persons for
when you are setting up your work station at home... so you help the
employee along in the process,” she stated.
Mayers-Granville added, “There are others who would have consulted
with employees to find out what would your work schedule look like,
what is an optimal work schedule for you given child care requirements
and schooling requirements, because that is a very real consideration.
And some employers may have offered some mental health support,
providing different avenues for employees who may have been having
some challenges dealing with the rapid changes and the concerns around
those changes. It is not just about remote work, because persons are
very fearful for their own health, given that it is a public health
issue we are dealing with.”
With that in mind, she said it was imperative that employers keep in
contact with employees, to have a sense of what is happening with the
team and make sure that they remain connected. She bolstered the
point, noting that there are persons who will suffer as a result of
not being in the physical workplace and being able to physically
connect with persons, especially she noted, if they live alone. (JRT)