Q: In your opinion, what constitutes a ‘great workplace’?
A: Certain common fundamentals make a great workplace stand apart from the rest – such as the organisation’s purpose and how it links to the values of stakeholders including society as a whole; the trust between management and staff; and employees’ ability to become a part of the company’s success and develop themselves.

A culture of trust plays a major role in this, and this depends on how employees perceive credibility, respect, fairness, transparency and consistent leadership.

Our purpose is to connect people and improve their lives. This is why our employees have a good sense and pulse of the work they do. Understanding the importance of what we do has generated a great work atmosphere within the company.

Q: Does senior management play a role in promoting an open and engaging culture?
A: To emphasise our commitment to being great leaders, we’ve developed an executive leadership framework.

This framework is based on the principle of leading with ‘head, heart and guts,’ and comprises six attributes that form the basis of a common understanding of our leadership culture.

DHL’s senior management is committed to creating an environment that nurtures growth and empowerment, which increases both motivation and discipline

Furthermore, DHL recognises that frequent and reassuring communication with employees is the best way to foster a culture of dialogue, openness and mutual respect. Our management team believes in a respect and results oriented culture, which has led to reducing uncertainty among employees and creating a sense of community

Q: How does innovation and customer satisfaction make for a robust workplace culture?
A: To thrive as the ‘world’s most international company,’ we need to tap into the wealth of information around us. The combination of utilising advanced technologies and relying on employees to use these technologies will certainly make a great company better.

Over the years, DHL remained innovative by staying abreast of emerging trends and nurturing a culture of innovation. The structured approach we follow has ensured that the company unlocks the potential of digitalisation; it has thus enabled our employees to participate and drive continuous improvement through innovative performance dialogues.

Digitalisation initiatives have been catalysts in encouraging employee interaction and sharing best practices with digitalisation evangelists around the globe to work as one, thereby creating a balanced and healthy workplace culture.

Q: Is organisational agility a priority for DHL?
A: Yes. During the pandemic, we have seen disrupted workforces join with a common purpose of solving complex problems and saving lives.

What these companies have in common is an organisational culture that empowers employees. The prevailing mindset in such businesses is one that instinctively seeks to adapt and improve, to create swift and impactful change.

We have established training programmes to support transformation by focussing on the skills and behaviours that are required to build the right culture. These programmes include a series of learning, development and engagement opportunities, which cater to individual skills and attributes, customer centricity, and operational and functional excellence.

Organisational agility relies on the ability to proactively learn and adapt. A culture of innovation is essential to evolving and succeeding in a rapidly changing environment. We place an emphasis on the practical application of training with a balanced mix of on the job learning through our Certified International Specialist (CIS) programmes.

We’ve implemented training and development programmes that drive innovation so that they serve to empower employees to do the right thing when required. We provide multi-access points for our colleagues’ development and maintain organisational agility by implementing the appropriate support systems within our network.

Q: How do organisations practise the philosophy of creating a ‘great workplace for all’?
A: To deliver outstanding performance, employees need a workplace where they feel comfortable and have the right motivational drive, and a sense of fairness and trust in the system.

We want to be a great place to work for all – not for some, not for many but for all.

This means embracing the diversity of every single person and genuinely offering equal opportunities to everyone. We achieve this by promoting a culture of inclusion and belonging.

We’ve broadened our focus for ‘DHL4ALL’ by striving to offer the very best workplace experience to each and every member of our team. Our aspiration is to build a workplace where employees are encouraged to be themselves. They’re respected for being their genuine selves, and the organisation extends the same level of trust, respect and recognition regardless of their diversity.

As an international company, we have a diverse team, and know that our people and their individual experiences are what make us a successful business.

In fact, we celebrate Diversity and Inclusion Week every year, which provides an opportunity to reflect on how we’re stronger together, celebrate what makes our people so unique, and promote initiatives and discussions that drive an inclusive culture.

INTERVIEWEE DETAILS
Dimithri Perera
Country Manager
COMPANY DETAILS
Telephone:4798600
Email:lkmarketing@dhl.com
Website:mydhl.express.dhl/lk