Productivity in the spotlight this May Day
The time for pointing fingers as it relates to low productivity must come to an end, and a Cabinet Minister is suggesting that a strategic approach must be taken at the enterprise, sectoral and national level to resolve the problem.
Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development Minister, Senator Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo made the point as she spoke at the May Day Media Launch, held at Solidarity House. Referencing the theme of this year’s May Day celebrations – ‘A Productive People; A Productive Nation’, the Minister said that such a wide approach would ensure that the many issues associated with the problem of low productivity could be addressed.
She made the point while noting that the issue of low levels of productivity and low employee engagement is not unique to Barbados. In fact she went further, contending that the search for efficiency, effectiveness and delivering work in a timely and energy-efficient manner does not mean that Barbadians have to work harder, just smarter. She is contending that productivity is really about working smarter and utilising all the resources in the most efficient manner to attain the expected outcomes and high output.
With that in mind, the Labour Minister is urging the Productivity Council to enhance its work in the island’s schools, starting at the primary level to ensure that not only do the students understand what productivity is, but that they know how to achieve it.
“This is the next generation of workers and if we are hearing employers now complaining about productivity and low productivity, if we don’t tackle our students while there are still students our problem is going, not only to continue, but the problem is going to get worse. And the truth is you don’t have to use the word productivity… it is about the attitude that you bring to the work, about getting the work done and about taking pride in that work,” she added.
She also raised the issue of absenteeism, adding that while there are some people who miss work because they are genuinely ill, others are not. Also of concern, she lamented is the issue of presenteeism, where while the worker is present in the workplace, they are not functioning at optimum capacity.
“These are things we have to stamp out, not just by legislation, not just by changing the sick leave requirements and the national insurance, but it has to be a mindset and that is why I say to the Productivity Council, you have to work with the students as well, so we change the mindset,” she added.
With that in mind, she said that trade unions also have a duty to sensitise and educate the workers in productivity approaches. She said this is crucial, as sometimes efforts to improve productivity are sometimes seen by workers as “just another ploy by employers to push them harder”. But she is adamant there is a need for the unions to get their members to buy-in to the measures to improve performance and productivity in the workplace, so they do not see them as weapons to be feared, but tools that would ultimately benefit all in the organisation.
To the end, Minister Byer Suckoo maintained that productivity has to be given foremost importance as it is key to driving the nation and economy forward. (JRT)