Author Neilson Waithe believes that Caribbean people are unique in the workplace and often exceed the expectations of many despite harsh criticism from some of their own.
In his latest book, Understanding The Caribbean Worker – Service, Sensitivity And Culture, which will be officially launched at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Thursday, Waithe speaks about some of the best practices in the workplace around the Caribbeanwith reference to most of the islands, including Jamaica.
During an interview with BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY, Waithe, who has published six books, said Caribbean people were hard-working.
“This is my view; Caribbean people will work hard if we motivate them and if we give them what they need in order for them to do well. I think the level of work being put out in the Caribbean is of good standard. I think we have been doing a pretty good job,” he said.
Waithe said he was making his own contribution to educating people about the Caribbean workplace. He said a lot of things in the Caribbean did not get highlighted in terms of people’s creativity and he was seeking to do that, as well, through books.
“I want to have people talking about the workplace and workers and how they can improve productivity and service . . . that is one of the main reasons I wrote thisbook; to stimulate discussion.
“Politicians are to be blamed for some of the issues in the workplace, and I deal with that, in terms of trust in the workplace,” he said.
“Some people in the Caribbean would say they prefer to work for an international company or manager than a local one. And we touch on that in this book as well.”
Waithe said he did not usually get “bad service” in the Caribbean.
“Some returning nationals were quick to beat up on Caribbean workers while tourists would praise them for their work. So in the book I made the point that it must be something about relationships; what the service provider gives to me and what I give to the service provider.
“It is about how you treat people generally. We must realise that we need to treat people with respect, regardless of their status in life,” Waithe said.
He said his inspiration for the new book came from hearing workers’ complaints as he moved across the region. (MM)
