Companies must work to Achieve High Levels of Employee Satisfaction – JEF Head

President of the Jamaica Employers’ Federation (JEF), Wayne Chen, says companies must work to achieve high levels of employee satisfaction, as the   business world in very competitive, and when motivation is low, products and services are effected.

“We have to find creative ways to grow our businesses to make them more productive, more efficient, to make workers more mobilised and  more motivated,” he said.

Mr. Chen  was speaking to journalists  on May 3, at the opening of  a three-day JEF Convention, being held at the Sunset Jamaica Grand Resort, in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.

The  President  pointed out that  the most productive countries in the world ensure that   managers and workers are motivated and that they adopt best practices.

Mr. Chen said that  the JEF’s 2012 Annual Business and Workplace Convention and Expo will significantly benefit both workers and managers, in a period that is overly stressful, due to the global economic challenges.

“The employers benefit, we believe, by raising their game, by exposing themselves to best practices, and to the best thinking. Learning is not just sitting in a classroom and hearing a presentation or reading it out of a book; it is meeting persons with the same challenges, with the same circumstances, many times working in similar organisations, and sharing experiences on how to overcome,” the President said.

“Jamaican managers face many challenges, because Jamaican workers face many challenges. So, the workplace today is froth with tension, it is froth with challenges and problems, and if we are not managing creatively, if we are not managing smart, tension can cripple an organisation,” the JEF Head added.

Mr. Chen said the Convention will be addressed by some of the best management experts, to ensure that the workplace is continuously equipped to meet new and recurring challenges.

“We  have over 300 participants confirmed, and we should have close to 400 by Saturday (May 5). When you visit the booths, each of them has a story to tell, and some value to add,” he outlined.

The annual event is the largest of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean, bringing together hundreds  of participants to share experiences and to put forward ideas to improve  productivity and the workplace environment.

The JEF  works throughout the year as the leading advocate for Jamaican employers, a leader and partner in workplace solutions, and is a training organisation dedicated to workforce and leadership development. This year’s theme is: ‘Execute, Grow, Sustain’.  

By Garfield L. Angus, JIS Reporter