The labour force in many Caribbean countries could be among the most advanced and productive in the world if flexible working arrangements were to become more normalized, Caribbean Employment Services Inc. suggests.
Caribbean Employment Services Inc. is a market-leading digital talent acquisition service that aims to connect the top talent from the Caribbean with hiring managers, HR professionals and decision-makers in companies both within the Caribbean as well as abroad.
Further, it aims to provide the region’s jobseekers and those who are already employed with news and resources related to Caribbean labour.
Flexible work took much of the world by storm in early 2020 during the beginning of the pandemic and most of its peak — including not just remote work but also arrangements that allowed employees to work different hours than the traditional 9-5.
While many Caribbean businesses likewise moved to remote operations, the culture itself failed to take a significant hold. This despite many experts at the time noting that the Caribbean could benefit from embracing remote work especially, and the digitalization that necessarily goes along with it.
Now, Caribbean Employment Services Inc. is renewing that debate and breathing new life into the conversation as it suggests the public and private sectors of Caribbean nations seriously consider embracing flexible work arrangements as the norm.
In particular, the region could become one of the more advanced cultures in the world by adopting this coveted approach to working.
Research published by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) underscored some of the benefits that businesses, employees and national economies can gain by embracing flexible work.
The most immediate benefit for businesses is more productive workers, as a lack of flexible work options has been shown to negatively impact workers’ ability to focus and perform to the best of their ability.
On a bigger scale, better workers leads to more business, which in turn can positively impact the entire economy. Meanwhile, employees would be able to benefit with better work-life balance, a highly-sought-after condition that has even major world economies like the United States locked in a tight tug-of-war between employers and employees.
“It doesn’t have to be just remote work, although that certainly would be beneficial and is a major part of job flexibility,” says Joseph Boll, Caribbean Employment Services Inc. CEO.
“Rather, by just giving employees better options for their work hours, businesses would allow them the time to take care of their other obligations and improve their performance. It’s a win-win for all, and now that businesses in the US and beyond are arguing about whether to return to office or not, it’s as good a time as any for Caribbean operations to really rethink what the best working model is or would be in a ‘post-COVID’ labour market.”
SOURCE: Caribbean Employment Services Inc. Headline stock photo courtesy Helena Lopes (Unsplash.com)
