Human Resource Officer Wins JIS Employee of Choice

Human Resource Officer (HRO), Nadine Williams, copped the Employee of Choice Award at the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Award Ceremony, held on December 19, at the New Kingston Conference Centre.

Mrs. Williams, who has been working at the JIS for almost four years, said she was shocked to know that of the 167 employees in the agency, she was selected as the employee of choice.

“My colleagues voted in secret…I went online to vote for a coworker and saw my name on the list and that’s when I found out I was nominated,” she reflected, during an interview with JIS News.

Commenting on the reason her colleagues may have nominated her, Nadine said: “I make an effort to think outside the box and do things a little differently to please whomever I serve.”

The HRO added that she follows the company’s policy handbook thoroughly and whenever there were situations that were not addressed in the handbook, she would seek consultation.

She said that it felt good to hear why the majority of the staff voted for her, adding that the overwhelming response was that, “I am a hard worker who displays emotional intelligence and relate very well to employees across the agency.”

The Employee of Choice Award was launched in 2013, with Special Projects Manager, Andrine Davidson, receiving the award, while Senior Writer, Producer, Presenter in the Radio department, Vaughn Davis, copped the first runner-up prize.

All departments were invited to nominate a representative in the agency, based on a list of criteria.

Each nominee was measured based on Initiative and Drive; Service Oriented and Response to Service; High Performance – Goal Oriented; Team Work and High Level of Interpersonal Skill; Personal Appearance, and Attendance and Punctuality.

The nominees were scored out of a hundred and based on the scores received from all six categories, 10 persons were nominated. Staff members were then encouraged to go online and vote on Survey Monkey to select a winner.

In addition to the public acknowledgement from her colleagues, the winner walked away with a plaque, weekend for two at Jewels Runaway Bay, and a SPA treatment of choice at SPA Aesthetique.

Administrative Assistant, Office Management, Racquel Palmer, was awarded second place and received a plaque, prizes from Flow and a weekend for two at the Grand Palladium in Hanover.

Describing the ceremony as a success, Director of Human Resources, Bernita Locke, said the Employee of Choice Competition is a reward and recognition initiative, aimed at motivating employees, building morale and encouraging them to focus on the agency’s values and strategies, thereby building and maintaining a high performance workforce.

Mrs. Locke acknowledged the 10 employees who were nominated to vie for the Employee of Choice 2015 title, and had a  special commendation for the winner, who works in her department.

She thanked Flow, NCB Insurance, SPA Aesthetique, Grand Palladium, Jewels Runaway Bay Beach & Golf Resort, American Jewellery Co. and Sandals Resort for the important role they played in the evening’s proceedings.

“The prizes made the event even more attractive and exciting,” Mrs. Locke said.