BUSINESS MONDAY: Workplace wellness focus
AN academic is making the case for greater focus on workplace wellness throughout this region.
Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of the West Indies (The UWI), Cave Hill Campus, Dr. Justin Robinson, made the point as he said that while The UWI offers a wide range of programming, workplace wellness is still a neglected area.
He was speaking recently at the press launch via video conference of a workplace wellness initiative for the Caribbean, which is being facilitated by The UWI Cave Hill Campus in collaboration with St. Lucia’s National Insurance Corporation (NIC). The Dean said that the Cave Hill Campus is extremely pleased to partner on the initiative, as he noted that in general persons spend a substantial amount of their time at work, and so there is need to find the right balance.
“If you count our waking hours, we probably spend much more of our waking hours at our workplaces than our homes, so the quality of the environment or workplace wellness is a critical factor, not only in terms of productivity but the quality of human life,” he said.
He made the point while noting that The UWI stands ready to play a critical role in the initiative, which is aimed at enhancing worker productivity and the quality of people’s lives as human beings.
“We are quite pleased to have partners come on board that would allow us to raise awareness about the issues around workplace wellness across the Caribbean. And in particular at Cave Hill, we tend to have a mandate to serve Barbados and the OECS, so we are particularly focused on building this awareness of workplace wellness and the issues in Barbados and the OECS. I am from St. Vincent myself, so I have a special interest in making sure that this message gets across the OECS,” Robinson added.
The university professor said it is important that they not only raise awareness, but provide training and access to global best practices, in order that workplaces throughout the region can become more friendly places for workers to exist.
In addition to The UWI and the NIC, the NYU Roy Myers College, the Pacific Coast University, University of Fredericton, Health Standard Organisation of Canada and the Caribbean Public Health Agency are involved in facilitating the wellness initiative. (JRT)