Sri Lanka Corporate Health and Productivity Awards gains momentum

From left: Counsellor of Sri Lankan Embassy in Tokyo Samantha 

P.K. Wijesekara, COYLE Chairman Dinuk Hettiarachchi, JETRO Tokyo Director General of Intellectual Property and Innovation Department Hiroshi Kawamata and Visiting Professor, Tama University, (Hitachi) Dr. Yoshi Ichikawa

The Chamber of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE), in collaboration with Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), presents the very first ‘Sri Lanka Corporate Health & Productivity Awards’ to be held in February 2019. Through this effort, COYLE together with JETRO aim to raise public recognition of enterprises engaging in health and productivity management programs and to thereby further promote such management programs. 

The application and the questionnaire for the Sri Lanka Corporate Health and Productivity Awards can be downloaded via the website – www.slchpa.com for all the interested parties. The deadline for the entries will be on 15 November 2018.

The MoU between COYLE and JETRO was signed ceremoniously at JETRO Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan by COYLE Chairman Dinuk Hettiarachchi and JETRO Tokyo Director General Hiroshi Kawamata, with the participation of several COYLE members and JETRO officials at the historic event.

Dinuk Hettiarachchi commented on the historic event: “Sri Lanka Corporate Health & Productivity Awards, as we believe is an attractive investment option for investors who prioritise the improvement of corporate value from a long term perspective. Outstanding enterprises that have successfully carried out efforts focusing on their employees’ health from a management perspective will be presented with awards and given due recognition for their achievements.”

The concept of the award ceremony is based on the ‘Health & Productivity Stock Selection’ program held in Japan by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). It will target HR and administrational managers of companies covering health and productivity management programs for employee health.

Sri Lanka Corporate Health & Productivity Awards is projected to contribute to maintain and improve the wellness of employees. It has been suggested with prior experience that this healthcare project results in improvement in employee productivity and corporate value and reduction of cost.

Corporate Health Programs are critical for maximising performance in any field. The project aims to maximise performance of Sri Lankan corporate by improving engagement, retention, productivity, and performance; all of which results in a healthier and positive thinking workforce which provides higher product quality and customer service. 

All participant companies of the Sri Lanka Corporate Health & Productivity Awards will be categorised as Extra large, Large, Medium and Small, based on the number of employees. The selection process to pick the winning companies will consist of surveys and workshops and will be based on five key criteria provided by international standards such as ISO, PAS. These criteria include the positioning of health and productivity management in management philosophy and policies, organised frameworks established for tackling health and productivity management issues, specific systems established for ensuring health-conscious management as well as measures introduced for implementing them, measures established for assessing and improving health and productivity management, and adherence to laws and regulations and risk management.

Established In 1999, COYLE is a business chamber with 120 top Sri Lankan young entrepreneurs who comprise of business owners and entrepreneurs having an extensive national and international business network. COYLE members collaborate with government officials, policymakers and community organisations to support the community and each other with the mission of building businesses and community through its motto ‘Recognition Through Excellence’.

JETRO is a Government-related organisation that works towards promoting mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. Originally established in 1958 to promote Japanese exports abroad, JETRO’s core focus in the 21st century has shifted toward promoting foreign direct investment into Japan and helping small to medium-sized Japanese firms maximise their global export potential.