{"id":152470,"date":"2020-05-06T06:00:14","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T11:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=152470"},"modified":"2020-05-12T16:50:50","modified_gmt":"2020-05-12T21:50:50","slug":"ictp-104-future-work-employers-perspective-brenda-cuthbert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2020\/05\/ictp-104-future-work-employers-perspective-brenda-cuthbert\/","title":{"rendered":"ICTP 104:  The future of work from the employers\u2019 perspective, with Brenda Cuthbert"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Brenda Cuthbert is the Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Employers&#8217; Federation. She shares her views and observations of the future of work, today\u2019s workplace, how it is changing due to ICT, and the extent to which the Jamaican employer is ready for the workplace of the future.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/814579699&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc; line-break: anywhere; word-break: normal; overflow: hidden; white-space: nowrap; text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-weight: 100;\"><a style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" title=\"ICT Pulse Podcast\" href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ICT Pulse Podcast<\/a> \u00b7 <a style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" title=\"ICTP 104: The future of work from the employers\u2019 perspective, with Brenda Cuthbert\" href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\/ictp-104-the-future-of-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ICTP 104: The future of work from the employers\u2019 perspective, with Brenda Cuthbert<\/a><\/div>\n<p><strong>This episode is also available in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast\/id1373550291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple iTunes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/playmusic.app.goo.gl\/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;link=https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/m\/Icau5acn2xiyl5yjuh7orl2mt54?t%3DICT_Pulse_Podcast%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Play Music<\/a> and on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast?refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stitcher<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What a difference a couple of months makes!<\/p>\n<p>In our last instalment of the future of work series, we spoke with the <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2TGULYY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dr Wayne Wesley of the Caribbean Examination Council<\/a> in an episode that was released in early March, where the discussion focussed on education, and its role in shaping the future of work. Today, we, as individuals, along with the workplace in general, are dealing with the impact of the global pandemic, COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, on our lives and livelihoods.<\/p>\n<p>To some degree and depending on the industry, workplaces are experiencing a broad range of challenges \u2013 some of which have resulted in job loss or less-than-ideal work arrangements for employees. Further, economies worldwide have slowed down, and an economic recession is already being projected, which is making the future uncertain for many organisations and individuals alike. Truthfully, some organisations will not survive the pandemic, and for those that do, they are likely to be irreversibly changed, in order to be in a position to successful emerge on the other side this unprecedented situation.<\/p>\n<p>However, cognisant that we are still in the early days of COVID-19, it is not yet clear whether it will have a long-lasting impact on the future of work \u2013 perhaps outside of the extent to which organisations will continue to leverage technology. Hence, it can be argued that we can still examine the future of work through a lens where COVID-19 is not the centre of focus.<\/p>\n<p>In this the latest episode in our future of work series, we are exploring the topic from the employers\u2019 perspective.<\/p>\n<p>The employer is a key element in the workplace, and to a considerable degree, establishes the terms, conditions and environment in which people are not only hired, work, and eventually separated from an organisation, but also influences education \u2013 what is being taught in schools. For many of us, work is an important aspect of how we define ourselves. Hence, as employers\u2019 attitudes and perspectives change, we, as individuals, along with the lives we live, and the expectations we might have for our lives, tend to be inextricably affected.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Introducing our guest<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_152472\" style=\"width: 268px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-152472\" data-attachment-id=\"152472\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2020\/05\/ictp-104-future-work-employers-perspective-brenda-cuthbert\/brenda-cuthbert-jamaica-employers-federation\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Brenda-Cuthbert-Jamaica-Employers-Federation.jpg?fit=479%2C557&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"479,557\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Brenda Cuthbert (Jamaica Employers Federation)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Brenda Cuthbert&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Brenda-Cuthbert-Jamaica-Employers-Federation.jpg?fit=258%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Brenda-Cuthbert-Jamaica-Employers-Federation.jpg?fit=479%2C557&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-152472 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Brenda-Cuthbert-Jamaica-Employers-Federation-258x300.jpg?resize=258%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"258\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Brenda-Cuthbert-Jamaica-Employers-Federation.jpg?resize=258%2C300&amp;ssl=1 258w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Brenda-Cuthbert-Jamaica-Employers-Federation.jpg?w=479&amp;ssl=1 479w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 258px) 100vw, 258px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-152472\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brenda Cuthbert<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/brenda-cuthbert-a0124516\/?originalSubdomain=jm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Brenda Cuthbert<\/strong><\/a> is the Chief Executive Officer of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jamaicaemployers.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Jamaica Employers Federation (JEF)<\/strong><\/a>. The JEF is over 60 years old, and was initially registered as a Trade Union to represent employers.\u00a0 The Federation\u2019s mission is to lead the development of an enabling business environment, through the effective representation and provision of value-added services that strengthen the ability of employers to optimise competitiveness and workplace harmony.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to her role at the JEF, Brenda held executive and senior management positions in agriculture, banking and the credit union movement. Currently, she sits as President of the National Commercial Bank Jamaica Employees Credit Union, and is a member of the Board of the Jamaica Cooperative Credit Union League, the apex body for credit unions in Jamaica. She is also pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The scope of our discussion<\/h3>\n<p>In our conversation with Brenda, the focus was the employers\u2019 perspective on the future of work. Some of the questions we posed included the following:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>What is the JEF, and what is the depth and breadth of the work the organisation?<\/li>\n<li>How might you classify the membership of the JEF?<\/li>\n<li>What does the JEF understand by the term \u2018the future of work\u2019, and what does it see as its role in that construct?<\/li>\n<li>What is the Jamaican workplace is currently like?<\/li>\n<li>How is technology affecting the workplace?<\/li>\n<li>Are Jamaican employers embracing the concept of the gig worker?<\/li>\n<li>How might HR policies and labour laws have to change to accommodate the new paradigm?<\/li>\n<li>Do Jamaican employers still feel that they need to manage all parts of their operations in-house? What is the posture with regard to the use of third party service providers?<\/li>\n<li>What skills are currently in demand in Jamaica? What skills are likely to be in demand in the next 5 to 10 years?<\/li>\n<li>How will the Jamaican workplace change over the next 5 to 10 years?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We would love to hear from you!<\/p>\n<p>Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ICTPulse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a><\/strong> or <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ict-pulse-consulting-limited\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/strong> pages, or via Twitter, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTPulse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ICTPulse<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Select links<\/h3>\n<p>Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/brenda-cuthbert-a0124516\/?originalSubdomain=jm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brenda Cuthbert<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jamaicaemployers.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jamaica Employers Federation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.caribbeanemployers.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Caribbean Employers Confederation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilo.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">International Labour Organisation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pioj.gov.jm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Planning Institute of Jamaica<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-nta.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Human Employment and Resource Training (HEART) Trust\/National Training Agency<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Image credits: \u00a0 rawpixels (<a href=\"http:\/\/pexels.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pexels<\/a>); \u00a0JEF<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Music credit: \u00a0Ray Holman\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brenda Cuthbert is the Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Employers&#8217; Federation. She shares her views and observations of the future of work, today\u2019s workplace, how it is changing due [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":142752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[355],"tags":[71,40,447,430,15],"class_list":["post-152470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-businesses","tag-expertise-hr","tag-future-of-work","tag-gig-economy","tag-trends","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Handshake-shake-hands-business-people-rawpixels-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-DFc","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152470"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152504,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152470\/revisions\/152504"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}