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Sri Lanka Insurance recognized as a “Great Place to Work” in Sri Lanka
The national insurer Sri Lanka Insurance recognized as a ‘Great Place to Work” in Sri Lanka reiterating the insurers commitment towards building an empowering working culture.
The ‘Great Place to Work” survey has been conducted across a statistical sample of employees at Sri Lanka Insurance based on a gold standard globally researched methodology across five parameters Credibility, Respect, Fairness, Pride Camaraderie.
Established in 1962 as a state insurance Sri Lanka Insurance is the largest and strongest insurer in Sri Lanka and serve the nation with a network of 158 branches.
Having large number of employees with diverse backgrounds, Sri Lanka Insurance take great pride in creating an atmosphere where innovative and disruptive ideas are accepted to challenge status quo. The policies, shared values and ethos of Sri Lanka Insurance are designed to create a healthy work life balance inspiring employees to learn and grow themselves.
Sharing his views on this prestigious recognition Chairman of Sri Lanka Insurance Mr.Jagath Wellawatta stated “Being recognized as a Great Place to Work is indeed a milestone we have achieved along our journey. As an insurer our employees are in the heart of our business and our unique HR strategies are fully aligned with our overall business strategy enabling them to steer Sri Lanka Insurance forward. We foster employees respecting their diversity and promoting equality while striking the right balance between the needs of the organization and those of our employees.
Commenting on this milestone CEO of Sri Lanka Insurance Mr.Chandana L. Aluthgama states “We are proud and honoured to be recognized as a ‘Great Place to Work’ in Sri Lanka. This reiterates our commitment in building an unrivaled workplace culture with zero discrimination and equal opportunities for our employees. With a performance driven working culture and rewarding systems we aspire to create high performing culture and we are striving to continue our efforts to empower them with people first attitude. “
Sharing his views on this achievement, DGM – Human Resource and Employee Relations Mr. Rohitha Amarapala stated ” More than 5 decades Sri Lanka Insurance has been driven with people centric attitude and we believe our employees are the greatest asset as they are the ambassadors who are taking the message of protection across Sri Lanka. We are committed towards excellence by embracing the diversity of our people and we are redefining the work place as a ground to nurture them and striving towards establishing a value centric performance driven culture.”
Great Place to Work ® annually works with more than 10,000 organizations, representing over 12.5 million employees globally. Having established itself in more than 69 countries so far, Great Place to Work Institute began its operations in Sri Lanka in 2012, launching itself with the ‘Best Workplaces’ Study. It now helps organizations as a consultant to build and sustain a culture of High Trust High Performance™ in order to drive employee performance.
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US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
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Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
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CIPM successfully concludes 8th Annual Symposium
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.