CLARENDON, Jamaica— Public Health Inspector from the Clarendon Health Department, Gabrielle H Jackson, has released the book set titled ‘Redefining Supervision: Encouraging Better Workplace Relationships’, to help employers and employees learn and nurture healthy workplace relationships.

The author said the book set, which was released in the Supervisor and the Supervisee editions, was created to foster respect from all levels in the workplace between managers and employees and among colleagues.

“These books encourage productivity and minimise stress, anxiety and discomfort. Each chapter ends with a worksheet that allows users to assess themselves and make plans moving forward. It is a practical resource for workshop seminars, but can also be used by individuals as a manual to improve different skill sets in achieving good workplace relationships,” said Jackson, who added that she loves to see people happy in the workplace.

The author explained that many people may be productive at work but are not truly happy and prosperous in their work environment.

“It is really sad how the workplace is in terms of ‘people person’ relationships. We need to come to a place where we learn to solve our issues at work and it begins with us. We cannot be looking to Human Resources to solve our issues because they are overloaded. At the end of the day, it comes down to you and I as an individual who must take control of our own personal lives and learn to deal with, endure, pursue and overcome our issues” Jackson said.

Michael Bent, Regional Director of the Southern Regional Health Authority, said the books will tremendously help workplaces in Jamaica and the Diaspora.

“I commend you Gabrielle for being a go-getter and I believe that your mission is to make a change in the public health sector in Jamaica, as well as making it a transformed one. One of the things I admire is when you (Gabrielle) said it should no longer be a situation where persons assume supervision based on years of service and personally, as a leader, I believe that has to change and that must change,” Bent said.

He added: “No longer should a supervisor issue an instruction to a supervisee and that’s it. We must empower employees, and as supervisors, that must be one of our goals. We have the responsibility to build productive relationships between the supervisor and the supervisee.”

The books were launched at the May Pen Hospital grounds in Clarendon on Friday, April 29 and are available on Amazon, in print and electronic formats.