News Releases

Hiring the best..and keeping them

For Release Upon Receipt - May 7, 2008

St. Augustine


The University of the West Indies (UWI) Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business (GSB) recently hosted the Premiere Human Resource Conference, which took place on Wednesday 16th April, 2008.

Feature speaker, Lee E. Miller, Managing Director of NegotiationPlus.com, shared several strategies for negotiating the complexities of the hiring and retaining the right people.

“If you have the wrong players, no amount of coaching in the world will get you anywhere,” Miller said, as he shared valuable perspectives on selecting and recruiting the best talent. Miller’s presentation covered topics such as Closing the Deal, Gaining Influence and Resources Necessary to Execute Strategies, Compensation as a Tool to Motivate and Retain Employees, and Retention Tools other than Money.

The slate of presenters, drawn from UWI Faculty, external HR consultancies and the public sectors, included Ms. Carol-Ann Sennah, National Project Coordinator, International Labour Organisation; Dr. Kwame Charles, Director; Mr. Curt Wellington, Consultant, Arthur Lok Jack GSB and Principal Consultant, Quality Consultants Ltd; and Mr. Ram Ramesh, CEO, CMMB.

Throughout the course of the day, speakers addressed some of the most pressing workplace issues. Following the evening break, Mr. Ramesh presented his own case study on CMMB. Themed “How to unlock the full potential of talent through Carnival Culture”, Mr ramesh’s presentation encouraged HR practitioners to create a culture of celebration in the workplace. He used the example of CMMB, where there is no sick leave, no vacation leave and no casual leave, but employees are entitled to take all the time off they want.

“If it is okay to check e-mail on Sunday, why is it not okay to go to the movies on Monday morning?” asked Ramesh. He further explained that since the programme’s inception seven years ago, not a single employee had abused the system. “The catch,” he said, “is peer pressure and having a well-structured performance management programme.”

Ms. Carol-Ann Sennah concluded the conference by addressing the issue of “HIV/AIDS and the World of Work” and urging HR professionals to refer to the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work as a guide for use in their workplaces.

For further information please contact the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business Communications Unit at (868) 662 9894.

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  • Arthur Lok Jack GSB Communications Unit

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