An official certificate and a $250 cheque – well-earned rewards – were presented to Mrs. (Marjorie) Dale Hill of the Immigration Department this week by officials from the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs (PIE).

Mrs. Hill is one of three recipients of a Chief Officer’s Choice Award, part of the Deputy Governor’s Award programme from which August’s Employee of the Month was chosen.

Mrs. Hill joined the Filing Registry section in 2010 as assistant manager, and has been the acting manager for the past six months. During her time there, she has enjoyed seeing the “transformation of the section” as the staff brainstorms regularly to find innovative ways to enhance its services.

The unit is considered the backbone of the department, as its 123,000-plus files are used by all boards and sections – from permit grants to enforcement.

“Over the past year, we have transferred 40,000 files to electronic files, about one-third of the backlog,” she said, relying on teamwork, along with her years of similar work experience in the private sector.

The PIE officials applauded her service, noting that Mrs. Hill was chosen from over 900 staff within the Portfolio. The cash bonus is intended as merit-pay for outstanding service – either to the public or to internal clients. It also serves as an incentive to other public servants.

“Where you work hard, and it’s appreciated, it makes you want to work even harder,” she added.  As for how she’ll spend the cash, Mrs. Hill said, “I’m hosting a cookout at my home the weekend for all my staff!”

PIE Chief Officer Eric Bush presented the accolade. He was accompanied by Chief Immigration Officer Linda Evans and PIE’s Deputy Chief Officer Wesley Howell and Chief Human Resources Manager Briana Ebanks.

Article and photo by Information Officer Lennon Christian