Champagne toasts were raised, and there was cheering at Viceroy Anguilla. It was in commendation and celebration of fourteen colleagues who moved out of their comfort zone to work harder, to be promoted, and to speak about their experiences, pride and achievements.
The breakfast meeting event, on Friday, November 21, was an update of the Understudy Programme. The Understudies have so far come through with flying colours in the rigorous understudy programme. As a result they have gained various higher positions of responsibility and trust at the five-star resort.
“This gathering, which is very dear to our hearts, is to recognise some very special people in the room – the creme de la crème of our Anguilla colleagues, our understudies or mentees,” General Manager, Mr Richard Alexander, told them and a number of invited guests. “I consider all our colleagues here at Viceroy Anguilla as family – and as a family it is especially gratifying when some of our children evolve into wise adults. You are a great representation of everyone who works at Viceroy Anguilla. You make all of us very proud of the things which you do, and we should hold these gatherings more often to recognise the hard work and commitment that make Viceroy Anguilla a success.”
The Understudy Programme was a combination of legal requirement and company initiative. Ms Carolyn Yard, Director of Training and Quality Assurance. Ms Yard reported that in 2014 two persons particpated in task force assignments and two persons in cross training, noting that quite a number of colleagues had participated in the initiatives over the past three years at other Viceroy Hotel Group (VHG) hotels. The first two task force assignments were: Marah Gumbs – Front Office at Viceroy New York and Leon Lake; – Food & Beverage at Viceroy Miami. The othe two understudies who underwent cross-training were: Peron Sepersaud and Nekeyra Rogers, both at Viceroy Anguilla Sales Department in Miami. Ms Yard also spoke of a second year partnership with the Anguilla Community College. Under that arrangement, understudies participated in, and completed, various training modules of the Communication for Professionals Series facilitated by the college.
The Director of Training outlined the Understudy Training Programme for 2015. New colleagues will be enrolled from January and the individual development plans will continue to focus on development of management/leadership skills; technical competence; and acquiring professional qualifications, with social responsibility remaining a key area of focus.
Each of the highly-motivated participants in the Understudy Programme delivered short and appreciative presentations. They summarised their training – the commitments they made to move out of their comfort zones to work harder and diligently in order to assume greater responsibilities at the resort. With excitement running high, some of them told about their aspirations to eventually fill top executive positions, and how they regard themselves fortunate to have opportunities for advancement at the workplace.
The speakers were Nathalie Lewis, Housekeeping Manager; Nykeyra Rogers, Guest Services Manager; Peron Sepersaud, Director of Rooms; Geva Richardson-Carty, Senior Staff Accountant; Wendy Rogers, Housekeeping Supervisor; Juan Williams, Chef de Partie; Tracey Swaby-Richardson, Food &Beverage Manager; Marah Gumbs, Front Office Manager; Marlon Martin, Junior Executive Sous Chef; Leon Lake, Senior Food & Beverage Manager; Melisha Maccow, Front Desk Manager; Anne Mede-Connor, Housekeeping Supervisor; Hue Carty, Assistant Chief Engineer; and Kara Hughes, Food & Beverage Manager. Avonelle Caragliano, another colleague and former Training Officer, who is also a participant in the Understudy Programme, has been promoted to Human Resources Manager.
Labour Commissioner, Mrs Anunika Webster-Lake, spoke highly about the Understudy Programme and the promotion of the Viceroy colleagues. “What is going on here is absolutely fantastic, and I tell you Viceroy is by far the leader when it comes to the understudy programme,” she commented. She made the point that the programme ensured continuity and training opportunities, and that it offered the colleagues a chance to succeed not only at Viceroy Anguilla, but in life. She commended the resort for its foresight and leadership in the Understudy Programme.
Director of Human Resources, Dorla Hodge, was very proud of the participation of the colleagues in the programme which required “a lot of effort and resources”. She congratulated them and accorded special recognition to Carolyn Yard for the success of the programme, and to other Executive Committee members for their involvement. She was also grateful to the Anguilla Community College and the Labour Department for their partnerships. “I am so proud of you, and I know the entire Executive Committee is proud of you,” she told the colleagues, while raising a champagne toast to them.
Executive Chef, Mr Rafael Gonzalez, and Resort Manager, Mr Todd Yamaoka, joined in commending their colleagues for their work, diligence and promotion, and for bringing much success to themselves and Viceroy Anguilla.
In addition to personnel from the Community College, the Open Campus of the University of the West Indies and the Labour Department – Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, Mr Hubert Hughes, was also at the event.
