Why We Won’t Come Home (Part II of IV)
Let’s talk about competition in the market. We have just eradicated the monopoly of a business in the island, thus benefiting the consumer. Has the business suffered? No, because with competition comes better customer service. Let’s talk about customer service in the country. Does it exist? I don’t think so. I could make a phone call to the bank and ask to speak to maybe the loans officer, and you know what I would hear? “Ms. Jane nuh ya, call back!” (Ms. Jane isn’t here, call back). I could walk into a store and ask to speak to a supervisor because maybe I didn’t get the answer I wanted about a product being sold. You know what I would hear? “Wenk you nuh go bout ya business and stop cause trouble?” (Why don’t you leave and stop causing trouble). If you’re going to be rude, at least save the dialect for informal situations and be professional. However, if that person knew that they would easily loose customers because it’s a lot simpler to just get the product from another island, maybe they would start to take their paycheck into consideration. Let’s combine this with the supposed ability for members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to work in different islands. If that person knew their job was at stake every day because of the availability of a larger workforce, I’m willing to bet the customer service would be of a much higher caliber. Better customer service, leads to a better business reputation, customer loyalty, and thus business longevity.
Now that we’ve established business longevity, let’s establish a diverse work force. Here in Florida (in case you want to hunt me down) do you really believe that 95% of the employed folk are from Florida? I doubt that. They come from all over the US. It’s a piece of cake for entrepreneurs to find qualified people to help build their industry because someone from Texas doesn’t need to jump through hoops to get authorization to work in Florida. Maybe that’s because the hoops do not exist. These states are bigger than the islands by themselves, yet America saw the benefit of being united in order for them to grow as a whole. Why can’t the OECS do that as yet? They’ve had more than enough time. If someone qualified from Grenada could affordably move to Antigua in a day just for a better employment opportunity offered to them, the business in Antigua wouldn’t have to settle for a second rate individual due to selection from a limited pool of talent. The individual making the move gains the benefit of a job and a new place (365 beaches), the business gains the benefit of a qualified person. Now that we have free movement in the workplace, and have expanded the talent pool, we have introduced something else. It’s called competitive pay.
Let’s talk about competitive pay…