OUR AWARD-WINNING STAFF

From our beginning in 2005 we have provided advancement and educational opportunities as well as financial assistance for staff members and their families through scholarships, tuition reimbursement, bereavement support and monetary aid during unforeseen hardships including medical expenses –all overseen by our resort managers whose collective goal is to enhance the wellbeing of our staff, our most valuable asset.

Coconut Bay celebrates our team with multiple recognition programs throughout the year: Employee of the Month, Leaders Luncheon and Manager of the Quarter. We also plan a themed Annual Staff Awards party to celebrate the top departments, staff and managers each year. Staff members receive award bonuses and recognition including their photo on the Lobby Wall of Fame plaque and features on our corporate social media. Employees are also rewarded for participating in Cross Training Programs and are provided with incentives when they receive guest recognition through our guest review tools.

All Coconut Bay personnel receive ongoing training in customer service, professionalism, and communication in addition to their specific areas of expertise. Employees also gain skills in other departments as part of
Coconut Bay’s Cross Training Program. Based on ongoing performance evaluations, we assess training needs and deliver continuous in-house training by our experienced management team as well as outsourced certified trainers.

We are proactive in retaining staff members and are proud that 75% of our leaders (managers, supervisors, and shift leaders) were initially hired as line staff. To be appointed to a supervisory role, Coconut Bay requires employees to undergo supervisory training and become certified with an accredited institution such as the University of the West Indies (UWI), National Research and Development Foundation (NRDF), American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI). AHLEI also allows employees to pursue courses asynchronously to be certified in their area of expertise, for example Certified Restaurant Server and Certified Guest Service Professional.

Over the years, Coconut Bay has funded training for our engineering workers to pursue courses in HVAC with SALCC, skills that also fills a need in the island’s south and the resort has previously served as the training ground for the Vieux Fort Technical School providing our physical assets as an opportunity for hands-on training.

To encourage continued staff enrichment, we offer interest-free loans for educational advancement along with a Tuition Reimbursement Program. Coconut Bay also partners with the University of the West Indies Open Campus and National Research and Development Foundation to provide certified courses including Effective Supervisory Skills Training, Project Management and Supervisory Management. We also support online learning through the Typsy Hospitality Training School at no cost.

In addition to providing educational opportunities for our team Coconut Bay provides annual Scholarships to staff children who excel at the Common Entrance Exams, as well as annual school supplies for staff members’ school-age children. To date over EC$1,600,000 in scholarships has been distributed (including our annual Common Entrance Scholarship Awards) to staff members to support their children’s education.

In the event of financial hardship, Coconut Bay provides employees with the option of interest-free loans and reimbursement of 50% of the cost for successful completion of courses to pursue career advancement in higher education. Interest-free loans are available to team members for medical purposes as well as compassionate leave or financial aid should the need arise.

Coconut Bay is a proud supporter of the Southern Flying Fish Swimming Club. Since 2006, we have allowed this group weekly swim practice time in one of our resort pools. Helping this organization teach this life essential life skill to toddlers and school age children allows them to promote the sport to members of our community. Over the years members from the club have gone on to become Saint Lucia’s elite competitive swimmers from the south.

St. Jude Hospital, the second largest public hospital in Saint Lucia, provides vital health services to five major districts on the south of the island including many of our staff members and their families. With a location only 3 miles from our resorts and our long standing commitment to support the hospital after it burned down in 2009 and was forced to move operations into the Olympic Stadium, in 2015 Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa formally adopted the St. Jude Hospital Pediatric Ward with a Memorandum of Understanding. Over the years this MOU allowed us to meaningfully support their operations in the form of physical and monetary contributions, especially to the Pediatric Ward as they strive to provide the best possible care for their young patients. In addition to physical improvements such as painting the ward, Coconut Bay has provided volumes of donations including linens, telephone equipment, blankets and toys. Proceeds from Coconut Bay’s Weekly Rubber Duck Race, supported by our generous guests, has also helped us provide financial gifts to St. Jude which they have utilized towards purchasing vital equipment.

To commemorate our thirteenth anniversary on March 27, 2018, we launched the “Acts of Kindness” initiative. At the heart of this campaign were acts of goodwill targeting staff members and the surrounding community ranging from environmental awareness, mental health, to education and assistance for those in need. Activities included a Valentine’s Day visit to the Saint Jude’s Pediatric Ward giving away teddy bears and supplies, home repairs and donations for a family in need, a charity drive for the St. Lucia Children’s home, a party for the students at the Special Education Center with a visit from our resort mascots Coco and Loco, stress relief week for our staff with yoga and Zumba classes, as well as book donations to the Vieux Fort Library.

With a goal of bringing joy to our community, Coconut Bay staff members chose the holiday season to resume our charitable efforts and donned Santa hats as part of Coconut Bay’s “12 Days of Giving” community outreach. Activities included the “Santa Train” bringing gifts to children at the SJH Pediatric Ward, primary schools, the Rainbow Children’s Home and the Special Education Center. There were also visits and distributing hampers to the needy and elderly, bringing linens to the Bordelais Correctional Facility, meal distributions to the homeless, and of course singing Christmas carols.

We stand ready to support efforts to mobilize donations from Saint Lucia’s south towards relief efforts for our Caribbean neighbors in need of assistance including donations of lumber after Hurricane Thomas in 2010, and linens and mattresses in conjunction with the Vieux Fort Constituency Council towards the Dominica Relief effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

The Comfort Bay Senior Citizens Home is a residential care institution for the elderly located in Blackbay, Vieux-Fort and our staff chose collectively to unofficially adopt this facility to make a difference in the comfort and quality of care for the elderly. Over the years, our acts of service have included maintenance of Comfort Bay’s grounds and landscaping (2018-2020), hosting luncheons for the patrons and staff, donating linens, hampers, and TVs as well as the development of a farming component to assist in producing a supply of sustainable farm-to-table ingredients.

For several years Coconut Bay staff have joined together to visit the disadvantaged in neighboring communities delivering hampers in person to area residents in dire need of food and household items. This staff-initiated effort is another way we provide support and assistance to the under resourced in our community throughout the year.