Customs launches Change Champions Programme

Twenty-three staff members of the Jamaica Customs Department were officially pinned as change champions on Wednesday, July 6, at their Newport East headquarters.

"The Change Champions Programme was launched as a change-management mechanism to keep staff members fully informed about the transition the department is currently going through in becoming an executive agency," said Dania Beckford, director of public relations at the Customs Department.

The programme is extended to all outports of the department. Similar ceremonies will take place this month in St Ann's Bay, Montego Bay and Portland for the change champions who are stationed there.

Volunteers

There are 62 persons in the Change Champions Programme who took keen interest in the implementation of the organisation's change process and volunteered to monitor and ensure that the vision and mission of the department is communicated and understood by all staff. "Change champions also clarify any misunderstandings and identify any communication gaps that may arise, while identifying any resistance to change," continued Beckford.

Eyes and ears of change

Commissioner Danville Walker in his presentation to the change champions underscored the importance of having these volunteers as the "eyes and ears of the change process" working alongside the Modernisation Programme Office that is charged to lead the transition of the department.

Senior Superintendent James Forbes in his presentation as guest speaker highlighted one of the major tenets of the change process, which is the continued enhancement of customer service. The event concluded with the change champions reciting their pledge to service, as each of them were pinned by Michele Small Bartley, modernisation specialist at the Cabinet Office.