IN Jamaica, our culture, in many ways has been our greatest strength — vibrant, dynamic, and deeply rooted in resilience. However, within the corporate world, this is not easily embraced. Certain ingrained practices and mindsets have hindered progress, causing us to metaphorically “shoot ourselves in the leg”. In other words, there are still a lot of backward beliefs and practices that pose more harm than good and are allowed to continue in the name of a “that’s just how it is” or suh wi stay, work wid it” mindset.

Too often, companies seem complacent with losing top talent because of weak or insecure managers who perceive highly skilled individuals as threats rather than assets. Rather than fostering collaboration, these managers stifle innovation by seeing talent as a “challenge” to their authority. This has damaging effects on the growth of organisations. Unfortunately, these toxic individuals do not see that their actions are costly and do more harm to the company than good. The true question is: Why would they even see it? I believe the answer is simple, if the company keeps hiring to replace, then they are fine in this practice and the cycle will continue.

I have personally experienced this first-hand, navigating workplaces with older staff members and, unfortunately, this practice is more prevalent based on my view, with women who made it unnecessarily difficult for younger women to complete their tasks. But do not think that men are not in the mix. They are. Their insecurities often translated into barriers that slowed productivity and created avoidable frustrations. Then you have the occasional, “You have to sleep with them” to try and get ahead, or “do anything they ask, like working some ungodly hours”, and let us not forget the added workload because “they see the potential you have”. Instead of being supportive colleagues, they see young, smart talent and their abilities as a threat to their sense of security.

Adding to the issue, the Jamaican work culture frequently misuses performance reviews. Instead of leveraging them as tools for growth and development, these reviews are often wielded as a punitive mechanism, a way to criticise rather than uplift, a way to judge rather than train, and let us not forget that when it comes to the payment of bonus, it is used as a way of control to ensure that those who worked to ensure that the company’s profit margins are achieved do not get their just reward for their hard work, instead the performance evaluation is used to highlight what they did not do despite achieving their targets. This practice only exacerbates a toxic work environment and discourages emerging talent from flourishing or even having a desire to be loyal.

Moreover, there’s a cultural expectation from some older employees that younger professionals must “earn their stripes” in the same gruelling way they had to. Are we serious here? Why in this day and age would one think that a new talent needs to earn their stripes if they are performing? While experience is undoubtedly valuable, this rigid mentality alienates dynamic, ambitious young workers, driving them to seek opportunities elsewhere. Can we say both brain drain and talent drain?

Ultimately, these ingrained behaviours lead to toxic workplaces that hinder productivity, discourage innovation, and alienate top-performing individuals. Companies are left grappling with the financial fallout, you know what I am talking about, HR, those arbitration discussions with the Ministry of Labour. Added to that is the high costs tied to recruitment, onboarding, and training replacement that could have been avoided by cultivating an inclusive and empowering environment. Companies, it is time for a change.

Corporate Jamaica must take a hard look at these damaging norms and decide if this trend is profitable or not. By embracing younger talent, rethinking performance reviews, and creating spaces that encourage collaboration instead of competition, companies can unlock their full potential. The benefits are clear, it will help to create a stronger workforce, reduce turnover, and workplaces where employees, regardless of age or rank, can thrive together. Stop having these imaginary competitions and think more collaborative towards achieving the mission and vision of your team.

Honouring, mentoring, and nurturing the talents within our borders is not just essential for building better companies, but also for securing Jamaica’s economic and cultural future. As a country, we should feel tired of the brain drain and loss of top talent that could have helped in the economic progress and development of our society. It’s time we rewrite this narrative and create corporate spaces that work for everyone.

Khalice Bradshaw-Davis is an industrial and organisational psychologist, career coach, and counsellor. E-mail organisationalpsychologist@gmail.com.

KHALICE BRADSHAW- DAVIS