Change in Motion

On a recently visit to Costa Rica, I noticed that the local business scene has undergone radical changes. Changes that have a great impact on the working professional as well.

More and more multinationals are opening shop in the country, creating very high demand for educated bilingual and highly qualified professionals.  The quality of costumer service evolved from the take-it-or-leave treatment given especially at government entities (banks, hospitals, etc.)  to a costumer is king type of mentally rarely seen before.  It was nice to get quick friendly efficient service at a state bank (unbelievable!), a humble bank physically a stone's throw away from giants like HSBC and Citibank.   I remember being told off by a moody clerk at a state bank once many years ago for not speaking loudly enough. Without a doubt, competition is the biggest incentive for improvement.
 
Slowly, but surely, more government run services like telecommunications are due to become open to private providers; a slow death for the bureaucrats that kept the golden goose in a cage, but a blessing to the consumer.  There is even talk of decentralizing the health care system, state owed, managed and supported by taxpayers just like Canada and the UK to allow private clinics and all kinds of health care providers to offer services and get paid with the same funds.  Waiting for 3-6 months to get a liver scan will hopefully be thing of the past.

The aim of the government is to become a little Singapore-like state where the government takes a regulatory stand while businesses compete for a piece of the pie in their respective industries. All the changes, positive overall, though controversial for some, pose both challenges and opportunities for local professionals who will be feeling the pressure to get better to stay competitive. Businesses alike face fierce competition for talent acquisition and retention as well as to improve their service offering. 

And speaking of retention, on my next entry, a glimpse at what your company is doing (or otherwise) to keep you motivated.