BRIDGETOWN, November 3, 2008. THE CONTINUED SUCCESS of the annual Trading Places programme at FirstCaribbean International Bank has been credited with contributing to improvements in critical success drivers such as synergies and teamwork among employees which ultimately lead to enhanced customer service.

Commenting on the recently completed 2008 edition of Trading Places, Managing Director and Barbados Country Head, Oliver Jordan, said the level of participation, interest shown, and the quality of information sharing across departments had been impressive and augured well for FirstCaribbean’s continued success across the region.

As the name suggests, Trading Places is a switching of roles for one day between senior leaders and employees who work both on the front end and on the administrative support side of FirstCaribbean.

Jordan said the event, which also marked the sixth anniversary of FirstCaribbean in the region had been extremely worthwhile. He said the day had been more than beneficial judging from his own experience trading places with Susan Renee, Admin Coordinator, Internal Controls & Reconciliation Barbados Business Centre, Warrens Industrial Park.

“At FirstCaribbean we have been emphasising the concept across the region of One Bank, One Team, and this Trading Places initiative really gives us an opportunity to put that into practice where employees at various levels can walk a mile in each other’s shoes and really come to understand and appreciate the concept of team. This augurs well for sustaining an excellent quality of customer service delivery which is something on which we are very focused at FirstCaribbean,” Jordan said.

Dawne Williams, Retail Director, Barbados OpCo, who traded places with Sunset Crest Branch, Customer Service Officer (CSO), Gillian Jordan, was also impressed with the results of the 2008 Trading Places initiative. She recalled her prior days as a CSO and got involved in some problem solving related to flooding and system challenges. Williams noted the experience was a useful eye-opener as to what a typical day in the life of a Branch banking employee could be like.

“Gillian was a great teacher, so I quickly got my hands to wheel and started working. I accepted deposits, assisted with other transactions and guess what, I actually made my referral target for the day. I sold an ABM card and Internet Banking.

Nearly 100 employees from across the region directly participated in Trading Places for 2008. Many, like CEO, John Orr, reported following their experiences, that the day had given them a greater appreciation and understanding of the human resource diversity of FirstCaribbean Bank, and the need to emphasise the concept of “one team”.

“Trading Places was an extremely insightful activity, not only for me but the entire Senior Leadership Team,” said Orr, who traded places with Annette Worrell from the Cards Helpdesk.

An annual initiative since 2003, the Trading Places programme seeks to foster, for senior leaders, a greater understanding of the intricacies and challenges of the work performed by frontline employees.

The programme also helps to develop synergies and teamwork among employees in general by broadening staff’s awareness of the various roles and responsibilities of their colleagues throughout the organization.