The Antigua & Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association over the past ten weeks hosted a training for hospitality Industry professionals in the areas of Labour Relations and Human Resource Development.
This timely course was facilitated by Dr. Austin Josiah and presented various areas of study to include – Contemporary Labour and Industrial Relations in the Caribbean – a glimpse into the past, foundation for today; Labour Relations and personal maturity with listening being crucial to successful relations in having and maintaining trust and good faith relations and The Union as an Agent of the employees – not to be viewed as an enemy by employers but as a limited liability partner for growth and development of business for employee reciprocal benefit.
Dr. Austin Josiah, course facilitator charged the graduates to “utilize what they have learned to perform with the highest level of productivity and efficiency. Your participation in advancing the work of Human Resource Professionals will assist in making a great contribution to the development of the island as you have the great task of elevating the islands standards and profitability of your respective businesses.”
Mrs. Arlene Winter, Human Resources Manager at Automotive Arts was awarded as the top student, gaining the highest course average over the three assessments performed during the course cycle.
Mrs. Winter remarked that a major takeaway for her was “the realization that our management teams must be more sensitive about the mental health and mental wellbeing of employees within the workplace. As Managers, we need to be cognizant of the types of stressors that exist in the workplace that can affect employees and the organization, resulting in depression, low productivity, absenteeism, and aggression. Finding and implementing coping mechanism should be our top priority”.
Anthea Watkins, Head of Operations of the ABHTA remarked that “As graduates of this course, I know that you will now have the confidence to navigate the landscape of Labour Relations and Human Resource issues within your organization with a focus on developing new HR strategies. I encourage you all to take what you have learnt and impart the knowledge and skills to co-workers”.
The ABHTA’s continues to seek training programs that are directly beneficial to its membership. For more information on the training department at the ABHTA, please contact Ms. Anthea Watkins at anthea@antiguahotels.org .
