Productivity Awareness Week |22 March 2018

Senior government officials attend productivity workshop

Senior government officials such as principal secretaries, chief executives and directors general in the public, parastatal and private sectors yesterday attended a productivity workshop being held at the Guy Morel Institute.

The workshop was officially launched by the principal secretary for employment Jules Baker in the presence of the Minister for Employment, Immigration and Civil Status Myriam Telemaque, Dean of Guy Morel Institute Shella Mohideen and other guests.

The workshop forms part of a series of activities organised to mark Productivity Awareness Week, which is being commemorated under the banner ‘Nurturing a Culture of Productivity and Service Excellence’ from March 19-23.

The National Productivity Strategic Plan 2017-2021 recommends that all organisations have an effective monitoring and evaluation mechanism in place to ensure productivity in the work place.

With this in mind, the department of employment in collaboration with the Guy Morel Institute has organised a two-day workshop on performance management and accountability framework for the senior-level executives and middle management in the public, parastatal and private sectors.

During his opening remarks, PS Baker stated that the workshop is aimed at providing participants with the necessary tools on how to effectively and strategically manage their organisations and make a difference in the productivity of their workplaces.

“As leaders of the various arms of government, private and parastatals we are uniquely situated to develop strategies that will provide life-long learning and equal access to training of our employees.”

He advised these executives to be more aware of the youths in the working force and ensure that they are appropriately mentored and provided with conducive working conditions to flourish.

Inculcating a positive mindset towards work and productivity in the youth was one of the areas which PS Baker emphasised on.

“The department of employment is working closely with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development to introduce productivity topics in the school curriculum,” he revealed.

The head of the Productivity Unit at the department of employment, Maryvonne Francis, said that she was extremely satisfied with the number of principal secretaries, CEOs, and DGs who showed up for the workshop yesterday.

“Performance management is primordial in a workplace, and this includes the implementation of standards, process and procedures. These are what yields results and make employees productive,” Mrs Francis explained.

“The public have high expectations of employees, especially those in the public sector, in regards to service delivery and value of service,” she added.

The second phase of the workshop is expected to be held today at the Guy Morel Institute for the middle management officers such as human resource directors and directors.