Q: Have employees’ expectations of employers changed due to the pandemic and economic crisis?

Suren Rodrigo (SR): Post-pandemic, employees expect organisations to look after the wellbeing of their families as well as enable them to live lifestyles in keeping with the new normal.

At 99x, we ensured that our employees had the necessary tooling and knowledge to work from home. Having strong connections and cultural bonds at 99x really helped.

Q: The changes brought about by the pandemic to work cultures are here to stay. Has this been true for 99x as well?

SR: Yes. I think that our people appreciate the opportunity to work from home on most days.

However, 99x prides itself on its workplace culture, which is crucial to maintaining strong team interactions and engagements to ensure ongoing bonding between team members.

Empowering new employees and onboarding them onto projects requires hands-on experience, so we also want our employees to come to the office and work together with their teams.

Q: In what new ways can a positive work culture be fostered?

SR: Fostering a positive work culture mainly means empowering, guiding and motivating by evolving engagement models and new mechanisms.

Technology plays a major part in this process at 99x and we are looking to use automation to enable staff to engage with each other, including our employees in Malaysia, Thailand and Brazil.

To this end, we are exploring how artificial intelligence, and ChatGPT and other language model-based tools can be leveraged to achieve our goals for staff working remotely.

Q: Can you share some best practices adopted by your organisation to tide through the economic crisis?

Sachith Perera (SP): When the Central Bank of Sri Lanka floated the Sri Lankan Rupee, companies gained a currency advantage. I am proud to share that we are among the few companies to pass 100 percent of the exchange gain benefit to employees by pegging 100 percent of their total salaries at the pre-float rate.

During power cuts, we helped ‘Xians’ by granting an interest free loan scheme to purchase off-grid power solutions while a company vehicle was made available for emergencies.

A medical fund was set up for employees who ran out of their medical insurance cover and mental wellbeing was maintained through external counselling services.

Q: What are the lessons you have learnt from participating in the Great Place to Work Sri Lanka survey?

SP: The Great Place to Work survey has given us a scientific method of collecting data and understanding what is being done in the industry. The process provided us with new insights, which we have leveraged to enhance employee satisfaction, improve the work culture and attract fresh talent.

Q: How can organisations pursue the philosophy of creating a ‘great workplace for all’?

SP: A great workplace offers learning, challenges and the opportunity to pursue career goals with great financial perks. Since our inception, we have built an inclusive culture where diversity is respected.

We offer many growth and learning opportunities, and listen to employee feedback through various forums. 99x encourages innovation and creativity, and is an early adopter of new technologies.

Creating a great workplace for all is creating a very rewarding environment, which we will continue to do into the future.

– Compiled by Yamini Sequeira

 Telephone: 4721194  |  Email: hello@99x.io  |  Website: www.99x.io