International Customs Day & Week 2022

NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022 24 H UMAN CAPITAL is at the cen- tre of advancing the digital transformation agenda in any organisation. It is from that vantage point that the Human Resource Management and Development (HRMD) Division of the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) embraces the 2022 theme for this year’s obser- vation of International Customs Day. The HRMD team continues to develop and project a greater ap- preciation for the agency’s priority actions, which are geared towards the systematic upscaling of digi- tal transformation, resulting in the ongoing introduction of modern technologies and systems which are driving the change in how we serve the public and effectively ex- ecute our mission. While cognisant of the need for relevant systems to enable these transformations, peo- ple must remain a priority, as the users of the digital systems being implemented. The HRMD team has therefore been effectively ex- ploring and implementing related data collection and usage, geared towards the wide adoption of a da- ta-driven culture, optimising the de- cision-making process, the human experience, and positioning itself to establish a world-class Employee Value Proposition. Bearing these truths in mind, the HRMD Division continues to open itself and the agency to candid feed- back from its teammembers every two years by conducting digitally administered Employee Satisfaction Surveys. Not only does the data in- form us where our strengths and opportunities lie, but it provides a clear indication of the weaknesses that exist. Through rigorous analysis and interpretation of this data, we are able to develop and implement programmes that respond to cur- rent and emerging employee needs. Tapping into digital platforms has allowed us to quickly look at cor- relations and pinpoint pain points, thereby targeting specific cohorts of employees, from disaggregated data, for intervention. In the last two years, the data has shown us that we have grown tremendously, resulting in a 17-percentage point increase in satisfaction, even in the face of a pandemic. Employees are also seen to be more inclined to share their viewpoints via this methodol- ogy, as they see signs of use of the data to inform human experience interventions. As we continue with these imple- mentations, we recognise the syner- gies between employee satisfaction and the maintenance of a high-per- formance team. We are conscious of the fact that fundamental to managing productivity in any or- ganisation is the ability to meas- ure employee performance. To this end, we utilise a Performance Management System to provide us with critical data necessary to quickly identify performance deficits and areas in which we are excelling. Notwithstanding, with such a huge mandate and densely populated agency, manipulating this high volume of data can be a challenge. Coming out of our anal- ysis of the performance data, we have implemented a Performance Intervention Programme (PIP), tar- geting employees who are perform- ing below the satisfactory standard, and guiding team leaders in provid- ing strategic coaching for enhanced performance outputs. It is our belief that as we pursue this trajectory of scaling up digital transformation, we will see more efficient tracking of performance and the generation of mission-critical reports to inform continued strategic decisions. Not only is a data culture impor- tant to the measurement of perfor- mance, but as we proceed to build a data ecosystem, we are able to determine pay for performance, reframe goals and targets for fu- ture achievements; and critically as- sess how we further treat with our Capacity Development portfolio. Since the onset of the pandemic, the HRMD team has shifted its training and development delivery modal- ity from what was largely face to face to an online environment, to include self-paced programmes, supplemented by offerings from our international governing body – the World Customs Organization (WCO). This, coupled with the imple- mentation of the agency’s Learning Management System (LMS), affords us the opportunity to respond to priority training and development needs and project future needs based on proficiency standards attained. At a glance, we are able to observe employees who require further training or who could be fur- ther developed by job enrichment through the agency’s Employee Rotation Programme, which facil- itates employees developing new skill sets as they learn on the job in the different areas of the organisa- tion. It is through this system that the agency will be able to interpret data that will aid in the develop- ment of tailored career pathways for our teammembers, enabling them The JCA – driving human experience through a data-cultured ecosystem On January 24, 2022, the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) was awarded the “Most Innovative/Creative International Men’s Day” category, for their submission to the Bureau of Gender Affairs’ Gender Challenge.⁣ The Jamaica Customs Agency continues to use creative and innovative strategies to implement gender mainstreaming activities within its operations CUSTOMS WEEK Jamaica Customs wins gender challenge award