Back-to-school expenses are set to become more manageable for a wider group of Cox & Company Limited employees this year, as the company expands its Sandra Joseph Subsidiary Programme to provide financial assistance to employees with children.
The initiative forms part of the company’s broader employee welfare efforts as Cox & Company marks its 100th anniversary of doing business in Saint Lucia.
Chief Executive Officer Matthew Beaubrun said the programme reflects the company’s longstanding commitment to its employees, whom he credited as a major factor behind its success.
“Since 2017, we have actually given back about $71,000 in support to our staff,” Beaubrun said.
He noted that the company provided additional assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many employees faced heightened financial pressures.
“During the COVID period that was also a very difficult time. We had an additional $50,000 which we gave back to our staff.”
Beaubrun said the initiative was initially established specifically to support employees.
“It was originally just a programme we put together to support our staff. Our staff are very important to us.”
He said Cox & Company’s emphasis on its workforce has been central to the company’s development over the years.
“We are a company that really leads through very strongly through our human resource area. Very faithful, very loyal staff and this has made us successful over the years.”
The expanded back-to-school assistance also reflects the company’s emphasis on education and the opportunities it can create for young people.
“Education is so important,” Beaubrun said.
He told the children of employees that education can provide a pathway to professional advancement, pointing to examples within the company of employees who began their careers at a young age and eventually rose into senior management.
“I also show them examples of some management and persons in our organization who started with us from they were 18 years old and now they are at the top of the company in terms of management.”
For Beaubrun, those examples demonstrate what can be achieved through commitment and discipline.
“So it shows them what you can achieve and the discipline.”
He encouraged the children to pursue a balanced approach to their development, combining academic achievement with other interests.
“I enforce that for the kids that work hard, play hard in terms of sports and things like that but just make sure that you get a solid foundation in education because that’s the future.”
The expansion of the Sandra Joseph Subsidiary Programme comes as Cox & Company reaches its centenary, with the company highlighting employee welfare and education as important elements of its continued contribution to Saint Lucia.
Beaubrun’s remarks also underscored the company’s belief that investing in its employees and their families is closely linked to its long-term success.