Comments by Audrey Oswell, managing director and president of Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas, regarding the planned construction of a neighbouring beach club has stirred controversy.
The issue has been highlighted in the editorial on May 11, 2023 in The Tribune online publication titled: Where is free speech as Atlantis probed?
While on the surface the issue relates to free speech (and the publication is correct to highlight this), at core it is about environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns raised by the Atlantis Resort President about the proposed beach club project by Royal Caribbean International (RCI) on Paradise Island, Nassau.
According to the Tribune editorial, in March this year, Oswell implored Bahamians to call on the government to “put the brakes on” the RCI project. She followed in April with a letter to Atlantis staff, urging them to “make their voices” heard on the project. In the letter, she said: “The potential impact on our beaches, marine life and water supply could be devastating if the appropriate environmental controls and practices are not carefully planned and executed. As the leader of tourism for The Bahamas and long-time stewards of the ocean and its marine life, caring for the environment has become part of our DNA. It is at the core of who we are and what we do.”
Devastating Impact
The Atlantis Resort president further argued that potential impact on beaches, marine life and water supply could be devastating if the appropriate environmental controls and practices are not carefully planned and executed. She warned: “Any expansion of the beach, overwater cabanas, seawalls, jetties or other structures poses potentially devastating impacts on the paradise Island coastline and our beaches.”
Oswell added that the noise from large numbers of people, music, jet skis and other activities and amenities offered at the project site poses potential threats to neighbouring residential property owners and Atlantis.
Has the management of Atlantis violated any protocols, norms or ethics in highlighting the ESG issues surrounding the impending resort project?
The Bahamian Government seems to think so, as the Labour Minister has launched an investigation at Atlantis after getting “a number of complaints” from employees. He said people made “allegations of undue influence being placed on them in respect to statements made by a senior executive”. Therefore, the Labour Department is looking at the complaints to determine their authenticity.
Appeal Directly to Staff
Should the management of Atlantis Resort have appealed directly to its employees for their support of an ESG issue? The indifferent response from the labour unions indicates that it was not the politically correct thing to do. Maybe, Atlantis needed and still needs to do more persuasion and buy-in efforts in the background before formally appealing to staff.
The Atlantis president indicated that she was breaking company tradition by making public statements on such matters.
“Can business leaders not speak up on issues in this manner?” asks The Tribune’s editorial writer. “If Atlantis, having not had its questions answered over its concerns, cannot speak up about a neighbouring project that has the potential to impact their own business without risking government investigations, where is free speech in our nation?”
It’s always a dicey decision to comment publicly on ESG issues. You must make sure you get the E, S and G all lined up. In this case it appears there may have been breaches of governance protocols in how Atlantis management sought the support of staff if the allegations of undue influence are proven. It could be argued that Atlantis needs to build a stronger social coalition about its environmental concerns.
The Bahamian Government’s endorsement of the planned project by RCI before the environmental impact assessment has been completed also raises question about governance practices.
RESOURCE: ISO 14001 environmental management system article
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