DIJITAL TEAM
Managing Director
Q: How do the recommendations provided by Great Place To Work in Sri Lanka align with your talent related strategies?
Peter Ward (PW): We believe that if we delight our team members, they will naturally delight our customers. Great Place To Work enables us to measure how successful we are in achieving that. It also allows us to differentiate ourselves in the market, particularly when attracting top talent to meet our customers’ needs.
Nithya Subramaniam (NS): Great Place To Work conducts a thorough and systematic evaluation, which makes the recognition trustworthy and a testament to our organisation, employees and the value we deliver to our customers.
Q: What lessons have you learned from participating in the Great Place To Work in Sri Lanka survey this year?
PW: Our focus is on continuous business improvement and one of our core values is to get one percent better every day. The survey is a valuable external data point that helps us understand where we’re doing well and more importantly, areas we can improve on. We’re never satisfied with the status quo and Great Place To Work enables us to keep growing and performing as an organisation.
People and Culture Manager
Q: How does your organisation balance business growth and human development?
PW: People are at the centre of everything we do and the organisation’s growth is closely linked to that of our team. This includes supporting individuals in achieving their career aspirations through continuous professional development. We create tailored plans for every team member and measure our success by their ongoing growth.
We’ve made several strategic investments to bring this vision to life. For example, the Pearson VUE Authorised Testing Centre in our Colombo office enables our team to earn industry recognised certifications and validate their skills.
We also provide a range of ongoing learning opportunities – both formal and informal – including ‘lunch and learn’ sessions, Toastmasters meetings and Udemy subscriptions where team members can pursue a ‘choose your own adventure’ approach to learning.
Success and growth are not measured by the number of people we employ but how effectively we develop and support the team we have.
NS: We place a strong emphasis on learning and development including initiatives that support employee branding. Our team members participate in Microsoft boot camps, webinars and other industry events.
We also encourage them to look beyond daily outcomes and envision their growth in the next few years. This forward-thinking approach is a core part of our talent development strategy
Q: Creating a personalised and engaging employee experience is vital today… so how does your organisation achieve this?
PW: Our employee experience begins even before a team member officially joins. From the moment a job offer is made to day zero and beyond, we create an onboarding experience that allows for early engagement.
We continuously review our employee value proposition (EVP) and tailor it based on team feedback. Team members receive comprehensive benefits including medical and life insurance, wellness initiatives and CSR opportunities that support local charities.
Ultimately, it’s about placing our team members at the heart of everything we do and curating a strong EVP that sets us apart in the market.
NS: Our EVP offers benefits for both team members and their families with the employee assistance programme (EAP) and personalised insurance plans offering support for both.
We review and act on feedback from our team members and run monthly ‘ask me anything’ sessions with Peter where suggestions are heard and addressed. This ongoing feedback loop helps us refine and improve our EVP.
Q: What is your organisation’s approach to retaining talent?
PW: Retention is the key. At the heart of our retention strategy is Daniel Pink’s philosophy: people are motivated by autonomy, mastery and purpose, not only remuneration. We provide autonomy to do meaningful work, support skills development and offer access to challenging engagements – all while connecting team members to a greater purpose.
“People are at the centre of everything we do and the organisation’s growth is closely linked to that of our team”
Q: There is much debate globally regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives… what is your stance on promoting inclusive practices when hiring, motivating and retaining people?
PW: We’re proud of our diverse culture in terms of gender and ethnicity. In Sri Lanka, 60 percent of our executive leadership team are women – a point of pride and strength in a typically male dominated IT environment.
We hire the best person for the job regardless of gender, ethnicity or preference. Our policies support this commitment including a paternity policy that offers equal benefits to all parents and sets a benchmark in Sri Lanka.
NS: Inclusion has always been integral to our organisation. We celebrate all cultures equally with no gender or ethnic bias. Training and development are accessible to all and we hire based on ability and potential.
Q: What differentiates Dijital Team from other tech companies in Sri Lanka?
NS: A key differentiator is our weekly check-ins, unlike the typical quarterly or annual approach. In an isolating remote work environment, we maintain consistent communication and support and treat employees as internal customers.
– Compiled by Prashanthi Cooray
Telephone: 7699727 | Email: info@dijitalteam.com | Website: www.dijitalteam.lk
