Growing demand for greater access to human resources expertise has led the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) to launch a human resources and labor help desk yesterday.
Spearheaded by the BCCEC's training arm, the Chamber Institute, the service promises members significant savings of around 30 percent compared to professional consultants' rates.  The service will be available to all Bahamian companies - small and large, members and non-members of the BCCEC - but organizers anticipate small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will take the greatest benefit from it.
"With a small employee base, minimal capital and scarce resources, SMEs are challenged to perform on a sustained basis the varying and critical human resource and talent management functions," Manager of the Chamber Institute, Ian Ferguson, said at the BCCEC premises yesterday.
Ferguson said that with SMEs, the human resources function often falls to the owner/operator, operations manager or an administrative assistant - none of whom are typically equipped with any human resources training.   Addressing the core aspects of the human resources function - from recruitment to succession planning, job training to evaluation, policies and procedures - callers to the Help Desk can also get assistance with industrial relations, including mediation services, labor conciliation meetings, and industrial tribunal hearings.
Before small businesses find themselves facing industrial action, however, companies can have a complete human resources 'diagnostic checkup' conducted through the help desk.  For a flat rate of $150, businesses can get the diagnosis that delves, through over 100 questions, to identify critical areas for development and improvement, Ferguson said.
He promised a 48-hour turn-around, and said respondents will get a written report with specific feedback relevant to their business.  They are then free to engage the help desk or independent professionals to address any issues or potential concerns revealed by the diagnosis.
"It is the preventative, productive and supportive mechanism to assist small and medium sized enterprises with their human capital," Ferguson said.
BCCEC Chairman Winston Rolle said the help desk is a direct response to requests the Chamber receives "almost on a daily basis".
"There are a lot of companies out there that are having to make decisions as relates to human resources training, labor and related matters, and with no place left to turn they often turn to us," Rolle said.
The BCCEC will engage a cadre of qualified human resources professionals from its network for the help desk, with Ferguson spearheading the vetting and approval of participating human resources professionals.   The Help Desk phone numbers are 322-2145 or 322-3320.

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