MONTEGO BAY, St James — Workers who performed exemplary since Secrets Resorts opened its doors nine months ago in Montego Bay were rewarded for their hard work at an elegant affair held in their honour at the hotel’s banquet hall last week.
The awards were given to top performing employees and team leaders for the months of October, November and December of 2010, and the firstand second place runners-up, most mentioned employees for the similar period and employees with the best implementable ideas.
The coveted Employee of the Year award went to server Clarence Muirhead and the Team Leader of the Year prize was taken by Engineering Manager Schlitz Williams.
The night saw housekeepers, servers, groundsmen, engineers, accountants and others exchanging their uniforms for regal attire, as more than 160 employees who were nominated in the various categories were feted at the special dinner, rubbing shoulders and breaking bread alongside top managers.
“This recognition makes me feel very good and makes me realise that someone recognises the work that I do,” Muirhead told the Observer.
The 38-year-old server from the food and beverage department was overwhelmed at the honour, although he said he was not totally caught off guard since he has consistently been a hard worker.
As one who was among the first set of staff hired to work in the dining room, Muirhead said the first couple of weeks involved a lot of hard work to get everything flowing smoothly at the all-inclusive resort.
“For the first week I spent 48 hours straight working on property and so I know I deserve this award,” he said.
The Portland native said he has become such a master at what he does that he sometimes single-handedly serve up to 50 guests per night in the Italian restaurant on property, with some persons ordering up to eight courses on the menu.
Muirhead, who also won the Employee of the Month award, was employed to the hotel two weeks before its March 2010 opening, having worked before at Sandals Royal for three years and the Ritz-Carlton for five. In fact, Muirhead said he has been awarded Employee of the Month at both the Sandals Royal and Ritz-Carlton hotels during his employment.
Having worked in the food and beverage department for the 20 years of his career in the hospitality sector, Muirhead said there is nothing he likes doing better.
“I just love serving the guests because I like to see them smiling and being able to leave happy,” Muirhead told the Observer.
Engineering manager Williams also said he was overwhelmed at being recognised for the award. “All I can say is that hard work brings true joy,” he beamed.
Williams, who has worked in the hospitality industry since 1995, said he carries out all his tasks to the best of his ability.
He said that his function is a very important one at any hotel as it is important that the temperature is just right in every room and that every toilet is functioning.
“When I come here, I come to work and that is just what I do,” he said proudly.
Guest speaker Dr Shona Heron, a consultant and trainer, told the employees that the gifts they received in recognition of their hard work, was not the prize but only an incentive. “The prize is to strive to be your best self,” she said.
Human resource director Andrea Allie-Thorpe said the awards ceremony was a corporate initiative to motivate the staff to be the best they can be.
“We believe in rewarding and recognising our colleagues and this is just the tiny bit that we can do,” she said.
Explaining how the employees are selected, Allie-Thorpe said there are 35 nominees selected each month from which three line staff and three team leaders are selected for first, second and third place.
She explained further that the monthly awards were usually handed out during general department meetings. However, the decision was taken to make the event a more grand affair. As such, the human resources director said they will be seeking to make the awards even more glamorous over time.
Secrets resident manager Armando Pizzuti said the resort was constantly finding ways to create incentive for the staff. He said that within nine months of operations, the hotel not only threw a Christmas party for everyone, but was also able to pay a bonus.
The 700-room hotel employs some 1,200 employees.
The hotel, he added, also contributed to civic society through its full sponsorship of two orphanages — Garland Hall and Blessed Assurance — which cater to a combined 80 children.
The Secrets hotel in Montego Bay, one of four major brands under the AM Resorts chain, is the first in the English-speaking Caribbean. The chain consists of Zoetry, which is more upscale; Secrets which is adults only; Dreams, which is a family resort and Wow, one of the newer brands.
Pizzuti said Secrets in Montego Bay was booked until March.
