IN a special board meeting last week, Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Priscilla M. Iakopo proposed the implementation of a self-care leave program for personnel similar to what the Commonwealth Ports Authority announced earlier.
“We saw in the [news]paper that CPA has…adopted this self-care leave, [so its personnel can] cope with stress and [to take care of their] state of mind. Not just that, it’s also [about] productivity and overall job satisfaction, and we really like the idea that CPA has taken the initiative to push forward,” Iakopo said.
She said MVA’s management has asked CPA “if they could share [details of] their self-care leave program with us, and what I’ve learned is that its employees accrue eight hours of self-care leave for the first day of each quarter. So, it looks like you’ll get four [days of] self-care [leave] within the fiscal year. I just wanted to propose this to the board if this is something that you can consider for MVA,” Iakopo added.
Currently, she said, MVA staff members are “spread thin” and are working “tirelessly [for] days” in organizing tourism events and implementing the Tourism Resumption Investment Plan.
MVA, moreover, has limited staffing, she added.
MVA board member Marian Aldan-Pierce wants to know how the self-care leave program could be funded.
“How are we going to be able to sustain it?” she asked. “Those are additional days that we have to pay for.”
MVA board chair Viola Alepuyo said management has looked into the possible financial impact of the program, adding that it will be discussed by the board in greater detail in an executive or closed-door session.
