Leading from Within: Chamika Jayawardena on Building a Workplace Where Women Can Thrive

Chamika Jayawardena: It was a very emotional moment.

An award recognises one point in time, but behind it are years of work, challenges, learning and people who have supported you along the way.

I see it as both a personal achievement and a reflection of the environment I have been fortunate to grow within at HNB Life.

It also brings responsibility. Recognition should encourage you to keep contributing.

It has allowed me to grow with the organisation.

Over the years, my work brought me closer to employees and to the realities people face within workplaces.

One of the biggest lessons has been the importance of listening.

You cannot understand employees only through policies or reports. You have to understand their experiences, concerns and aspirations.

That has shaped the way I approach People & Culture today.

The idea was to create something that went beyond one-off activities.

Women's experiences at work are different at different stages of their lives. Career development, family responsibilities, confidence, wellbeing and leadership opportunities can all affect their journey.

In.She created a platform to look at these areas more deliberately.

As a Founding Ambassador, it has been rewarding to see conversations develop into initiatives that can make a real difference.

A large part of it has been around understanding what women within the organisation need and helping shape initiatives around those needs.

That means listening, engaging with employees and looking at how the workplace can support women in practical ways.

It is not only about career advancement. It is also about wellbeing, confidence, safety and creating an environment where women feel comfortable speaking up.

Consistency.

It is easy to run an event or launch a campaign. What matters is what happens after that.

Do employees know support is available? Do they trust the systems in place? Can women raise concerns? Do they believe opportunities for growth are genuinely open to them?

Those are the things that determine whether an initiative has real value.

Because employees do not leave their personal realities outside the workplace.

Women, in particular, may be balancing careers with caregiving, motherhood or other responsibilities.

The workplace cannot solve every personal challenge, but it can create systems that make it possible for employees to continue progressing.

Sometimes a small amount of flexibility or understanding can make a very significant difference.

Policies are only the starting point.

Employees need to know they exist, understand them and trust the people responsible for implementing them.

The behaviour of managers is especially important.

If an employee raises a concern or asks for support, the response she receives will shape how she sees the organisation far more than a policy document will.

Culture is ultimately created through everyday behaviour.

A very important one.

When leadership genuinely supports an initiative, employees can see the difference.

People quickly understand whether something is an HR activity or whether it is genuinely part of the organisation's culture.

At HNB Life, having leadership support has enabled us to explore initiatives and continue developing programmes that strengthen the employee experience.

One important lesson is that no two journeys are the same.

Two women at the same level can be dealing with very different personal or professional challenges.

I have also seen capable women doubt whether they are ready for the next step.

Sometimes they need exposure, mentorship or simply someone telling them that they are capable of taking on more.

That is why creating opportunity alone is not enough. Confidence matters too.

Absolutely.

Mentorship can help women see possibilities that they may not have considered for themselves.

A mentor can provide perspective, encouragement and sometimes the confidence to take an opportunity.

It also creates space for women to learn from the experiences of others rather than having to navigate everything alone.

The conversation has to move beyond asking how many women an organisation employs.

We need to ask what happens after they join.

Are they progressing? Are women represented in leadership? Are they staying with the organisation? Do they believe they have equal opportunities?

Representation matters, but progression matters just as much.

It is extremely important because people cannot perform sustainably when wellbeing is ignored.

Employees today expect organisations to recognise that mental, emotional and physical wellbeing affect performance.

A supportive workplace does not mean removing accountability. It means creating an environment where employees can perform without feeling that they have to sacrifice everything else in their lives.

It is a workplace where women feel respected, safe and able to grow.

It should be an environment where opportunities are available based on capability and where women do not feel they have to choose between having a career and managing other important parts of their lives.

It is also a workplace where employees feel comfortable speaking and know that their voices will be taken seriously.

It has given me a chance to reflect.

When you are focused on day-to-day responsibilities, you do not always stop to look at how far you have come.

But I don't see the award as an end point.

There is still a great deal of work to be done around culture, inclusion, employee wellbeing and women's career development.

The workplace is constantly changing, so we have to keep learning and adapting as well.

Don't wait for a senior title.

Leadership can begin wherever you are.

You can identify a problem, suggest an improvement, support a colleague or contribute an idea that changes something for the better.

And when an opportunity comes, don't always wait until you feel completely ready.

Take it, learn from it and grow into it.

I would like it to represent what is possible when women are given the opportunity and support to grow.

I also hope it encourages more organisations to look closely at the environments they are creating for women.

There is always more that can be done.

If this recognition contributes to that conversation in some small way, then it has value beyond the award itself.