A senior specialist from the International Labour Organisation yesterday called on members of the Bermuda business community to take on the challenges of running their organisations as effectively and efficiently as possible, while recognising the rights of workers in the face of greater challenges brought on by increasing globalisation.

Luesette Howell, who is the senior specialist for Employers' Activities Caribbean Region at the ILO, told several hundred business people assembled for the annual general meeting of the Bermuda Employers' Council that globalisation could be blamed for a host of complex challenges we now grapple with.

But, Ms Howell added that the balance of the blame would lie with those who “ignore the driving forces of globalisation”.

“While technological transformations are driving us to do business in the fast lane, we find that our stick shifts are stuck in low gear. We have slowed down, or even reversed in some cases by many situations within and outside the workplace.”

She added that “overwhelming distractions” which on a global scale include high unemployment, civil unrest, terrorism, war, HIV/AIDS and more had taken employers away from the “mainstream of doing business effectively and efficiently”.

Although changes are taking place everywhere, Ms Howell said the level of change and degree of transformation would vary from country to country.

Nevertheless, she said there were common trends and that no one was left unaffected.

Ms Howell called on those assembled, including Government dignitaries and representatives from all of the Island's business sectors, to recognise that globalisation is a common destiny and to look at the best ways to handle the challenges we face.

To do this, she called on those in Bermuda - after having engaged with many of the Island's stakeholders from the public and private sectors in “jam packed” ILO sessions throughout the week - to be proactive in looking at how they could handle increased needs and demands, while also grappling with limited capacities and resources. Although recognising that some limitations could not be fixed, Ms Howell said there were several ways to correct certain limitations.

She cited the need for business to adopt new behaviours, to plan for change, to take into account the full picture of regional and global scenarios and to adopt a competitive edge.

Under new behaviours, Ms Howell said the 21st Century demanded new social and economic policies that would dictate new ways of dealing with issues.

And as things are changing so quickly in this age of globalisation, Ms Howell said planning for change would improve organisations ability to adapt to new environments of productivity and competitiveness, while keeping an eye on improving services to clients and customers.

Recognising that none of us operate in a vacuum, Ms Howell said looking at the “full picture” was a necessity in the new environment of greater movement of people, goods and services around the globe.

“Countries are re-testing and re-validating their national priorities and directions that may effectively contribute to the directions outside national borders.

“National adjustments are easier to justify when a full picture of the regional and global scenarios are understood,” she said.

To do all of this, Ms Howell said employers organisations - such as the BEC - could play a pivotal role.

“Employers' organisations are transcending their traditional roles in labour relations to contribute to economic and social cooperation. The new demands placed upon employers' organisations reflect the demands placed upon their member enterprises within their operating environment.”

With active dialogue and planning, Ms Howell said that corporations could adapt to new ways of doing business but it must be kept in mind that “while businesses make work for people, our premise is also that it is people that make businesses work,” and that the fundamental principles and rights for workers must be borne in mind.

She concluded that as organisations, governments and corporations adapted to changed environments the value of human capital had to be upheld, with child labour and bonded service still being practised in parts of the world.