It was the 13th of January, 1992, that I walked eight (8) minutes to my first real job at Workers Bank – Savanna-la-Mar. I joined a team of welcoming, loving and caring people, who to date remain my dear friends. After 28 years, working at five (5) branches under 4 different names, a supportive husband and four (4) wonderful children, I remain committed to banking and would still choose it if I had to do it all again. I’ve learn a lot outside of my everyday functions that can last a lifetime. I couldn’t have done half of what I did without the support of other team members, not just in my branch, but across the network, excellent guidance from my managers and my family.
I feel valued as a team member because so often I given the opportunity to share my expertise in all areas with others across the branch network and the different departments. There are persons at all levels that I can call on at any time and not feel shunned or disrespected for ‘not knowing’ something. The mutual respect we share is everything.
I’ve had numerous “Beyond Gold” moments, ranging from one Teller leaving the bank to pursue his dreams (he is currently a professor in the Department of Economics in the USA) to taking the risk to leave my young family to journey to Kingston to assist with the conversion of our system to being among only seven (7) Jamaicans to be a cruise winner for the RBC Performance Cruise to the understanding look on the faces of my teammates after a training. My “beyond Gold” moments come daily.
I like a challenge and I believe there are no limits to what we can do if we only believe. I encourage other team members to be helpful, be humble, pray often, don’t be afraid to disagree respectfully, stand for something, laugh often, make time for family and most important, be yourself.