Gaining Perspective: HELP’s First Staff Retreat
Haiti’s rigid class structure has meant that, for many Haitian workers, their voices go unheard. In this article, Country Director Garry Delice reports on the lessons learned from HELP’s first staff retreat – a ritual that’s common in the US, but almost unheard of in Haiti.
When HELP’s Leadership Program Manager, Meaghan Balzer, and our Career Services & Alumni Affairs Coordinator, Fedorah Pierre-Louis, informed me of their intention to organize a retreat for the staff, I would never have imagined the impact of such an initiative. Indeed, they were in search of greater opportunities for collaboration and communication among HELP staff members, who come from diverse personal and professional backgrounds. I did not know how they were going to do it, but I gave my approval anyway because anything that might increase cohesion among the staff interested me.
The retreat became a sort of mandatory break from our usual routine, taking place during a work day so that all 21 members of the staff could attend. For the venue, we chose a restaurant called Rustik in the mountain town of Furcy. It was amazing to note the abrupt change of landscape while approaching Furcy – you’d never guess that this quiet place is located just one hour from the noise of Port-au-Prince. The beautiful rural setting and fresh air reminded me of the first place where I worked as a teacher in 1988: the Valley of Jacmel on Haiti’s southern coast.
Everything started with a bowl of soup followed by an ice-breaking activity, some sports activities, and presentations by the retreat organizers. The presenters then gave each of us the opportunity to express ourselves by sharing what we thought would be useful for improving communication among the HELP team. We also realized that a few staff members, including our housekeeper and drivers, had never participated in our regular staff meetings, so they had much to say. Immediately, I asked myself how it could happen that we have organized meetings without inviting some of the people who are the basis of our daily operations. It meant a lot for these staff members to be able to share their experiences openly. I was glad to hear one person say how valuable it was to attend a meeting where you could give honest feedback to a supervisor without fear of losing your job the next day, which is too often typical in Haiti.
The other lesson learned that day was the importance of taking time to listen to others. I discovered during this meeting that we are often so preoccupied with our own tasks that we don’t take the time to observe and to listen to the people who work for and with us. The case of Junior Dorsainvil, our assistant receptionist, challenged me. As he had not been attending our regular staff meetings, he had not felt comfortable sharing his concerns about his long work hours from 6:00am to 6:00pm, and believed that HELP’s administration, like most Haitian institutions, didn't care about “le petit personnel” or lower-level staff. Participating in the staff retreat showed him that HELP was different, and he was happy to request a revision of his work schedule to eight hours per day, which was done immediately. Here, someone who was afraid to speak up because of his position in the staff hierarchy, combined with a feeling of being a victim of social clichés, found out that his voice is counted and valued at HELP. Since the retreat, we decided that anyone holding a contract with HELP should definitely participate in the bi-weekly staff meetings to enable them to more easily raise concerns and contribute to solutions.
HELP is an institution that brings together many people from different origins and backgrounds: rural, urban, young, old, Haitians, foreigners, literate, and illiterate mix in an effective balance. The staff retreat was a great way to reinforce the importance of cultivating patience, tolerance, and honesty as values of solid and lasting collaborative communication. We will continue to work towards these goals, and will continue the positive tradition of the staff retreat at HELP.