RG Opinion (11 Jan. 2005)
We mustn't let the BIU's work ethic sink us all
If you thought it was hard for a Bermudian with career aspirations to move up the corporate ladder, as of Friday January 7th 2005, it just got much, much harder. You can thank BIU President Derrick Burgess for that.
In an interview in the Jan. 7 edition of the Bermuda Sun, officially about the latest chapter in the Coco Reef saga, Mr. Burgess managed to validate every stereotype and every criticism of the Bermudian work ethic. He was even kind enough to create a couple of new lines of attack, erecting more obstacles in the career path of every Bermudian.
Responding to criticisms of the performance of the Coco Reef hotel staff by its outgoing director, Mr. Burgess ‘defended’ the Bermudian worker with a novel angle. Instead of focusing on the allegations themselves, he took a higher level approach, managing to disparage us all and accomplish what Coco Reef itself has been unable to do – he made them seem just a little bit sympathetic. Ok, that feeling didn’t last for long, but it was there.
So what did he say? The BIU President proudly proclaimed that the employer-employee relationship is different in Bermuda than other places, like the Caribbean. We have over-employment here and foreign managers need to adapt he said.
“In Bermuda, what we’ve adopted is not master servant relations where the master says, ‘Do this, do that.’ It is one of cooperation where the management will get your views and because it works better that way.”
“It’s a different style you need. Those that understand that and adapt to it and change their management style, they do great jobs. Those that come here and don’t adapt to what they see in the country as far as the economy won’t do as well.”
Translation: Performing the tasks a worker was hired for is demeaning. A manager must negotiate on a daily basis to see what an employee is agreeable to. If someone doesn’t feel like working, then so be it. Of course you can try and find someone else to do the job - but don’t forget they don’t exist (and we have an Immigration Department). Oh, and by the way, make sure you’ve got the payroll completed on time.
Can I get an Amen? I didn’t think so. Just how this approach has ‘worked better’ in tourism is anyone’s guess, as the thousands of beds and millions of dollars that have exited the anemic industry attest to. But it does clear up any lingering questions about why tourism is in such appalling shape.
Thanks to the Derrick Burgesses of our island, Bermudians are immediately at a disadvantage when seeking employment in our own country. We have to overcome a stigma that we’re lazy and averse to hard work, that foreign workers are more desirable. It’s a stigma inflicted on us by a vocal minority of the population, but inflicted on all Bermudians nonetheless.
The vast majority of us perform at a high level, higher than expected. Not because we’re servants but because we take pride in our work and understand that strong performance is rewarded. The last thing we need is someone labeling us all as unapologetic chronic under-performers – an island of workers who think that putting in an honest day’s work is akin to a master servant relationship.
Mr. Burgess might want to consider having a chat with his Tourism Minister. Dr. Brown recently identified poor service as one of the critical issues crippling tourism in Bermuda. Quite eloquently, he characterized our unacceptably low service standards as resulting from a belief in some quarters that equates ‘service with servitude’. Sound familiar? Maybe the two MPs can have a chat at their next caucus?
Our whole economy is service based. There’s nothing demeaning or undignified about performing the job you were hired for well, whether it’s serving drinks to our visitors or serving the insurance interests of a multi-million dollar client.
Everyone from the CEOs of our largest financial companies to the pot-washers in our restaurants serve their clients, customers and ultimately shareholders. More significantly perhaps, most Bermudians are working hard to get ahead, determined to rise to the top of a worldwide talent pool and make their mark professionally in our tiny island with a global presence.
Let’s hope that Mr. Burgess isn’t successful in extending his work ethic to our sole remaining economic pillar, international business. The over-employment aspect of his thesis will quickly fall apart if he is.
Our people are our only natural resource, and we’re competing against the world. We’ve already killed tourism; let’s not do the same to our financial services industry.
The worker of today is the manager of tomorrow. The manager of yesterday is the CEO of today. And lest we forget that owners and managers work too.
We all work, we all serve. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in that.
