The Great Place to Work study in Sri Lanka recently ranked the country’s best workplaces for the 11th consecutive year. In an LMDtv interview, the CEO of Great Place to Work Institute Sri Lanka Kshanika Ratnayake highlighted some of the striking aspects of this year’s results.

She explained: “For the first time in Sri Lanka, we ranked the list of best workplaces. Until this year, we used an alphanumeric listing – we listed them eponymously.

“But this year, we followed the global standard and ranked our list within the four size categories of workplaces – large, medium, small and micro,” she added.

Ratnayake explained the thought process behind the methodology, which is based on the institute’s definition of a great workplace: “There are three key relationships when we consider the employee and the organisation – between the employee and management, the employee and his or her job, and the employee and other employees.”

“When we measure those relationships, we have a simple definition of a great place to work: it’s when emplo­yees trust the management they work for, have pride in the work they do and enjoy the people they work with,” she elaborated.

She also mentioned that this year, the study shifted focus from “looking at organisations as great workplaces to a model that we call ‘a great place to work for all’.”

Ratnayake stated: “We are looking to see whether the workplace is special for all employees irrespective of what they’re doing and where they come from; not only for the C-level, or a particular age group, department or demography. We’re looking for a consistent approach across the organisation to create a great workplace culture.”

“When it is a great workplace for all, an organisation will by default be able to maximise the human potential, and get the best of each person’s talents and capabilities,” she added.

And she emphasised the importance of a culture “where everybody can collaborate, keep up their best, is completely engaged, and goes that extra mile to perform and drive results.”

Ratnayake also stressed the importance of diversity: “Having diverse teams within the organisation is very important because everybody thinking the same way and coming from the same background with the same skill set is only going to produce more of the same.”

“We encourage organisations not to merely hire for diversity,” she noted, explaining that “sometimes people misunderstand or mistake diversity for having a gender balance.”

Her assertion is that “it is important to pursue gender balance in the organisation but we’re talking about different backgrounds, ideas, learnings and experiences. That is the true sense of diversity.”

Along with hiring for diversity, it is also key that “organisational cultures are enabled to make them inclusive.”

Ratnayake elaborated: “It is important to hire for diversity, and then create an inclusive environment where people can feel like they truly belong and bring their true selves to work. This creates a lovely environment and culture where people contribute towards innovation and business growth.”

“There’s no point bringing talent from rural areas, or different schools or ethnic groups, and then not letting their voices be heard,” she said, adding: “If you don’t do so, you’d not get to the bottom of their talents, know what they’re capable of and give them the opportunity to truly blossom in their roles.”

She continued: “Unfortunately, organisations in Sri Lanka are not in control of the macroeconomic conditions that are driving people to [migrate to] other countries but what they can and need to do is manage the situation within their workplaces and culture.”

“Hiring and retaining talent will be one of those key components we need to manage,” Ratnayake urged.

She concluded: “It is not simply about being certified or recognised as a great workplace; but rather, building a high trust, high performance culture in the organisation.”