DIMO
Q: Do you believe that employees’ expectations from employers have changed due to the pandemic and economic crisis?
A: It’s very clear that employee expectations changed due to the prevailing conditions at the time of the pandemic and economic crisis. What was scarcely practised in normal conditions (work from home or WFH, hot seats, virtual meetings, virtual training and so on) became popular due to the inability to commute during the pandemic and fuel crisis in the country.
This new way of working provided freedom for many employees. However, very few companies had the infrastructure and WFH monitoring mechanisms. It was overrated by being called the ‘new normal,’ which raised employee expectations.
One should understand that this new normal suited many companies only when the markets were slow and industry requirements were limited.
It is also a question of whether employee expectations are fair.
Q: The pandemic has come and gone but the changes to the work culture that it brought on are here to stay. Is this true for DIMO?
A: It is a fact that the way of working in most companies changed during the pandemic and this way of working directly impacts any culture. We are aware that the values, norms, heroes, leaders and energy impact corporate culture, and that the culture has to align with the business strategy. In the event that the culture that defaults does not align with the strategy, the culture will have to change.
The industries that DIMO operates in are quite different from those with many organisations that can implement WFH, remote working and so on. Though we implemented WFH and remote working practices as an option for ‘Work In Office’ during a difficult time, our strategy is totally designed to work from the office.
Therefore, at DIMO, remote working is not practised other than in very small pockets. And thus, for us the culture has not changed to a great extent.
Q: Employee retention is a red-letter item on the agenda of many businesses in Sri Lanka today due to the unprecedented migration of working people. What has been your approach to retaining talent?
A: Presently, talent is not largely leaving organisations but leaving the country due to the prevailing uncertainties. In these circumstances, there’s very little that companies can do to stop migration.
However, what we can do is manage the talent available by revisiting our compensation and benefits programmes for the top talent as we cannot afford to do this for all employees.
Creating meaningful attractive employee value propositions and making them a reality is another strategy.
Most importantly, organisations must exhibit creativity and innovation in establishing sustainable businesses with overseas growth potential. This strategic approach helps mitigate business risks, fostering a sense of job security, especially in industries that are facing vulnerabilities within the county.
Q: What are the lessons you have learnt from participating in the Great Place to Work Sri Lanka survey?
A: We have participated in the survey for over 11 years and each year, it has given us new insights. This survey has become an opportunity for our employees to voice their opinions. Each year, we learn what we did right and what did not go well.
Over the years, the survey has helped us to improve areas we considered not as important. More than the survey, what’s important is the post-survey focus group discussions with our employees. These discussions prove that we do not just conduct surveys but that we consider employee feedback very seriously.
We are interested in knowing more about their sentiments and making changes where necessary. This mechanism encourages our employees to trust the management and engage more openly in expressing their sentiments.
Q: Could you outline how your organisation enables the ‘employee experience’ in the workplace?
A: We ensure that we create a positive experience throughout the life cycle of an employee at the workplace from onboarding to offboarding. Communicating the organisation’s purpose and sharing the big picture create a unique and positive experience for employees.
Demonstrating equity and fairness during their life cycle, open communication and embracing diversity create trust, which are pillars to build positive experiences.
Q: What is the role of senior management in promoting an open and engaging culture?
A: Corporate values are an integral part of any corporate culture and these values are reflected only through the behaviour of leaders.
In order to cultivate the desired culture, it is not sufficient to communicate and design programmes for openness and engagement. It is imperative that the management behaves in a manner through which openness is reflected to discuss the hard truth and difficult decisions, and explain decisions if that is considered a value.
It is important to recognise and appreciate such behaviour in other employees to reinforce openness.
Engagement is no different. If engagement is required, the management has to create an environment where employees can be engaged. Building trust, open communication, celebration, creating opportunities for growth and camaraderie are some components that the management can cultivate to help build an engaging culture.
– Compiled by Yamini Sequeira
Telephone: 2449797 | Email: dimo@dimolanka.com | Website: www.dimolanka.com
