Recruitment & Selection

Recruitment Practices

The recruiting process can be handled in-house by an HR practitioner, as well as through the use of employment agencies and human resources advisory firms.  It is common practice for entry level positions to be sourced by in-house human resource personnel, with middle and senior management recruitments being handled by human resources advisory firms who possess experience with these types of recruitments in the local market.

In Barbados, the most common method of recruitment is via advertisement in the print and electronic media. However, it varies depending on the type of recruitment.   Other methods employed include head hunts and database searches.  A combination of these methods increases the likelihood of developing a large applicant pool from which six to eight strong candidates can be shortlisted. It should be noted that the local market is small, which makes it difficult in some instances to source a large pool of applicants for some senior or executive positions.

Selection Practices

Interviewing is the most widely used selection process in Barbados; where first and second interviews are conducted.   Interviews are normally conducted between business hours, which are from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.  Interviews should ideally be scheduled one week in advance, but may not always be possible, therefore negotiation between the potential employer and employee may be necessary.

Behavioural interviewing is a common practice, along with reference checks and psychometric assessments.   It is advised that a combination of these selection methods be utlised to guarantee that the best candidates are screened and to benefit from a reduction in future costs associated with hiring and training, even at the basic entry level positions. It is also important to consider compensation and benefits packages in order to retain and attract the best candidates.

To ensure an effective selection process a job description which captures the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for the job should first be developed.  This information is needed from the recruitment phase to make sure that potential candidates have a clear understanding of what is required of them on the job. Additionally, a well defined job description mitigates against the submission of a large number of applications from persons who do not possess the desired knowledge, skills or attitude.

Hiring Practices

Once a candidate has been selected, the next step is to make an initial offer to the potential candidate.  At this stage there should be agreement between both parties with respect to the hours of work, compensation and benefits packages, vacation entitlement, place of work,  notice period, disciplinary and grievance procedures (all of which are found in an employment contract).

In Barbados, it was once common for employers to offer an employee a permanent position after a probationary period ranging from three to six months.  However, there has been a shift towards renewable one to three year contracts.  Some employers have also sought to utilise independent consultants to perform specific job functions such as accounting, immigration, payroll processing, human resources, public relations and marketing.

Orientation Practices

On the first official day of work, it is common practice to orient new employees to the company. Orientation programmes vary from organisation to organisation, with sessions ranging from brief introductory sessions to more lengthy formal ones.  New employees should be presented with a copy of the company’s handbook in order to acquaint them with their new company and its policies. Also introductions to all members of staff, the employee’s immediate supervisor and manager should be made.   It is common practice to provide new employees with additional background information required to perform their job, as well as equip them with the necessary tools they may need to do so.

Retention

Employee Relations Practices

Establishing and maintaining a positive relationship with your workforce is the key to continued success.  Employee engagement becomes an essential component of developing and maintaining good employee relations.  This is achieved through the use of human resources strategies which encourage commitment by employees to achieving the goals of the organisations. Employee engagement fosters productivity and can be useful in measuring output in performance appraisal systems.

Performance Management

Performance measurement and management is linked to economic performance of the organisation.  It is useful in identifying top, average and below average performers and is also used to measure output.  Performance appraisal systems are necessary tools in measuring and managing the performance of employees and should be aligned to the corporate strategy.

Training & Development

Barbados has several technical and vocational training institutions which offer a wide variety of educational programmes.  These include workshops, short training courses, certificate and diploma courses, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate studies.  Some of the well established institutions are Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic, Barbados Community College, University of the West Indies and Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP).