Women-friendly workplaces recognised via inaugural awards scheme

Chief Guest Women in Work Sri Lanka, International Finance Corporation Program Manager Sarah Twigg

Guest of Honour Attorney General’s Department Senior Additional Solicitor General Farzana Jameel PC

Judging Panel Head Ravi Abeysuriya

CIMA Country Head Zahara Ansary

By Safna Malik 

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) together with Satynmag.com last week held a unique initiative with Sri Lanka’s first-ever gender equality accolade ‘Women-Friendly Workplace Awards 2021’.

The initiative recognised public and private organisations that encourage and empower women at the workplace. 

The top 10 winners of the groundbreaking awards were AIA, CBL, Commercial Bank, DFCC, HNB Assurance, LOLC, London Stock Exchange Business Services, NSB, People’s Bank and Seylan Bank.

Honourable Mentions were awarded to Acuity Knowledge Partners, NDB, SDB, Bio Foods and WNS Global Services.

These organisations were selected by an eminent panel of judges comprising Fellow Chartered Management Accountant (FCMA) – Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) corporate personality Ravi Abeysuriya, FCMA CGMA – Council Member for South Asia, CIMA – UK Manohari Abeysekera, Suvaseriya Chairman Dumindra Ratnayaka Head of HR Department University of Colombo, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, Governor of the Northern Province Jeevan Thyagarajah, FCMA CGMA Country Manager CIMA Zahara Ansary and www.satynmag.com Founder/Editor Nayomini R. Weerasooriya.

The Advisory Panel for the project consisted of Prof. Adikaram, Abeyesekera, Abeysuriya, Thyagarajah Ratnayake, Ansary and Weerasooriya.

Addressing the awards ceremony the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Programme Manager – Women in Work – Sri Lanka Sarah Twigg spoke about the importance of gender equality in the workplace. IFC works with many organisations in Sri Lanka towards ensuring an optimised workplace for women. While congratulating Satynmag.com and CIMA for initiating the WFWP Awards, she said that “it comes at a right time, in the post-pandemic world when women are facing even greater challenges at the workplaces than ever before.”

She said according to the World Bank data, 38% of women are in the Sri Lankan labour force and leadership positions among women are significantly low when compared to the representation of women on board across corporate entities and organisations. 

“This new initiative mainly focuses on the evaluation, from broad basing opportunities available for women, an enhanced presence of women at all levels from junior ranks to top management, greater participation of women in executive roles and more female representation on boards,” she said. 

Twigg stressed the need for an organisation with training programs for women aspiring to be leaders, as well as an organisation or as an individual, we should support them to play a greater role in decision making while encouraging better work-life balance support. 

Recruitment and selection processes that encourage a minimum number of female candidates and initiatives that encourage women to climb the career ladder are considered key criteria. In addition, adequate protocols that address workplace safety and mechanisms to offer support such as victim-friendly investigations and setting up of a grievance handling mechanism are also to be evaluated, Twigg added.

Judging Panel Chair Ravi Abeysuriya said: “Corporate culture worldwide has established a significant need for inclusion and diversity at the workplace. Although many in Sri Lanka present themselves as women-friendly organisations, still a lot more work needs to be done to make their organisations truly inspiring workplaces for women. CIMA Sri Lanka and Satynmag.com sought to recognise organisations that are encouraging and empowering women at the workplace by bestowing Sri Lanka’s first-ever Women Friendly Workplace Awards.”

Attorney General’s Department Additional Solicitor General PC Senior Farzana Jameel said the awards were widely seen as adding value to the role of women in the workplace in Sri Lanka and reiterated Sri Lanka’s commitment to SDG 05, which aims to grant women and girls equal rights, opportunities to live free without discrimination including workplace discrimination or any violence. This is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls and will cover gender equality and provide many opportunities to women who are aspiring to be leaders in their respective organisations. 

Many companies taking part were confident of the way forward for women in the Sri Lankan workplace, now that a benchmark award has been set in place for greater validation.

Pix by Ruwan Walpola