MORE THAN A MOTHER: Nurturing family, colleagues and customers

SARALEE MORGAN-LARMOND, SENIOR MEMBER OF C&W BUSINESS’ PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM

Children: Affion, 11 and 16-month-old Zariah

FOR many, the words ‘Mother’s Day’ connote images of the woman who gave birth to you and if you have been blessed with children, then you are also in the spotlight.

For Saralee Morgan-Larmond, “It’s a day when I celebrate the hard work of motherhood but also when I reflect on the unconditional love that I have for my family and friends. Spending quality time with my husband, children, and extended family is an essential part of the day, and it allows us to create cherished memories.

“Additionally, Mother’s Day gives me an opportunity to honour my own mother, who has been an incredible role model and taught me everything I know about motherhood. I’m also appreciative of the other mothers in my family and mother figures in my children’s lives. I’m particularly grateful for the blessings. Seeing my children’s smiles every day is a constant reminder of the happiness and fulfilment that being a mother brings to my life,” she shared.

A mom of two and a senior member of C&W Business’ Project Management Team, motherhood has allowed Morgan-Larmond to transition her nurturing qualities to her work team as well as her clients, where her role includes overseeing and coordinating service implementations for the company’s business customers across the island.

Morgan-Larmond is the mother of 11-year-old Affion and 16-month-old Zariah.

“After my second child, time management, communication and empathy became three of the skills that I knew I had to prioritise in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance,” she shared.

She added, “My daily ‘to-do’ list now includes activities for both my personal and work life as, for me, it’s important to check in with my team of 16 daily, even while I get to know my customers, follow-up and ensure that their various service requests are met.”

Specialising in mobile services, Morgan-Larmond works closely with the mobile provisioning teams to ensure that all service requests are executed efficiently, accurately accounted for in the billing system and recorded appropriately.

She is located at the company office in Mandeville, Manchester, but frequently makes check-in visits with her Kingston-based team at the corporate office. “I make myself available to provide guidance where necessary for my colleagues. I find that this enhances the cohesiveness and camaraderie within the team and allows us to meet our monthly objectives in a more seamless manner,” she explained.

Guided by company philosophy, “If we don’t have a customer’s trust, we don’t have a customer”, Morgan-Larmond expounded: “I also make the time to intentionally engage my customers as I have found that establishing and building relationships are key to gaining their loyalty. Their feedback is also an important element to my function, even as I provide them with the latest information on our mobile products and services.”

Morgan-Larmond is driven by her late grandmother’s words: “I believe that everything happens for a reason! Life can be beautiful”.

As a football mom, she is usually present for her son’s Redemption Club team matches, providing financial support, snacks for team members and doing pick-ups and drop-offs as needed, along with other parents. She also offers guidance and support to members of her son’s youth group at the New Beulah Moravian Church in Manchester, where her family worships. Her activities also include her role as an event manager for her husband Christopher’s comedy production activities.

Morgan-Larmond is incredibly grateful for the 16 weeks of paid parental leave from Flow Jamaica, sister company of C&W Business, which allowed her an opportunity for quality time to bond with her daughter, while she recovered from childbirth.

“That was particularly significant for me, as I underwent a scheduled caesarean procedure, which is a challenging experience. It was my second C-section, so I knew what to expect after the procedure and during the post-partum period. However, with the extended leave, my mind was more at ease knowing that I had ample time to rest and recover, because my job was secure.

“I returned to work feeling more prepared and ready to balance my work and family life.

Recently, Flow announced that all new employees are now able to benefit from maternity and paternity leave from their first day of employment with the company, as part of its Parental Leave Policy.

The policy, launched in June 2019, allows birth partners, adoptive and foster parents to benefit from eight weeks of paid leave following the birth of a child, placement of a child with an employee in connection with adoption or foster care, or birth of a child via gestational surrogacy. Birth mothers are provided with up to an additional eight weeks of paid leave for a total of 16 weeks paid maternity leave.