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Active Workplaces- A New Exercise in Improving Productivity

By Productivity, Tips

A Sit-Stand Desk May Raise Levels Of Productivity At WorkThe Active Working Summit 2015, was recently held in London, England. During the 24 hour event, health care professionals, company CEOs and leading behavioural practitioners made presentations to business professionals, opinion leaders and decisions makers on the relationship between active workplaces and better employee health and productivity.
Already a popular office model in many Scandinavian countries, an active working office design is geared towards discouraging employees from being sedentary during the work day. Therefore, workplaces include sit-stand desks, the holding of standing or walking meetings and floor plans that facilitate the need for regular movement around the office, like walking.
Gavin Bradley, director and founder of Get Standing Britain and one of the organisers of the summit states, “There are certain tasks you’re much more productive doing standing. If you have to put some creative input, intense thought or numbers into the task, you’re often better sitting. But there are so many of our rudimentary tasks, like our phone calls and checking our inboxes, that are done significantly more, not just quickly, but efficiently, effectively and confidently standing.”
Across Europe many organisations are implementing active workplaces. Technology firm King Digital, professional services firm Redington and housing association Amicus Horizon all believe that there are benefits associated with the practice. Since Amicus Horizon introduced three sit-stand desks to their office in early 2014, they have reported a 10 per cent increase in the amount of calls workers take and a 2 per cent increase in first-call resolutions.
John Barr, director of customer experience at the housing association commented, “Productivity has gone up, which is good, but well-being has also gone up, which is even better. Anecdotally, people will say they feel, in terms of time spent doing tasks, between a 5 and 20 per cent increase in productivity,”
The link to better health and active workplaces is also quite significant. Research has already associated sitting for long periods to numerous health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. More specifically, sitting for more than four hours a day is reported to result in;

  • Enzymes responsible for burning harmful blood fats shutting down.
  • Reduced calorie burn and disrupted blood sugar levels.
  • Insulin levels rising, blood pressure rising and leg muscles switching off.

When you consider these findings in relation to the fact that last year in Britain alone, it was reported that 131 million working days were lost because of absences due to illness, (4.4 days per worker), the argument for active workplaces seems to be a relevant one.
In her article ‘Employers Should Embrace Active Working,’ UK reporter Rebecca Gowler quotes the Institute of Sport Exercise and Health’s lead consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine Mike Loosemore as saying, “Active working is ‘not an exercise regime but a change in behaviour. For it to be successful, active working must be accessible to all, constantly communicated and supported where implemented.’
The introduction of the practice to any business environment, lies very much with the senior professionals and decision makers responsible for the well-being and productivity of that organisation’s working population. Although the practice may seem a little different from that which they are used to, it could prove beneficial to the organisation in the long run. Therefore it should be considered that active workplaces could be a credible option to improving productivity, increasing engagement and reducing absenteeism on a significant scale.

February 10, 2015
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Be A Productive Leader In 2015

By Productivity, Self Improvement, Tips

A confident African American businesswoman in her office.Competition in business is ever increasing, and with it comes a demand for the person at the top to deliver. In trying to meet these demands, many supervisors and managers end up under pressure and overworked. Although fully aware of their stressful situation most refrain from implementing measures that could bring about change.  Instead they concede to the idea that certain pressures come with position.  However, reports state that this is the wrong approach to take. Instead, supervisors should turn to positively charged solutions like implementing ‘The Six D’s’.
‘The Six D’s’ is an approach that focuses directly on the everyday actions of the company’s, supervisor. Each ‘D’ is a call to action aimed at reducing the workload of the person in charge, whilst increasing the productivity levels of the unit.

  1. The first D in ‘The Six D’s’ is for delete.  Non- relevant company orientated tasks usually carried out by the supervisor should be deleted from their to-do lists. Many continue to carry out these tasks due to force of habit, however their time could be better utilised elsewhere.
  2. The following D is for decline. Most leaders find it hard to decline invitations to meetings. The problem with this being that meetings have a tendency of taking up valuable amounts of time. If a pending meeting does not seem currently relevant or if the invitation received makes it unclear as to what the meeting might be about, it may be better to politely say ‘No’.
  3. The third D is for delegate. When the options of deleting and declining are not made available it is time to delegate. A successful leader cannot do everything. There are times when a task must be handed over to other staff members.
  4. D is also for decide. It is said that a good leader is a good decision maker. Such supervisors do not procrastinate or over analyse. Instead, they simply make sure that all high priority goals are identified and allotted the necessary time needed for their completion.
  5. The fifth D is for design. The redesigning of a process can also aid in greater productivity. A set way of doing something does not always make for a good outcome. If this is the case, it may be time to redesign the process, thus resulting in a quality end product.
  6. The last D is for destroy. It might sound drastic but in regards to productivity it is sometimes a necessity. Committing to a plan of action that repeatedly brings about a negative result is pointless. A more productive approach would be to destroy the failing plan and start afresh on a clean slate.

Improving the productivity levels of an organisation is one of the most stressful yet significant challenges that leaders face today.  However, it should be recognised by supervisors that after improving on their own productivity levels they are able to lead by example. The end result being the creation of a highly productive team.  The Six D’s framework is one that can aid in bringing about higher levels of productivity to any organisation. Ultimately this can also bring about a less stressed, engaged and energised leader.

February 10, 2015
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Good News for Working Mothers- You Are More Productive Than You Think

By Productivity, Self Improvement, Tips

600-01030005A recent report, published as a working paper by the Research Division at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis has stated that parents with two or more children are more productive in the office than those with only one child or no children at all. The study, which was conducted to examine the link between productivity and parenthood amongst a group of academic economists, has been regarded by the Washington post as encouraging news for working moms.
Approximately 10,000 highly skilled economists were assessed and the results of the study revealed that:
“Mothers of at least two children are on average, more productive than mothers of only one child. It was found as well that mothers are generally more productive than childless women,”
The study also went on to add that although the productivity levels of fathers of two or more children also increased, mothers with the same number of children proved to be the most productive of all. It was duly noted however, that when children are young, parents are less productive but as offspring grew older- usually well into their teenage years, the productivity level of parents increased surpassing that of their peers with one or no children.
Christian Zimmermann, one of the authors of the study stated:
“It’s all about timing. It’s really when the children are younger that there is an impact, but if you consider the whole career of the person, then on average, the person [who has two or more children] is doing better.”
He goes on to say:
‘The findings may be more about the personality of these parents than about the effect parenthood has on how well you can work. The 10,000 parents who were studied do not include those moms and dads who fell off the career track after having children, so the subjects were a self-selecting group who likely knew they could handle parenthood before embarking on it. ‘
The study also makes a point of highlighting the exceptions to the rule. It cited that women who became mothers before the age of 30 saw a very negative effect on their professional productivity, as did unmarried mothers who became mothers.
It must also be pointed out that a 2013 report also conducted in St. Louis found that mothers under 18 with young children earned less than their childless counterparts. The same was found to be true with men.  Therefore, it should be remembered that the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis study speaks to its data pool, a narrow group of highly educated, highly skilled  professional women who usually plan parenthood, and thus the authors are adamant to reinforce the fact that their findings may not apply to a wider set of women in different circumstances.
However, the good news  is that given the right conditions professional moms do not have to worry that  becoming parents would jeopardize their careers- this in itself being an idea that could be applied  to other women in similar working situations.

February 10, 2015
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Building Productive Teams through Conflict Resolution

By Productivity, Self Improvement, Tips

Healthy Conflict Resolution Can Lead To Stronger Working TeamsIn the article ‘Building Effective Teams through Conflict Resolution: The Other New Year’s Resolution’, written by Shawn Callender, Senior Training Officer of the Barbados Productivity Council quotes Vince Lombardi. The quote reads, ‘The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.’
In reference to the concept of productivity, this statement holds true. It is indeed a necessity for team members of any given organisation to think and act with a common, unified focus.
As Callender states, ‘The focus of every organization, in this performance-driven, results-oriented business environment, is to create a workplace where the slogan “Together Everyone Achieves More” becomes a reality.’
Productivity Awareness Week in Saint Lucia took place during the period- October 13 to 18, 2014. During the week a range of activities were organised, all of which gained active participation from the private and public sectors, civil society and the youth. Events during the week included forums aimed at various key sectors in the economy.  The sectors included the financial services, wholesale and retail, construction, tourism, agriculture and manufacturing sectors. At each forum, successful business owners delivered presentations on measures undertaken to increase productivity in their respective companies. In doing so, the presenters sited effective team work as a key factor which has led to the success of their companies.
As part of his presentation in the construction forum, Mr. Winston Cyril of RECS General Contractors stated,
‘At RECS we’ve realized that, none of us is as smart as all of us. So, we put our ideas together, so that we are able to make better decisions.  As we continue to build the company as a team and as the company develops; we would like to attract more team members to share like-minded thinking.’
Teams are made up of individuals, with each member having their unique personality and opinion. As a result of this, sometimes conflict will arise. The occurrence of conflict does not have to prove disruptive to an otherwise productive team.  Team members and team leaders simply need to be able to resolve conflict amicably.
There are many reasons why conflict may occur in teams, the four most identifiable reasons being: scarce resources, communication breakdown, personality clashes and goal differences.  However, there are ways to overcome any given conflict within a team.
Kenneth Thomas in his article “Conflict and Conflict Management” highlights five styles of handling conflict. These styles are competing, avoiding, compromising, accommodating and collaborating.
‘Competing Style
This style reflects assertiveness to get one’s own way, and should be used when quick, decisive action is vital on important issues or unpopular actions.
Avoiding Style
This style reflects neither assertiveness nor cooperativeness. This style of handling conflict works best in situations where the issue is trivial, when a delay is needed to gather more information or when the disruption would be costly.
Compromising Style
The compromising style reflects a moderate amount of both assertiveness and cooperativeness. It is appropriate when the goals on both sides are of equal importance, and when people need to arrive at temporary or expedient solutions under time pressure.
Accommodating Style
This requires a high degree of cooperativeness and works best where persons recognize that they were wrong and when maintaining harmony is especially important.
Collaborating Style
This requires a high level of assertiveness and cooperativeness. This style produces a win-win situation for all the parties concerned. It requires at times significant bargaining and negotiating by all the parties concerned. This style is useful when the issues at hand are too important to be compromised and the commitment of the dissenting parties is needed for a consensus.’
Although conflict is inevitable, effective resolution can have tremendous benefits for all involved. Some of these benefits are increased motivation, productivity and creativity, as well as greater participation by employees and improved communication and interpersonal skills.
Conflict can be constructive as long as it is managed effectively and dealt with directly and quickly. When team members learn to see issues from the other side, it opens up new ways of thinking, which can lead to new and innovative solutions, and healthy team performance. Effective conflict resolution can help create a healthy and creative team atmosphere where persons can work collectively towards the common good of the company.

February 10, 2015
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Early Childhood Development Programs Yield Productive Returns

By Productivity, Youth

press-release-early-educationThe prosperity of an economy heavily depends on the skills of its people. Skills development starts at an early stage of life and lays the foundation for a high level of achievement in school, career and life. It should be noted that the first three years of life is the most critical time to develop foundational thinking and character skills that motivate individuals to learn and function at very high levels. Early learning happens first at home and then in child care facilities, therefore it is very important that parents know the best way to develop their child’s skills. Additionally, the efforts of parents should be supported by child care providers, paediatricians and other developmental resources.
A World Bank article ‘Benefits of Early Child Development Programs,’   states that:
‘A vast body of research has demonstrated that Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs benefit children, families, and communities. The reduced dropout and repetition rates, improved school achievements, greater adult productivity, and higher levels of social and emotional functioning encouraged by ECD programs make them a highly cost-effective means of strengthening society as a whole by ensuring that its individual members live up to their full potential.
Evaluations of well-conceived programs designed to foster early development demonstrate that children who participate in these programs tend to be more successful in later school, are more competent socially and emotionally, and show better verbal, intellectual and physical development during early childhood than children who are not enrolled in high quality programs’.
Therefore, the benefits that ECD programs have on children and to a larger extent- society include:

  • improved nutrition and health
  • higher intelligence scores
  • improved social and emotional behaviour
  • better parent-child relationships
  • less grade repetition and lower dropout rates
  • higher school enrolment
  • higher school completion rates
  • increased earning potential and economic self-sufficiency as an adultgreater labour force participation

Reports which highlight the substantial long term impacts of such programs should not be overlooked. For example, in relation to improved cognitive development and school achievement, The World Bank sites four specific projects namely: Jamaica’s First Home Visiting Program, Colombia’s Cali project, Peru’s Programa No Formal de Educacion Inicial (Pronoei), and the Turkey Early Enrichment Project. It was found that children who participated in these programs scored higher on average, on intellectual aptitude tests than their non-participatory counterparts.
Early education activities are not the only means of improving a child’s cognitive development. Another important factor which contributes to the positive development of a child is the quality of health and nutrition given.  A longitudinal analysis of child nutrition in the Philippines shows that properly nourished children perform significantly better in school. The article states that, ‘By providing psychosocial stimulation, ECD programs can enhance the efficacy of health care and nutrition initiatives. They can also help ensure that children receive proper health care. Children participating in the Colombia Community Child Care and Nutrition Project, for instance, are required to complete their immunizations within six months of entering the program. Programs can also monitor growth and provide food supplements and micronutrients, as in India’s Integrated Child Development Services program, and can help with such existing public health efforts as mass immunizations. Other programs specifically aim at changing parent behaviour by educating parents about the health and nutrition needs of their children’.
It is important that countries invest in ECD programs as they yield a positive return on the wider economy in the long run. Art Rolnick Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis points this out in his 2005 report ‘Early Childhood Development on a Large Scale’. He writes ‘Careful academic research demonstrates that tax dollars spent on early childhood development provide extraordinary returns compared with investments in the public, and even private sector. The potential return from a focused, high-quality early childhood development program is as high as 16 percent per year. Some of these benefits are private gains for the children involved in the form of higher wages later in life. But the broader economy also benefits because individuals who participate in high-quality early childhood development programs have greater skills than they otherwise would, and they’re able to contribute productively to their local economies.’ He goes on ‘Helping our youngest children develop their life and learning skills results in better citizens and more productive workers. Compared with the billions of dollars spent each year on high-risk economic development schemes, an investment in ECD is a far better and far more secure economic development tool.’

February 10, 2015
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Do Mobile ‘Apps’ Hinder your Productivity?

By Competitiveness, Productivity, Tips

Are you an app junkie? Does your tablet or smartphone harbour an endless stream of apps that you hardly use? Or do you use them so often that you hardly have time for anything else? In recent times, many individuals have been using apps to help in the completion of tasks and activities on their mobile phones.
Question: Are those apps that you have placed on your mobile slowing you down or improving your productivity? 
In this fast pace and evolving business environment people are striving to be more productive. As a result, many tech developers have designed an abundance of apps to aid users in getting more tasks done on their mobile devices.  However, many of these applications are not self-sufficient. In other words, the user may only get a task completed when one app is used in unison with one or many others.
Did Productivity Apps Aid in Raising Your Productivity Levels In 2014
In his article, ‘The biggest productivity killer is that there’s an app for that … and that … and that, too’ on Quartz.com, Ryan Kalember, an enterprise mobility expert states,
‘There are thousands of solutions on the market today, but a glance at the “productivity” category of your favourite app store reveals a sea of options with limited functionality, requiring users to cobble together various apps to get the simplest things accomplished.’
He goes on, ‘Think about a task as simple as marking up a spreadsheet with your feedback on your iPad. You first need to get the file onto your device, either via a file sync and share app or by emailing it to yourself. Then you need to find an app with annotation capability in the app store and buy or download it. From there, you need to open the file in your new app, which may provide an unpleasant surprise: most apps will not allow you to annotate a spreadsheet, unless you convert it to a PDF file, which of course, you can only do on your PC or Mac. Once you sort that part out, you create a new, annotated version of that file and finally figure out how to get it back into your file sync and share app (since your device’s email client doesn’t support attaching a file) in order to share your notes with your colleagues. That seemingly simple task required three different apps, created three versions of the file and involved an eight-step process. While they may work for some people, these machinations can kill the productivity benefits of mobile devices, and the new mobile workforce will need to avoid this type of app overkill in order to thrive.’
Unlike apps, applications on the other hand come with a wide range of features that help workers do their job as accurately and efficiently as they would on a normal PC.  Kalember suggests that it is time for the mobile workforce to demand from software designers, fully functioning applications for their devices.
‘When an employee creates, calculates and writes an earnings report, for example, she uses a suite of applications. That suite generally includes text, spreadsheet, and graphics functionality, as well as the capability to render, annotate and edit different document types. Until recently, all of these actions more or less had to take place at the desktop; mobile devices could only mimic this functionality by combining scores of apps to handle each individual task—one to create, one to annotate and so on. Savvy mobile workers see this as a productivity killer, and they’re right.”
He recommends that the mobile enterprise should demand comprehensive applications that can focus workflows in more consolidated streams.
There is evidence that some vendors are demanding similar integrations and services to be available on one common platform. An example of this being Skype’s recent integration with Outlook. However, today’s device driven workforce wants and needs more. The number of tools needed to complete a task on a device can hamper productivity. Therefore, improvement is needed if smartphones and tablets are to be as productive to the average office worker as a personal computer.

February 10, 2015
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Performance Based Incentive Plans- A Means of Boosting Productivity within Your Organisation

By Competitiveness, Productivity, Self Improvement, Tips, Trade

Could Incentive Plans Be The Way Forward For A More Productive St. LuciaToday’s competitive business environment has led to a greater emphasis on organisation and worker productivity. Attaining a higher level of productivity is considered to be key in achieving a thriving business, as resources are used more efficiently in the business work process to create more value for the firm. It is commonly viewed that organisational productivity is fairly low due to the ‘production process’ but it is also important to note the role of employees in boosting productivity. Organisations are increasingly investing in the development and implementation of performance based actions which contribute to the achievement of organisational goals.
Performance based incentives link individual and corporate achievement of predetermined outcomes with remuneration. In other words, pay is allocated on the basis of the individual performance and business results rather than paying for the job or length of service.
Many businesses which have implemented performance-based incentive programmes have realised the benefits. They have found that an incentive program that rewards improved business results translates into increased productivity, higher profitability and a more motivated staff or employees.
An article in the Harvard Business Review of March-April 2000, called ‘Leadership That Gets Results,’ reports that ‘of six leadership styles studied, the use of rewards was the single highest predictor of ‘organizational climate’ and in turn had a direct correlation with financial results’.
In his article, ‘The Reward That Makes Employees Work Harder’ on The Business News Daily website, Chad Brooks adds, ‘A study by workforce solutions firm Kelly Services found that 40 percent of employees feel they would be more productive if they had their earnings linked to certain performance or productivity goal. Currently, nearly a third of the companies surveyed use a performance-based pay system with their employees. Performance-based pay involves any arrangement where an element of the total salary is tied to meeting performance targets, including profit-sharing, performance bonuses and sales commissions’.
However, before an organisation can develop a successful performance-based incentive program, there must be a clear vision. Without such direction, it is difficult to identify the types of performance that should be rewarded. Therefore, organisations must create a clear vision and identify the steps required to achieve it. This is important as, a clear corporate vision is the foundation on which all effective performance based incentive systems are based.
The corporate vision has to represent a high-level understanding within the organisation of where it would like to be in the short, medium and long term. After defining the vision, subsequently the elements of an effective performance-based plan can be identified. Without a clearly stated vision, even the best designed programme will drift aimlessly. It is also important to bear in mind that although incentive programs can encourage employees to perform at high levels of productivity, employers should always analyze the merits of the program prior to implementation. They must determine the optimal incentive plan that is in the best interest of the business and that will help improve performance and promote ethical behaviour.

February 10, 2015
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Productivity and Patriotism

By Productivity, Self Improvement, Tips, Youth

St. Lucian FlagThe Oxford dictionary defines patriotism as ‘The vigorous support of one’s country’. The word is also defined as ‘A devotion or cultural attachment to one’s homeland’. Patriotism simply put, signifies ‘a love for country’. It is a desire to see one’s country grow and develop whereby citizens can enjoy a higher standard of living. Therefore, patriotism demands good citizenship. It requires that individuals contribute to the well-being of their community and country as a whole. When citizens care about the good of society, they are encouraged to perform at their best thereby contributing to the welfare of their organisation, community and country at large. Thus, being a patriotic individual calls for greater commitment and dedication which can have a positive impact on the productivity of the organisation that one is employed with.
Each person within a society has the ability and potential to contribute to the process of building  a productive nation. Likewise, every employee in an organisation (public or private sector) can contribute to the success and thus the increased productivity of that organisation. A lack of acknowledgement for the well-being of the wider society or having no reverence to one’s country can negatively impact society both directly and indirectly. For example, persons who collectively litter contribute to the pollution of the natural environment. This in turn can cause an infestation of rodents which can lead to an outbreak of diseases in the community.  The spread of diseases can result in a high rate of absenteeism in the workplace. This can result in unfinished tasks, lost business, unsatisfied customers and delays in workflow processes because of the time spent out of work due to illnesses. On the other hand, a patriotic citizen who cares about the country’s wellbeing, understands the repercussions of his actions and how it affects the nation’s productivity and prosperity. Thus a true Saint Lucian patriot is one who is productive. Patriotic citizens do not see work as just another job but understand that performing their duties to their best capabilities can positively impact the wider society.
Persons should be encouraged to contribute to society and be a productive citizen. This can be done by helping to improve the community as well as the wider country. A simple way to do this is by being a committed worker. Regardless of vocation, working hard is an important part of being a productive citizen. When employees work hard, they provide important services to the public whilst earning a living. Additionally, a hardworking and dedicated staff highly contributes to the increased productivity and thus success of the organisation. A country of successful organisations will add to the greater development of the economy which in the long run will contribute to increased economic growth. Hence a collective impact is made towards the prosperity of the country.
A good citizen remains up to date on current news events. It is important to be aware of the news and stay fully informed of the issues that affect the country. Also, sharing good fortune is another positive step to being a productive citizen. The contribution need not be in monetary terms. Sharing knowledge and the giving of time for example, are just as important. There are many associations and community groups in operation throughout the country who are in need of volunteers.  Additionally, persons can make a positive influence on the lives of others through mentoring.  For instance, adults can give up of their time to mentor the youth and pass on important experiences that could contribute to the development and further empowerment of young persons.
There are several other ways that individuals can be both patriotic and productive. They include promoting the growth of our local businesses by buying local, conserving water and energy, supporting and working with our fellow Saint Lucians, promoting our country as a tourist destination when we travel etc. Patriotism is truly an integral part of being a productive citizen.  It involves having love and displaying loyalty to the country, respecting and obeying the nation’s laws and honouring the country’s national symbols.
Responsibilities of being a good citizen have to be accepted, like staying informed of national issues, volunteering, voting and serving the country to the best of one’s abilities. The outcome of which would be the growth of a productively active nation. A true patriot would not want anything less.  Are you patriotic and do you contribute to national development through your actions?

February 10, 2015
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Commercial Court’s Impact on Saint Lucia’s Competitiveness

By Competitiveness, Trade

The establishment of an efficient and effective Commercial Court will mark an important step in enhancing the business climate and thus competitiveness of Saint Lucia. In the 2013/2014 Budget Address, the Honourable Prime Minister endorsed the establishment of a Commercial Division of the Court with the subsequent hiring of a resident judge to hear commercial disputes.  As such, the Government of Saint Lucia has partnered with the Compete Caribbean Program in the design and establishment of a Commercial Division of the Court.
The World Economic Forum Define Competitiveness as 'the set of institutions, policies and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country'.This is an ongoing project spearheaded by the National Competitiveness & Productivity Council Technical Secretariat and the Ministry of Legal Affairs. The overall objective of this project is to reduce the burden on the court system and to enhance the business environment as it relates to the enforcement of commercial contracts. Therefore, the Commercial Court will be established to provide an efficient and cost effective mechanism to rule on commercial matters in Saint Lucia.
During her address at the opening of law year in 2013, Chief Justice, Dame Janice Pereira stated “….The reality is that economic and social development depends on an effective legal system, which is just as pivotal to a country’s growth and development as any financial institution.”  The Chief Justice has understood the advantages that a Commercial Court has provided for the British Virgin Islands (BVI). The BVI has been cited for having an internationally well known Commercial Court. The Chief justice further indicated that there is a link between economic well being and the justice system.
The Government of Saint Lucia has therefore identified the establishment of a Commercial Division of the Court as a high priority reform as it is likely to impact on Saint Lucia’s overall development.  The driving force behind the creation of the Court is to facilitate the resolution of business disputes in a quick and effective manner that ensures economic growth. The Commercial Court is expected to deliver an expeditious and cost effective mode of resolving disputes that directly affect the commercial and financial sector in Saint Lucia.
The establishment of this mechanism will increase Saint Lucia’s competitiveness in the regional and international market. The World Economic Forum defines competitiveness as “the set of institutions, policies and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country.” Therefore, the establishment of a set of institutions in a country to support businesses and help increase their productivity levels can increase the competitiveness of businesses and the country as a whole. Thus, the operations of a Commercial Court can impact the competitiveness of a country through the promotion of business and investment prospects. For example, officials at the Uganda Investment Authority state that the Commercial Court has assisted in marketing Uganda as an investment destination. Therefore, a commercial court contributes to a healthy investment climate which encourages investment into the country thus leading to economic growth.
A healthy investment climate is essential in increasing investor confidence as well as business opportunities into a country. While it may seem that the business and legal sectors are two different entities, a weak commercial justice system cripples investors’ willingness to bestow funds into a country. Furthermore, when there are difficulties in obtaining commercial justice, this dissuades business opportunities from coming into a country. Moreover, this ongoing economic slowdown accompanied by high financial uncertainty has reinforced the need to establish efficient processes for commercial dispute resolution and the recovery of losses.
Additionally, banks are less willing to lend to the private sector in the absence of an efficient legal system to settle commercial matters. This is the case as, there is no assurance of the ability to collect on debts or obtain property which was pledged as collateral to secure loans. This has the potential to limit the funding available for business expansion. This means that fewer businesses are able to expand and reach overseas markets and thus slows down trade and the competitiveness of businesses. This prevents increased private sector participation in the local economy as fewer businesses will be established as a result of the inability to access credit. This can hamper the economic development and competitiveness of a country.
The establishment of an efficient and cost effective Commercial Court and the associated commercial laws is expected to improve Saint Lucia’s performance on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking. The Enforcement of Contracts indicator has been the worst performing indicator in the last five years. The establishment of a Court without bureaucratic procedures that resolves commercial matters in a fast and cost effective way will impact on this indicator. In Rwanda for example, the implementation of a Commercial Court in 2008 resulted in a decrease in case backlog and contributed to a reduction in time to solve commercial cases by nearly three months.
To conclude, in the absence of a Commercial Court small businesses struggle to survive, disputes are settled through unofficial means and in the worse scenario investors take their business elsewhere. The establishment of a Commercial Court will make it easier, faster and less expensive to conduct business in Saint Lucia. The Court and the associated commercial laws should improve the enforcement of commercial contracts making it more efficient. This will impact the competitiveness of businesses in Saint Lucia as there will be greater access to credit. This means that businesses are more likely to engage in new business ventures, new customers and borrowers which ultimately impacts on their level of competitiveness.

February 10, 2015
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Youth & Productivity – A marriage for Future Success

By Competitiveness, Productivity, Youth

We Must Inculcate A Mind-set Change Pertaining To Productivity Within Our YouthDuring the observance of Productivity Awareness Week October 13-18 2014, the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC), seeks to engage various sectors in discussions and interactive sessions towards ‘inculcating a mind-set change as it pertains to productivity growth in Saint Lucia.
However, it is questionable as to whether we can begin the conversation of engendering a shift in attitude towards productivity growth without addressing the role of the youth on this journey. In the quest to achieve the above stated objective, the NCPC embraces and recognizes the significance of Saint Lucia’s youth as being critical in these efforts. After all – they are the future!
Therefore, the question must be asked – How do we begin to change a culture whereby ensuring that future generations present a populace that is self-driven, motivated, success oriented and who are working and striving towards an economically viable and independent Saint Lucia? In relation, it must also be asked – Who has the responsibility to equip our young people in the effort to effect this much needed mind-set change?
The most reliable manual ever written – the Holy Bible pens it well: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will never depart from it”   Proverbs 22:6
Parents and guardians play an important role in the education and socialisation of the nation’s young.  Their involvement and example can help a child excel and instils in them the drive and desire for habitual success.
A well balanced and success driven child embraces challenges in school and learns how to employ proper time management techniques. Also, this child is results oriented and exercises the basic elements of success like prudence, diligence, commitment and perseverance to name a few.  Their commitment secures optimal results throughout their academic life and well into the world of work. Thus providing a competent and effective pool of future leaders and labour force.  With these attributes imbedded in the very core, the response to the call for a concerted effort at increasing or maintaining high productivity levels at the school and ultimately professional levels becomes almost obsolete.
As members of this nation, we must recognize our roles and responsibilities. We must ensure change by first recognizing the individual responsibility and the insurmountable contribution we can each make in changing the course of a future generation by making productivity an everyday conversation within our homes and schools; among our children and our young adults; by the examples we exhibit in our attitudes to our jobs, our environment and our everyday lives.
We must help create an environment which dispels the acceptance of mediocrity and enhances the eagerness to break boundaries in achieving optimum successes.
The NCPC challenges you to begin the conversation at home, at school and at play. Endorse the message of productivity; embracing the concept of using all your resources, your surroundings and applying the right attitude to achieve great success!   Remember, one person can make a difference. Will you be that person?

February 9, 2015
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