Stay At Home. Go Do Your Work

I am always easily confused when people find good logic and a good answer then do not follow it. It's plagued me a lot over the past few weeks. Do all the hard work, then mess up at the finish.

Some people keep wondering--not in the nicest of terms, including ones last heard uttered in anger after my football studs got a goalkeeper just under his waist line--why I do not go and offer advice to Jamaica, and its ailing economy and self-destructive social misfits, rather than stay here in Barbados and gush with ideas. For me, the operative words are 'go' and 'offer'.

However it occurred--and Al Gore said it was all his idea--we no longer need to 'go' to many places to 'offer' our services. We can stay where we are and connect electronically. (Even people selling goods can show off the items very well through a web camera hook-up.) I'm often 'at home' with my Dad in Jamaica, while he looks out on his veranda and I look out onto mine--the joy of Skype--and we spend not a penny for the pleasure. His stroke prevents much travel and I have other obligations here in Bimshire.I thought the uses of teleconferencing or teleworking were blindingly obvious, but maybe they need stating. I've been using them for about 10 years now.

The new technological advancements are such that I do not even need to show up at another place to get paid: PayPal or wire transfer or some other electronic transfer can get me my dosh. I can similarly make payments online. In fact, those aspects alone would encourage me to stay put. If I take my Barbados-issued Scotiabank ATM card with me to Jamaica, well that's it for money withdrawals, bredrin. Why? Barbados has exchange controls and that denies me access to my B$ account, even though funds could easily be transferred through the same banking structure. So, why pay airfare, suffer airport delays, risk getting swine flu from contact with British tourists, run the risk of being mugged in Kingston, only to find that the Minister (or central bank Governor) has left for Washington and that I need to come back after their return? "Im soon come back, im did seh." I understand Jamaican patois--no translation needed. Go home and get on with your work.

I can also just click, order, pay online, and wait for delivery right at my door. You have to love Amazon.com, UPS, FedEx and DHL.

The other bothersome little kernel is about to whom I offer advice. I also thought that multitasking was standard, even though recent studies show that it's not as effective to do lots of things as to do only a few. It seems to some people that if I am giving advice to Barbados that I somehow cannot also be giving advice to anyone else. Well, hello! The consultants I know often do a cut and past and just search for country X and replace with country Y. What a wheeze! Two reports for the cost of one, and two pay checks. Nice one, Cyril!

I am convinced that these two 'afflictions'--the need to go to a place to function and the ability to only do one thing at a time--are not rare. In fact, they are very common in this region. My wife is often having teleconferences with colleagues in the US, but she then zips to the airport to fly to a supposedly nearby island for an hour's meeting. Dearest? So, she gets out of bed at 5.30am. She spends three hours at the airport before departing--delays are routine with LIAT. Then, she has a meeting at noon. She returns to airport for afternoon flight. Three hours wait--delays, of course--and that is without the fun of a transit through Antigua--the Gulag of LIAT. She arrives home at 11pm. "Honey, do you still love me?" she whispers a she slips into bed. I send her a text message later the next morning.

If I ask her about this, she tends to give me the "Yu madda backside" sort of reply about how she has to see X and talk with Y and give B this document. I then say, "Whatever" and go back to the veranda and get on with my work. The hum of the fan is better than the beat of the propeller; and I get food and drink not box juice and chips.

I uttered a quep (expression of derision--benefit of Scrabble played online) early this morning as I read the latest shrill calls to just pick you Georgie bundle and high tail it out of here, nuh man

I heard a man on the radio here several months ago, complaining about the traffic and how it cost him hours, etc. He then said how one morning he decided to stay home and work via his computer. Wow! No stress. Much work done. No traffic jam. If his wife had been home, who knows? Nappies in the dryer now? The next day, back again on the old routine. I wrote to the papers to point out that the man had the solution right there...telecommute.

Now, it's not all upside. If you are the philandering type and usually do that in the office or on business trips, you need to remember where you are when you are working, and have your alibi well worked out, when your wife decides that today she too will telecommute. But, I wont dwell on that sort of thing. I'm pushing one idea. Stay home. Get productive. "Minette, please pass me the mango."

I like Shopping...With Your Money

I told them directly what I thought of their service: it was poor and they needed to do better. "Thank you very much," they told me. "Can you help us improve?" Eh? I was not sure if I heard correctly. But, yes, they were asking me, the uber-critic, to give them a kick up the rear at their request. I wondered what was the catch. Would I have to don shirts with their logos? Were they going to get me to hold placards showing ...? None of that, they wanted me to go shopping, with their money, and I could keep what I bought. This was getting to be quite unreal.

Next, was training. I had quickly jumped ahead and figured that they would be taking me on one of those motivational trips to Las Vegas to fully incentivize me, while I played blackjack or .... Instead, I got an e-mail message inviting me to a 'webinar' (a video presentation over the computer). Drat. Not even a spin to St. Kitts and a day hanging around with LIAT in Antigua? I was a bit dismayed, but still excited. Would I have to wear a mask so that I was not recognized? No! So, for one hour I was 'unidentified from Barbados'. I felt nameless and faceless, and that's how it was supposed to be.

They wanted me to shop from the start of April, but I told them that I was due to travel, so would do it after I returned. But, a mix of excitement and a decision to carve out a couple of free mornings, meant that I could do the deeds before I flew. So, scenarios in hand, I was off to the stores. I wanted to be the 'shopper from hell', or the 'young but dense shopper' or the 'shooper who had just one more question'. I could be all of those and stay true to the role of mystery enquirer.

The company has a handful of stores around the south and west of the island and I visited three the first day, then the next day went to two. I was not the same in each of the stores, because the situation was slightly different each time. I was surprised that so many differences were facing me: one store was small, another very large; one was on a main street, two tucked into a mall. I was also on the look out for information about special deals, which had just been launched. Overall, I found that the stores fell into three camps: two very good, one very poor, and two just so-so. I bought the merchandise that I wanted. It was funny that although it is a newish item, it was not in stock in most of the stores: in some, it had been sold out, in one they were still waiting for stock from HQ. None of the stores tried to do any upselling--like accessories. None of the stores mentioned the special promotion! That was a shocker, and when I relayed that back to my contact at regional corporate HQ, they too were dismayed. Why had they bothered to do all the training if the staff were not trying to get people hooked up to the new deals. Lastly, everyone in the stores was supposed to be identifiable, but none of them wore a name badge: the best reason I heard was that "We're waiting for them to be printed." That's better that saying the dog ate it or it was left at home.

My best experience from this whole affair was to see the effect of a previous run-in with this company. I went into what was for me 'the store from hell'. I was asked to wait by a very nice young man, and within seconds was told to go to a counter. No one was there, so I pretend to start my query, talking to the cash register--to make the point that if I were told to go for service I was ready to be served. A lady whom I had met before approached me: "Good morning, Mr. Jones....Mr. Dennis Jones." I was in a dead faint in a flash, as she followed that with a winning smile. "I remember you. We have the same family name." Child, whatever it takes. As I was explaining what I needed to have done, I got a phone call. "I'll be with you as soon as I'm done," I was saying when Miss Winsome chimed up, "There. Finished." Finished? But normally the computer does not work and you don't know how to manually override the system and I am expected to stand patiently for an hour while you speak to a technician and make me miss my next appointment. You cannot be finished yet. It's only been two minutes. I felt cheated, but happily so. "You have a nice day and come again soon." I knew it: she was making a pass and it was my body she wanted...again the sweet smile. I left and glanced back one more time. She was still smiling. Scary. Had I had that effect from the blue light 'spanking' I ahd given the staff a few months ago?

Maybe it will all turn out right. The expectation of good service does not need to be like sucking a lime. There is no need for NISE, just nice people who care for what they do.

Are We Being Served?

Barbados' Health Minister, Donville Inniss, has thrown down the gauntlet to public sector workers (see Nation report April 21 2009), stating that they really are a shambles and great time wasters with little sense that they are both of these things. The Minister of Water had already sent out a warning salvo two weeks ago to those supervisors who basically appeared at work to start and end the day only (see previous blog post). Now, Minister Inniss has added some salient observations. I list the most significant:

• The pace of a lot of the work in the public service is "frightfully slow"
• The tardiness in the public service regarding many things, including appointing people and paying people; "... a very frustrating process to many individuals inside the public service and those outside of the service"
• Generally, time did not seem to be of major importance. "People don't seem to realise that time is money"

This comes on the back of reports that the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners may strike for not receiving payments for work done for some three years and doctors still awaiting contracts.

Pay in the public sector is clearly not related to work performance. I heard this week of a person who called a government office and got no reply. He let the phone ring and went to the office to find the line still ringing and the staff having a good old time chatting. I guess they were hearing challenged. I personally have little daily interaction with government departments but I have heard some horrible stories.

The problem of poor service is not confined to the public sector, as I have noted many times before. Interestingly, in this tourist-dependent economy, some of the most visible instances of poor service are in the hospitality industry. The columnist Stephen Alleyne expressed his frustration this weekend at going against his own better judgement, having "...vowed never again to patronise a South Coast restaurant following two separate instances of egregiously poor service that was dispensed to me and my guests." (see Advocate report April ...) It is instructive to read his whole story, and try not to boil over along with his retelling. Just a few extracts:

• The waitress said “Good night. Wuh you’ll having to eat?” keeping her eyes fastened to the notepad on which she was writing the order. No name (she wore a name tag that did not show her name). No smile. No comforting words.
• He marvelled at the style in which he and his guests were served their drinks: “Who ordered de rum ‘n’ coke? Who ordered de rum ‘n’ soda water? Who ordered de gin ‘n’ tonic".

Those of us who have lived here a while are quite familiar with this kind of story on one or several occasions in a restaurant. Either enough patrons are not making it clear that service like this stinks, or they are just not returning but being replaced by enough new customers, or the owners just don't give a whole heap of shaving cream.

I wonder if a psychologist needs to take a look at what is going on in the heads of people here. One argument I know may apply is the confusion about service and servitude. Coming from a slave history, it's understandable that the idea of voluntarily doing something well for someone else may not sit easily with many people. Is there a sense in which those who are supposed to serve feel that those they serve are beneath them? Is there the sense that providing service gives a considerable amount of control, by being an important 'gate keeper'--go through me or go nowhere, my friend.

My friends and acquaintances seem to think that the level of service offered by nationals is much poorer here than elsewhere in the region.

Wake Up And Smell The Coffee!

I am not a journalist by training, but I guess that by writing on almost a daily basis, I have become a journalist by practice. I am not an investigator by profession, but I do like to probe and my professional work has always been about finding answers or at least trying to ask the right questions. So, if I put those elements together then I suppose I could be called an 'investigative journalist'. In a few lines I have created my new employment category, at least for today.

With my new mantle, I feel ready to tackle the charge being levelled by Barbados' prime minister. I have to first thank a real journalist, Ricky Jordan, for reporting the story, and having spent time at Holders Hill listening to the PM give an account of his government's first year in office. I thank Mr. Jordan mainly because I was spending the time following world financial affairs and the Australian Open tennis, which due to the large time difference means that I should sleep by day and be up at night. Owls can do, so why can't I? But I'm actually up much of the time and will try to catch sleep next week.

The PM was reported (see Nation report January 27) to have said, 'Barbadian professionals, especially journalists and lawyers, must break the silence regarding several scandals left behind by the former Government.' To be fair, the gauntlet thrown down against professional journalists had in fact been thrown down already by fellow untrained journalists on some of the local blogs such as Barbados Free Press and Barbados Underground. They had in their way tried to show how the task should be done.When in today's paper, Mr. Jordan reports further on the meeting my heart skipped several beats. Why? He reports the PM as saying:

'Pointing to "a conspiracy of silence and indifference" across Barbados, he urged the mass media to take a look at itself in light of administrative scandals that remained un-investigated', and that, the PM also said,

"No editorial writer or columnist has to date commented on the squeaky clean Government we have run. No person doing business with this Government can accuse us of unfair practices," noting by contrast the "wastage" of $3 million in Hardwood Housing Inc., the Rural and Urban Development Commissions; contracts awarded without tender; houses built but not accounted for; as well as rampant cost over-runs to the tune of "hundreds of millions of dollars".

I know that these points have been taken up by some blogs, and yes NOT much by the editorial writers or columnists in the local papers. I am not claiming any special reward or prize, but before going on I will say that recognition is due to that group. Their style may not be pretty or polite--and I have my sparring with some of them when it comes to the tone of commentary that they tolerate, but they control their forums, but their approach is not a buried head in sand or gaze away in indifference approach.

Apparently--thanks again, Ricky--in a speech charged with accusations, the PM called for an end to hypocrisy ("Let's hear an Amen!"), stating "we have reached the sad, sorry stage in Barbados where people, in order to curry favour with a displaced political oligarchy or to position themselves for future handouts and benefits, would compromise all standards, ethics and principles on issues of transparency, accountability and morality".

In another article (see Nation report, January 27), the PM reportedly:

'also blasted lifestyles that were unseemly for people in high office, stating this had "everything to do with ability when the person or persons personifying Barbados are discredited and disreputable". Ho-ho! Those who listen to the radio call-in programs will remember that famous Sunday in 2007 when a certain minister decided that he did not want what he felt was public lynching and ran from the studio rather than deal with a question about 'millionaire lifestyles' on a government minister's pay.

Mr. Jordan adds, 'The Prime Minister also urged Barbadians not to be indifferent to the issue of rampant wastage, where rundown hotels were ill-advisedly purchased, renovated and supported at a cost of over $400 million, but which currently have a market value of only $40 million,' and that,

'Thompson boasted that a significant achievement of his Government had been the stamping out of corruption, the pursuit of transparency and the practice of accountability.'

Now, I do not know Mr. Jordan or the PM personally. The tone of the articles are friendly and I suspect that before long I may hear that Mr. Jordan is some DLP lackey or know BLP hater, which is why he has given all of this paper space to the PM's hammering on the drum of anti-corruption and responsible journalism. If that is so, it does not necessarily detract from the essence of what is being said and being called for.

My working life has been all about accountability. I was not necessarily in the public eye much of the time, but I was doing my public service and knew that the money was not mine or my friends and family's and that there was a certain duty of care and honesty that had to be preserved. Had I become a lawyer or politician--they do live in the same skin, often--I might have seen that my black-and-white view on honesty in public service needed to be shaded. I tried to do a good job and give good service. These are not concepts well accepted in Barbados.

Taking the word of our latest Superman, President Obama, which was already one of my own, "Look!". It's simple. You get what you deserve if as a people, public, society, or community, you put up with shoddiness and do not put feet to the fire for poor service, administration, governing, hygiene and more. More so if you say you run a service economy.

A letter I wrote a few weeks ago about the absurd activities of LIME/C&W, was published in the Sunday papers, and it elicited a call last night from an acquaintance at the company who having read the letter was incensed that the newspapers had dragged up a story from over a year ago to embarrass the company. When the first instance had occurred in early 2008, this acquaintance had resolved the problem I cited with painstaking patience with those in the organization and a sense of customer care that is virtually unknown here. So, over a long conversation, I had to explain that this was indeed a fresh instance. She gasped and was appalled that colleagues could not think through "how to serve the customer" as she put it. Much of the time she was in silence, and I imagine shaking her head.

Those of us who have decided to rail against bad or poor quality anything in Barbados--which is setting itself up as a place of excellence--know of what we speak. The PM's call may ring hollow because the general approach here is not to probe and dig and fight to correct, but to dissemble and shuffle and mutter and say "It's a mistake".

A friend called me twice within the past two days and began by asking me, "Dennis, tell me if I am over-reacting." She told me of a visit to the cinema during the weekend, with a group of children. Everything indicated the film would start at 3pm: the newspaper, the recorded message on the cinema phone line, the printed time on the tickets that she bought. But after sitting in the theatre for some 30 minutes she wondered what was happening. Cutting a long story short, she was told, "De flim goin' start at 3.30". When asking why this was so, she was told that the change had been made nearly a week ago and all of the films due at 3pm were now at 3.30pm. "Is a mistake. We neva change de recording or correct de newspaper ads or reprint de tikit." No one had said anything either when the tickets were bought, and no signs indicated this change. So, company policy? Let the poor paying suckers pay and waste nearly an hour because we are too lazy or uncaring to even put up a simple chicken scratch notice or say boo. Next.

Her second call was about UWI, where she enrolled for a course. SHe had heard nothing about her application. The response: "We have not heard from the dean of admissions". So, one day after the course was due to start my friend does not know if she should be studying in classes! As we say in Jamaica, "Is wha kin' a foolishness dis?" This is the foolishness that takes time to develop and you nurture it by being indifferent.

So, as I told my friend, write a letter to the cinema and UWI. Also send a copy to the newspapers, who may or may not publish it. Also, write about it on the Internet: that is free airspace and its contents are known and picked up; if you put in the key word 'Barbados' it may also get picked up by international interests and before you know it you are on Google's first page.

But, will any of this pushing against mediocrity make for change? The mantra of President Obama needs to be sung loudly in Barbados. This country must change and make that change seriously and soon.

Plumbing The Depths of Price Gouging.

A Bajan acquaintance, "McDonald", sent me a story about his recent experience with local price gouging.

This is what he actually wrote:

"A few days ago, I noticed that the water in the sink located in our drying yard was draining very slowly. Then on Monday my helper informed me that water was leaking from the top of a manhole. The last time that this happened, and I was slow to act on the signals, the water in the powder room toilet, the washing machine and the kitchen sink backed up, creating a mess. At that time I called a company called H & J Septic Services Ltd. They came promptly and pumped out the entire system doing a creditable job for an affordable fee.

Thus, because of the problems I had then, I decided to call the same company hoping that they would respond as quickly as last time. Unfortunately, the telephones at the company were not in service. I then called WHITE'S SEPTIC SERVICES, picked at random from the Yellow Pages ( I deliberately avoided calling the larger companies because I figured that I would stand a better chance of a speedy response from a smaller company). A gentleman by the name of "Victor White" answered and promised to come over and check out the problem as soon as he had dropped the children at school. He appeared in less than an hour to my delight. I explained what was happening and told him that the system was cleaned approx. a year ago and that I suspected that the roots of our Jamaican ackee tree had invaded the pipes and caused the blockage.

He checked the manholes out then snaked the system and blew compressed air through the pipes. Then he removed some twisted root tendrils that had grown inside. The job was completed in less than thirty minutes, at which point I requested the cost. He pursed his lips and said $450. I was surprised and commented that I was in the wrong profession, to which he replied that the hazardous nature of the work justified the price.

I know that he is a professional in his field doing a job that I could not do myself and I was at fault because I did not get an estimated cost up front, but I am convinced that he charged me based on my address. There is this misconception in Barbados that everyone living in "the heights" is rich, and unfortunately some unscrupulous tradesmen overcharge. I got caught because I was so eager to have the job done that I did not get a price up front. Later in the day my plumber came to my house and was blown away when I told him what I had been charged. On October 24, 2007, I paid H & J Septic Services Ltd. $172.50 for cleaning the grease traps and pumping the entire system.

In future, if I am dealing with any tradesman for an emergency job, I will enquire about the cost before the job is started."

"McDonald" has a number of legitimate beefs, I think. Is there this location discrimination in Barbados? It would not be rare. It's a similar phenomenon if you take a taxi from in front of a stooshy hotel. But, it's something we ought to be able to check, both in terms of knowing and stopping.

The rate for the job is another bone of contention. It's notoriously difficult to get an idea of the rate for a job from many contractors, and those who deal with emergencies know that the crisis can drive the price higher--really to where the market will bear, as we economists say. You are over a barrel if you have a leak in the middle of the night or you have flooding in your house. Where is "Joe the Plumber" when you really need him?

According to "McDonald's" story, he paid the equivalent of ₤140 (British pounds) for this little call out job. A quick check on the Internet shows that in London, you could easily pay between ₤40-140 (pounds) an hour (see one UK website) . So, our Bajan lad was paying something well over the going rate in Blighty. Again, this moniker for Barbados of "Little England" rings hollow. The place is bigger than the old Motherland, when it comes to pricing. Maybe, we can persuade one of the UK airlines to always bring a few plumbers for free holidays in Barbados, give out their names and let them work in the local market. Maybe that will drive prices down.

"McDonald" admits that the average Bajan is reluctant to pursue incidents which they deem to be "unfair", mostly because of their placid nature. Like everything else this is a generalization because one only has to listen to the daily call-in programs to hear the Bajans who do not fit the "placid" mould.

It's hard to know how to get justice done in situations like this but I'm sure we'll figure out a way.

A Bitter Taste of Barbados.

The Taste of Barbados week got off to an inauspicious start for me. I had more than a tinge of disappointment as I left Apsara restaurant last night, near midnight, after a dinner event, with "celebrity" chef, Madhur Jaffrey. Ms. Jaffrey is often touted as the “Julia Child of Indian Cookery”, and has been honoured internationally for her services to drama and the promotion of Indian food and culture.

The meal and its food were nice enough, but once again I wonder what this tourist venue called Barbados is really putting together to attract patrons. Money can't buy everything and in Barbados I'm one of those who believes that it buys you very little.

My wife and I are lovers of Indian food and wanted to sample meals prepared by one of the most renowned cooks on this cuisine. That's why we shelled out B$160 each, and encouraged a bunch of friends to join us. Maybe I went with the wrong expectations. At any ordinary restaurant evening you are often bombarded by an array of descriptions of "tonight's specials" to tempt you. So, why at this special event should I have to imagine what the menu listings meant? Sure, it was not a cooking seminar, but why could the event not have had a time for the chef to visit each table and just spend a few moments talking about the meal or particular dishes?Why would that only happen for those tables who "requested" it? And if that was to be the case, why was that simple point not made clear at some stage between buying the ticket and ending the meal? Another case of the customer not really counting for much? Why should each course be some 30 minutes apart?

Sure, we get miffed when the drinks we ask for as cocktails cannot be had. I get more miffed when the wine I request is the one wine that is not available. Take it off the list! I don't have a visceral anger about these goings on, in part because I've learned to lessen my expectations. But it need not be so.

Madhur Jaffrey has a deservedly great reputation, and is multi-talented, with experience in film and television. So, I was surprised that she did not make an appearance near our table, though we saw her roving around other tables. Should we have paid extra for that "privilege".

I would have loved to hear at least a word from the food guru on how she had prepared one or some of dishes, or where in Barbados I could hope to get some of the ingredients. We have been trying our hand and cooking Indian dishes for years and here was a chance to learn from one of the best. Sigh.

The way the feeding was organized seemed to be some sort of disjointed affair. It's final bizarre element came with the serving of the main course (Sri Lankan red curry), for which the accompaniment arrived 30 minutes before the meal itself! So, we ate what we had in front of us, hot, and waited....and waited...for the main meal to arrive. Had we been forgotten? When we asked for more of the accompanying naan bread to go with the meal, we were told...40 minutes later...after we had got dessert...that there was none left. You have to put on a NISE smile.

The restaurant staff was clearly stretched and for this event, where every table was occupied, additional serving staff had been brought in. But blame should not be on their shoulders, as they were not the organizers merely the providers. Although "unprofessional" in saying so, we had to agree with one of their comments that the food took too long and that the staffing seemed inadequate.

Lessons learned? Sorry to say it, don't expect too much from this kind of event. Service excellence? Still a long way off.

NISE has not produced nice people.

Barbados is out of touch with itself! I was headed off the island and could not believe what I was reading in the daily paper. According to the 2007 Annual Report of the National Initiative for Service Excellence (NISE), the "Smile Barbados Campaign [was] a success" blared the Advocate (see report). Apparently, this campaign had a "view to encouraging people to show greater respect for each other and appreciation for the things that others do to encourage people to say thank you more often". It's a lie! I have not seen any upsurge in smiling, thanking, pleasing, better appreciation of. If you don't believe me, let me call all the people I know who regale me with their horror stories every day. Printing and distributiong 200,000 Smiley stickers doesn't change a thing if people have no real sense of what the change is supposed to be. As we say, "You can take him out of the bush, but you can't take the bush out of him".

As I have noted before, this campaign has not been anyway near the airport, which is the first and last port of call for many visitors. It's where many first or only good and bad impressions are made. I am going to go no further than relate my latest experience at the airport. If you want to see un-NISE people start there.

Immigration officer: ............. (hand outstretched for my documents, no eye contact)
Me: Good morning.
Immigration officer: ............. (silence, followed by passport being stamped and pushed back through window)
Me: Thank you. Have a good day.
Immigration officer: ............. (silence, and look down at rubber stamp and fingernails)

I went on to have my bags checked at security.

Me: Good morning. I can never remember if I need to take off my shoes and belt.
Security officer: Tek out yu laptop.
Me: What about my shoes?
Security officer: Mi sey tek out yu laptop. You have coins or metal in yu pocket? Put de belt in de tray.
Me: I guess I keep my shoes on, then.

Then, as I proceeded I overheard (because it was loud enough) and saw the following:

Female security officer: Perlene, I did tell hi' to come check de people bag, an' he jus' kiss hi' teet' an' ignore me. I no' dealin' wi' he no more.
[She then gave pushed out her mouth at the "uncooperative" co-worker, meanwhile waving the scanner over the passenger standing in front of her, who was a little bewildered.]
Female security officer: Next! You wait till we go on break...I go fix hi.

We need NISE to do a "Mission Impossible" visit to the airport and detoxify the people who work there, either on the government's direct behalf or indirectly as contracted workers.

Same place. Different experience. I walk to the Executive Lounge at the airport (and I don't believe that there should be any difference wherever I am in the airport complex).

Me: Good morning, Mr. White.
Mr. White: Ah, Mr. Jones. Where are you travelling to today? Where is the little miss?
Me: I'm just heading to Jamaica. Little miss is in Nassau. Did you go to any Crop Over fetes or to Kadooment over the weekend?
Mr. White: No. I had to work here. Long days. Too tired. I'll call you when boarding is ready.
Me: Thanks. Get some rest later, then.

Fast forward. I arrive in Jamaica.

Immigration officer: Good afternoon. You visiting or live here?
Me: Just visiting. Why do you smile and talk?
Immigration officer: Wha' wrong wid you? Me is not rude. Of course me smile and say something.
Me: I think you need to go to Barbados and do some training courses.
Immigration officer: Why? Dey don' smile or talk there?

These simple difference make a huge difference. Nice is as nice does. Those people who are dealing with the bulk of the public at the airport are not nice. Let's see if NISE can get to them before it's too late.