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There is a drive on to make Barbadians more productive, with 2017 being designated the National Year of Productivity.

This disclosure has come from Productivity Officer at The Productivity Council, Jannell Arthur, who is also coordinating the year. GET UP! (Getting Everyone To Understand Productivity) is the theme of the 12-month initiative, which begins this month.

Ms. Arthur underscored the importance of The Productivity Council “throwing the spotlight fully” on productivity and its many related issues during the period. She stressed that the Council’s aim was to elevate productivity, in its most practical sense, to such a level, that it “becomes part of the DNA” of the citizens of this country.

She continued: “Our goal is to de-mystify productivity for the public so that it ceases to be an esoteric or highly technical concept, and becomes more relatable and tangible, so that it engages the interest of the people, and encourages behavioural change.”

By the end of the initiative, Ms. Arthur stated, every Barbadian should better understand productivity and his or her individual relationship to it. “For example, Barbadians would be aware of how they impact and are impacted by productivity; and the importance of striving for excellence in improving productivity,” she explained.

The Productivity Officer added that another objective of the year was to bring a level of awareness to Barbadian youth so they would appreciate their role in the realisation of sustainable national productivity growth.

Giving the background to the Year of Productivity, Ms. Arthur recalled that during the 50th Anniversary of Independence celebrations last year, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart urged Barbadians to take time to reflect on what needed to be retained, reclaimed or discarded, in an effort to secure the nation’s future prosperity.

“The Productivity Council has emerged more concerned than ever with cultivating a passion for productivity in every Barbadian. For the next 50 years and beyond, we see ourselves as co-engineers with institutions, enterprises, the community, and the family in ensuring that productivity becomes a primary component of our defining characteristics at the individual, institutional and national levels,” she said.

Ms. Arthur disclosed that a number of programmes and activities were being planned for the Year of Productivity, including the launch of two Productivity Workbooks for primary schools; an “I Commit” Productivity Ledger and Productivity Pledge; the reveal of the Productivity Council’s mascot and jingle; and a National Productivity Badge for the Girl Guides Association of Barbados and the Barbados Boy Scouts Association.

A number of Productivity Champions will be chosen to promote the growth of productive behaviours among Barbadians during the year. In addition, a different parish will be featured each month and employees of the Council will meet with community leaders, schools and business people to discuss various aspects of productivity.

sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb

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