U.W.I. Hosts Human Resource Seminar
The University of the West Indies Open Campus Auditorium on Princess Margaret Drive was the venue for a one-day seminar that targets the role of Human Resources Units in both the public and private sectors. Directors, managers and officers across Belize came together to discuss critical areas of strategic management, as part of the university’s mandate to develop the human capital of the Caribbean region. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Human Resources stakeholders from both public and private sector organizations converged today at the University of the West Indies Open Campus in Belize City for a first of its kind HR seminar. Organized by UWI, the workshop seeks to develop human capital within the Caribbean region, including Belize.
Jane Bennett
Jane Bennett, Head, UWI Open Campus
“The purpose is to bring together the people who are responsible for shaping our human capital in Belize; to have a conversation with them, to have a conversation with them, to ensure that their roles as HR professionals is clearly defined, is clearly understood and the impact that their roles have on the wider community, in terms of capacity building, in terms of developing our people. Aligning whatever contributions they bring to their respective organizations and companies with where our country is and where we would like it to go. So it is examining the fact that in some companies, human resource management is not yet at the table and how these professionals in this room can play their role in ensuring that their top management understands the value of their people and how bringing the HR function to the table adds value because the people of an organization play a critical role. You cannot have any business—private or public—without your people.”
The one-day workshop focuses on Strategic Human Resources Management; particularly as it relates to the role of a Human Resources Unit, outside of the basic function of payroll. It further explores the managing of employee performance and development as well as strategic recruitment and selection. Belize Bank HR Manager, Candace Canelo says that the information gather so far extends the purpose and functions of the HR unit.
Candace Canelo
Candace Canelo, HR Manager, Belize Bank Limited
“HR tends to me more traditional, more about payroll; making sure you get your job done. If you noh get your job done, they would tend to just let go staff. But HR plays a more strategic role. It is more about recognizing employees, more about how they work. If they are not working well, how do we manage their performance? How do we properly compensate them? How do we give them benefits to want to work? So it is not just about working, but wanting to work. Having a career, succession planning, rewards and recognition—what role does HR play? What they’ve also touched is that HR shouldn’t be in a silo or shouldn’t be on its own. It should be a part of the organization. We should be sitting at the table with the executives.”
It is expected that the stakeholders will return to their place of business and amend, if necessary, their human resource policies to ensure retention of staff. Head of UWI Open Campus Jane Bennett carried out the training.
Jane Bennett
“The environment is which they operate may be overlooking their role and their contribution as kind of that linchpin, if you wanna call it, between management and other staff. And I didn’t say management and staff because management is staff. So it is how do you get people to buy in to a business, how do you get people to buy in to the goals and the mission of an organization. And again, one of the issues that we have is that sometimes when changes occur in an organization, there is not enough time spent to ensure that everybody at every level buys in. And so while we focus more on business aspects and business models and so on, we forget that it is the people that make an organization or a business stand up.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
