H Connect International: A Workplace Like No Other

Since our inception, one of the main driving forces for H Connect International has been to create a work environment that is different from the rest.

Not as a buzzword, but for our people to walk in every day and feel seen, heard, and valued.

Together, we’ve created something truly unique in Sri Lanka’s corporate world – a workplace without a glass ceiling for both women and men.

How did we do this?

We listened.

Through bi-annual Koru conversations (Formal-informal gatherings designed for employees to share their perspectives, ideas, and concerns about the company culture), quarterly Agora (Company-wide townhall meetings dedicated to discussing cultural initiatives, recognizing achievements, and gathering employee feedback), and monthly one-on-ones (Open two-way conversation to walk through of our comprehensive KPI matrix for each employee), we listened to what mattered to our workforce, what problems they had, and how we, as a company could help them keep moving up.

We identified three key areas to focus on: Meritocracy, Flexibility, and Education.

We took an alternative approach to equal empowerment. We did the groundwork by setting up a meritocracy-based system, equal opportunity policies, wellbeing and welfare policies and a collective DEI mindset within the team.

As a result, we were able to create a workplace that is truly friendly for women and for all.

We have 60% of women in the workforce, with overall employee satisfaction scores above 90% – a testament to the efficient meritocracy system we’ve built.

In terms of flexibility, our policies benefit our employees on several fronts. We have fully remote teams, weekly designated work-from-home days, negotiable work hours, and extended maternity leave policies for special cases. This ensures that all our employees have the time and energy they need to maintain a healthy work-life integration, reducing burnout.

We have multiple educational and leadership training initiatives in place to provide our team with the guidance they need to excel in both their roles and as individuals.

There are designated programs for employees in all bands – Valkyrie and Legion (Talent management programs for grooming women leaders), Winning DNA (A leadership development program for existing leaders at assistant manager or above grade), The Compass (A training program for high potential employees), and the GenZ-CEO council (A program designed to connect the younger generation with experienced leadership to facilitate knowledge sharing).

These educational programs were initiated with the focus of building a future-ready workforce in attitude, expertise, and thought and ensured that everyone has equal access to information and chance at climbing the ladder. Additionally, most of these programs have modules within them designed to educate our team on gender dynamics, its nuances, biases, and how to better understand each other to create an empowering workplace for all.

Here’s what our Head of People and Culture, Shachithra Gunasekara, has to say about what makes our culture unique and empowering to all, regardless of gender:

“At H Connect International, our mission is and has always been to create a workplace that all of us can be proud of. To do this, we’ve gone above and beyond to listen, empathize, and adapt to each individual and create solutions that benefit all in the long run. One main thing we’ve focused on is bridging the generational gap, welcoming the dynamic, fast-paced GenZ work ethics with the tried-and-tested systems of the generations before to create a workplace for all. “

Our efforts have been recognized by the industry with us winning the category of “Empowering GenZ females with leadership opportunities” at the Women Friendly Workplace Awards 2024. This was a milestone for H Connect International because we take pride in the opportunities, we provide for our team to create a GenZ-powered future-centric workforce.

It’s gratifying to know that our actions make a difference and that we are headed in the right direction.

But this collective victory is just the beginning and the first of many to come.

As the H Connect International team grows, our goal is to keep up the momentum and keep looking for new initiatives with which we can empower everyone and prove to the world that you can indeed have it both – quality and quantity.