Our shift crew
At LBH Colombia we have office staff and operations staff. Office staff is primarily comprising of professionals from Commercial, Administration, Logistics, Finance, Accounting and IT areas. We are all the time in the office or travelling between the offices, or on commercial visits in or outside the country.
Our Operations staff is naturally moving between ships and ports with occasional hosting of visitors like clients, authorities, and operational contractors. In some of our operational areas we had the need to organize work shifts. This is primarily given at Puerto Drummond and Puerto Bolivar but for two distinctive reasons: at Drummond it is the shear size of the operation which is also quite demanding. We have assigned 7 port supervisors to carry out this job and they work in 12 hour shifts in couples. Two during the day for a week, then rotate to a night shift, another week, then rest for a week. In addition, we have one person as a standby to take over vacation or absentees when /if required, and the office manager.
At P Bolivar, on the other hand, even though not as busy as other areas, we also implemented the shift work base due to its remote location. It takes over one hour plane flight to reach there from Barranquilla base, or alternative approximately 8 hours by car transport, subject all going well. We assigned weekly shifts to one port supervisor at the time: they change every Wednesday, and normally on return to the base they rest till following Monday when they are required to be in the office preparing their next trip to the port.
Because of these workloads these port supervisors miss most of our extra labour activities. Naturally once they are out of their shift they want to go home and spend time with their families. So this is a time when I want to pay a specific thank you to our shift crew:
In Barranquilla, at OPZ1 for Bolivar ships: Jaime Rodgriguez, who joined the company in 2008, has a technical degree in Financial Administration, and has 3 children. For Jaime his attraction to work of shift lies in scheduling activities with his family during rest time and has allowed him to build strong ties with operations staff from the port. Teaming up here is also Jorge Cotes, who joined the company in 2021, has a technical degree in International Trade, and has a little daughter. For Jorge, his attraction to work on shifts lies in being able to be mentally there in a click, and the body goes into 100% work mode as soon as he leaves home. He feels that there is greater concentration and attention to detail when entering this mode of work.
At Puerto Drummond, OPZ2 for Drummond ships: Leonardo Bonilla, who joined the company in 2009, has a technical degree in Industrial Maintenance, and he has a little daughter. For Leonardo his attraction to work on shift lies in commitment with smart solutions that implies valuable support for customers. Danilo Garcia, who joined the company in 2004, has a degree in Bachelor of Foreign Languages, and has 3 boys. For Danilo, his attraction to work on shifts lies in having the opportunity to see his family at the end of the shifts and see their happy faces telling him everything about the school day and doing their respective homework’s; that it is what He likes to work for. Gabriel Lafferty, who joined the company in 2013, has a professional degree in International trade, and has 3 Children. For Gabriel, his attraction to work on shifts lies in the passion for doing that he loves.
Alexander Lara, who joined the company in 2021, has a degree in Business Administrator with an emphasis on logistics and foreign trade. For Alex, his attraction to work on shifts lies in sharing quality time with my family and friends. Jaime Mier, who joined the company in 2018, has a degree in Social Communicator, and has 3 Children. For Jaime, his attraction to work on shifts lies in keeping safety and family in mind, who motivate him every day. Osnaider Sulbaran, who joined the company in 2019, has a degree in Maritime Administration. For Osnaider, his attraction to work on shifts lies in organizing his time to attend personal issues, which makes it easier.
We appreciate very much their efforts and sacrifices, and our RET division (human resources and talent administration) always finds way to compensate their commitment. For example, in October our RET´ leaders took care of the staff´s children for Santa Marta Office, when our Operations staff were working. They had a good time seeing a movie and children weared their best superhero custome.
As a rule, our company respect their rest time, no contacting our operation people for any work issues, to allow them enjoy the free time with their family, and if there is going to be a particular training, attendance is voluntary or alternatively compensated afterwards.
We feel very proud of our crew shifts. They follow different routine from the rest of the team, but certainly their wellbeing plays a major influence in our performance vis a vis our customers.
