Sri Lanka’s 15 best companies to work in

99X Technology Ltd, AIA Insurance Lanka, Akzo Nobel Paints Lanka, Ceylon Tobacco Company, Classic Travel, DIMO, GlaxoSmithKline, IFS R&D International, JKH, Mercantile Investments and Finance, Oxford College of Business, Printcare, Singer ( Sri Lanka), Taj Samudra and Union Assurance have been picked by the Great Place to Work Institute, Sri Lanka ( GPTW) as the top 15 Best Companies to work for in the country.

The organisation said this was done after a comprehensive study done in partnership with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. The awards to the 15 companies were made at a recent ceremony held in Colombo.

With the participation of over 50 companies representing 13 industries, and over 30,000 employees, this study identified a number of key practices unique to the companies identified as ‘ Best Businesses to work for’, and it has concluded overall that with the right attitude and practices, ‘ any organisation from any industry can be a great place to work’, GPTW said in a media statement.

More awards were presented to JKH ( Best Practice in Hiring), 99X Technology Ltd ( Best Practice in Talent Development), Classic Travel ( Best Practice in Work life balance), DIMO ( Best Practice in Addressing Grievances and Workplace Fairness) and AIA Insurance Lanka ( Best in involving employees in corporate social responsibility). GPTW – Sri Lanka said it is now accepting applications for the Sri Lanka’s Best Companies to Work For 2015 Study.

The Great Place to Work Institute, Sri Lanka (GPTW) said participation in the survey was voluntary.

“This is at a registration fee of Rs. 100,000, for which they get a detailed feedback report on their employee feedback provided in the trust index survey and culture audit,” the organisation said in response to questions posed by the Business Times.

The organisation said companies had the choice of being considered for the list or undergoing the assessment for purely learning purposes alone, at the time of registration. “Thus, all companies that are surveyed do not necessarily make the list or want to be considered for the list. The companies that do want to be considered for the list have to meet the minimum score based on a global threshold set by our principals to get on a national list,” it said.

“As we sign a confidentiality agreement with all companies that request an assessment, we only publicise the Top 15 that makes the list, even though in excess of 50 companies were surveyed for the list in 2014,” GPTW said.

The Business Times sought to clarify the awards scheme after a reader sent a letter asking why companies like MAS Holdings, Unilever, Brandix or Nestle were not considered in the list of Sri Lanka’s Best companies to work.

“None of the banks - HSBC, Standard Chartered, Commercial Bank, HNB, NDB or DFCC – is also on the list (of the first 15),” the reader said, adding: “Something is not right here.”