News

The Cayman Islands Government has won big in the prestigious 2021 People Management Awards given by the UK-based Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

At the CIPD’s gala evening on Tuesday (28 September) in England, the CIG was awarded as People Team of the Year – Public Sector, winning the title from a field of seven finalists in that category. Other shortlisted entities in the category included the UK’s National Health Service Blood and Transplant, and Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

The Portfolio of the Civil Service (PoCS) submitted an entry for the awards, citing the range of initiatives it undertook, as a People Team, to help the Civil Service and the country manage the various challenges of 2020, the largest being the COVID-19 emergency.

Its efforts included supporting the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) as the magnitude of the COVID-19 threat grew. It was necessary for the Portfolio to re-prioritise HR work and align with the NEOC to lend support and take on active roles. These ranged from helping organise “Operation Bring ’em Home” (to get government-sponsored students and other citizens back to the Islands as airports shut down) and piloting the use of isolation facilities, to spearheading business continuity. The latter included issuing more than a dozen new HR policies, such as Remote and Flexible Working Arrangements, for diverse areas of the business.

PoCS also redeployed staff across the CIG, organised the management of quarantine facilities, and project managed the construction of the field hospital. These were done while coordinating and executing staff information and welfare initiatives, continuing professional development programmes, and staff support for the community, among other projects.

Commenting on the Cayman entry, one of the judges noted, “These examples of operational excellence really did blow us away. Overall, we felt that this truly showed an example of an HR team rising to and succeeding above all expectations.”

Deputy Governor Hon. Franz Manderson said, “I am delighted that our Civil Service is once again being recognised internationally for its work. This award underscores our world-class standing and the exceptional job which the team in the Portfolio of the Civil Service did, under grueling circumstances. I say ‘thank you’ to them and the rest of the Civil Service that supported them for the work done last year and for what they continue to do.”

PoCS Chief Officer Gloria McField-Nixon said, “During 2020, the entire HR team had a single focus: to support the country by doing whatever it took to keep our residents safe. Many of the things they did were not typical HR duties but I am so proud of the team’s passion, integrity and professionalism. These qualities shone through to support our Civil Service mission of making the lives of those we serve better.”

She added, “We are very happy that the PoCS team and the CIG have been recognised in this way. We are blessed to work with so many consummate professionals who are passionate about the success of the Cayman Islands and its people. Leaders emerged from all levels of the HR profession and many of the innovations which were launched are still in place today!”

The CIPD People Management Awards are given annually to honour outstanding work in the human resources field in a range of categories. Organisers said of the 2021 entries, “Some truly amazing projects were submitted this year and deserved to be celebrated!”