'I love my job very much'

Noel Thompson, Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU

When next you ring the telephone at the Doctors Cave Beach Hotel in Montego Bay and hear that pleasant-sounding professional voice, it could very well be Beverley Stephenson-Lewis.

Stephenson-Lewis has been employed to the hotel for the past 37 years, earning her the title as the longest-serving employee from a field of approximately 150 staff members.

What is the secret that has kept her there for 37 years? Brace yourself for her answer: "I am always on probation, never feel I have been yet appointed," she said. "I try to get along with everyone. Where I believe I err, I correct it, and I always pray."

She was only 21 years of age when she left her mother's house in Cascade, Hanover, and came to Montego Bay in search of a job. She was a babysitter by day, and went to further her education at the then Jamaica Commercial Institute in the evenings. At the institute, she did a course in telephone operating and office administration.

Her transition to Doctors Cave Beach Hotel occurred merely by luck and perseverance. "After completing my course, I was job hunting. I was walking along Gloucester Avenue when I walked inside the hotel and inquired if there was any vacancy in my field," she recalled.

On hearing her pitch, Lolita Evans, the CEO, responded: "But you have a nice voice." That secured her permanent employment with the company.

Stephenson-Lewis has never looked for employment elsewhere. Said Stephenson-Lewis: "I love my job very much. It takes good qualities to be a telephone operator, tolerance and patience, with which I am blessed. I take my job as my home away from home."

Stephenson-Lewis is a devout Christian. She is a member of the Green Heights Assemblies of God in Green Pond, St James. She is the mother of three, and has been married for the past 15 years.