Enterprising & resilient

Portfolio of the Civil Service (PoCS) Human Resource Executive Charlene Howell-Litchmore is the Cayman Islands Government Employee of the Month for October 2019.

Deputy Governor Franz Manderson presented Ms Howell-Litchmore with the Employee of the Month (EOM) certificate at a Thanksgiving function where Chief Officer Gloria McField-Nixon and colleagues also celebrated the win.

Mr Manderson awarded the HR Executive with the top Employee Award for delivering an Outstanding Customer Experience.

He opened by saying, "You have been described as a one-person "HR Machine". You are the epitome of professionalism."

Mr Manderson described Mrs Howell-Litchmore as someone who “consistently delivers work on time and to a high degree of accuracy and takes full ownership of assignments."

He continued to praise the October EOM by saying, "You juggle a tremendous amount of work, including deliving HR services on behalf of the Governor, the Office the Deputy Governor, Chief Officers and Heads of Departments within the PoCS, and support other clients across the wider Public Service. You are also a mentor to many in the HR Community. Despite your regular juggling act, you are always smiling, and there is never any indication that you are overwhelmed," Mr Manderson said.

Mr Manderson also noted Mrs Howell-Litchmore’s role as the driving force behind the Second Chances Programme, which was designed to assist Caymanians with a prior conviction to reintegrate into the workforce and contribute to society.

"While the creation of this Programme was not anywhere in your job description, this did not stop you from moving this worthwhile initiative forward. As a result of your hard work, five Caymanians who were unemployed have meaningful full-time employment,” Mr Manderson said.

Mrs McField-Nixon, who supported the nomination of Mrs Howell-Litchmore in the Deputy Governor's Award programme, noted her delight at the Deputy's Governor's selection.

"It is common to be an inspiration by sharing stories of triumph. However, what is telling about Charlene is that even on her worst day, she is willing to share her lessons of resilience,” Mrs McField-Nixon said.

“When Mrs Howell-Litchmore suffered a medical setback in September 2017 , she shared her most intimate experiences of what that was like and the road to recovery on a Civil Service blog as a way to encourage colleagues to be heart-healthy and not to ignore warning signs," Mrs McField-Nixon said.

“The fact that she shared what could have been one of the worst days of her life and turned it into something positive for her fellow civil servants speaks to the caliber of the individual."

Mrs Mc-Field-Nixon added, "We are fortunate to have her as a member of our POCS team and a member of our wider civil service family."