Further to my column in last week’s edition of The Anguillian, in which the question was asked “Are hiring practices equitable?”, I want to explore in more depth some of the observations regarding Anguilla’s workforce. I initially wrote about employing, training and promoting local persons to support the nation’s economy. Specifically, the concerns of Anguillians and local residents with regard to individuals being hired from overseas was expressed.
Nevertheless, we cannot focus solely on giving preferential treatment for employment opportunities to nationals of this country nor persons who reside here. We must look at the bigger picture of developing an expansive workforce that provides diversity and equity for everyone. This is not just something that needs to happen in Anguilla, but all across the globe. Our biases and prejudices, along with other factors, often prevent managers, executives, employers and boards from hiring and employing a wide range of personnel.
We have to recognise that the people who are interested in being employed have a variety of skill levels, knowledge, wisdom and experience. Some are just entering the job market. Others are mid-range in their careers. Still more are seniors who have retired from full-time positions and have a wealth of expertise to share – teaching younger generations what they know. Why are we not making good use of this diversification of talents and personalities to allow anyone who wants to work the opportunity to do so?
It has been brought to my attention, and I am reminded, that there are some individuals who are merely concerned with how much money they earn. They have no desire to advance themselves. Sometimes they aren’t even cognisant of their work ethics, and how they impact the team or organisation with whom they are employed. Yet, there are other persons who are desirous of advancement, developing additional competencies and moving up the ranks to higher qualified posts, but they are not always given the chance to do so.
Professionally, in my own career, I oftentimes found that female colleagues and people of African descent were the persons who prohibited my movement into positions of employment with greater responsibilities. These blockages, I can only attribute to these individuals’ insecurities and their jealousy of my competence. It’s unfortunate women and Blacks do not always support each other in whatever we endeavour to do.
Do these negative attitudes stem from the impacts of what was imposed during the times of slavery and by the colonisers? Or is this merely a human trait that some people exhibit? We really need to start thinking about how we treat other persons – whether it’s through employment, in social settings, family relations, friendships or another aspect of our lives. Our world has become very diverse in terms of where persons live, work, play and who they associate with. Nonetheless, equity still remains elusive to masses of people.
If we are going to expand employment opportunities, in addition to providing diversity and equity in the workplace, then employers in the private and public sectors, along with the labour laws and practices, must change positively. Everyone must upgrade to a new level of consciousness that gives every individual a chance to be a rising star, whether it’s in a small, medium or large capacity.
We can no longer afford to push forward Anguillians who are unqualified to successfully fill roles, nor to deny residents the opportunity to advance. As well, we cannot keep on allowing developers and resort owners to bring in whomever they choose without extensively searching locally for qualified applicants and training/understudying of local staff to perform or takeover such duties.
The creativity, entrepreneurship and inventiveness that we witness in our young people are being stifled because the opportunities in Anguilla are limited – inclusive of opportunities for advancing their education. Can we in the Anguilla community afford to see the majority of the youth leave the island to go elsewhere in search of whatever they envision for their future lives?
We need to develop a level of excellence in all areas of the workforce – from the top echelon to the least paid positions. Furthermore, we, individually and collectively, must support elevated and extraordinary standards in everything that our hands touch and we’re involved in. If we don’t push ourselves to excel, then we’ll remain average or below. Let’s raise the bar for all a’ we!
_____________
Kay M Ferguson is a contributing columnist who uses a nom de plume, The Empress Extraordinaire. Her words encourage us to explore who we are, evolve as human-beings and transform our world. Link with Kay at anguillawriter@gmail.com.
