With the National Workplace Wellness Policy having been adopted and approved by Cabinet in 2019, the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and the Third Sector is continuing on with its sensitisation efforts.
This was highlighted yesterday as Minister Colin Jordan addressed a press conference at his Warrens, St. Michael Office and spoke about the rationale behind the “Workplace Wellness in Action Forum”, scheduled for October 16, at Solidarity House, Barbados Workers’ Union, Harmony Hall, St. Michael.
Explaining the rationale for the event, he said: “In our deliberations as a committee, we thought that based on our experiences in the past that we should have an event, along with our engagement, moving around from mall to other places of work, we thought an event would be something important for us, so that we could bring persons to a location and really be able to spend a day, sharing interacting and getting this message out. And so, we decided on Wednesday, October 16, we will host the Workplace Wellness in Action Forum.”
The Minister discussed the development of the policy, noting that Government approved the National Workplace Wellness Policy, the result of work led by the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), through Orlando Gabby Scott, and with input from Professor Dwayne Devonish of The University of The West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.
Mr. Jordan acknowledged that Barbados must be eternally grateful to Mr. Scott, as he has been a champion in the cause related to health, wellness, and safety in the workplace for some time.
“I took it to Cabinet and Cabinet agreed we would adopt the National Wellness Policy. Such was the work that, as a Ministry, we did not have to make any amendments at all to the document that was presented to us – complete, fulsome, and very relevant to our situation in Barbados,” said Minister Jordan.
He revealed that there had been active engagement with workplaces with respect to disseminating the information and sensitising persons to the policy, and its benefits to both workers and employers.
He said the Ministry and the BWU met regularly and undertook a lot of work to ensure Barbadians were aware of the Wellness Policy and its dimensions, and collateral materials were developed to easily educate the public.
Professor Devonish, in his capacity as co-chair, said: “The work that we are doing here is vital, not simply for this generation but for our posterity. As part of the subcommittee for promotions and awareness at work, we are committed to promoting not just the concept but the practice of wellness across all workplaces, whether there are private, public, or even civil society in nature.”
Noting that the October forum represents “a flagship event”, he expressed the hope that it would become an annual exercise “to celebrate wellness and successes, and to understand the challenges that still remain in our workplaces when it comes to wellness, and to chart a greater path to promoting and advancing wellness for all of us”.
Meanwhile, BWU’s Assistant General Secretary, Shakeeda Williams, stressing that she also looked forward to the event, said: “It is named the Action Forum … because, though it is part of our sensitisation, it is whetting the appetite of the Barbadian public on what it is that we (the Committee) have in store for them.”
She also offered congratulations to companies which have already started to use some of the initiatives from the policy “in order to get great work from their employees and ensure they employees are happy within the workplace”.
The Workplace Wellness in Action Forum, which runs from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., is designed to promote greater awareness of the National Workplace Wellness Policy of Barbados.
It will showcase successful initiatives from organisations across the island, and participants are expected to benefit from panel discussions, and presentations from wellness professionals. There will also be exhibitions. Representatives of public, private, and third sector organisations are expected to be in attendance.