HNBA – Where Equality Lights the Way

At HNB Assurance PLC Where Equality Lights the Way, diversity and inclusion are fundamental business essentials, not mere slogans. This commitment is evident in how HNBA serves various social segments through its products and services and operates across the island.

Diversity and inclusion enhance the organization with the product development stage, where diverse perspectives lead to superior products. Additionally, a diverse workforce enables the company to reach different societal groups during sales, thereby broadening our reach across the island.

HNBA takes pride in being one of the premier workplaces for women in Sri Lanka. Women constitute 42% of our workforce, with two female members on our board and five women in corporate management roles. Notably, HNBA has more women than men in operational leadership, a trend that continues to grow annually.

A robust governance structure ensures that the organization upholds its values and rejects gender biases at all levels. This commitment is embedded in our human resources policy, recruitment policy, code of conduct, performance management process, sexual harassment policy, and single parent support policy. The strength of these policies is demonstrated through their rigorous implementation, with HNBA maintaining “zero tolerance” for policy violations through transparent investigations and actions. Further, under the unique integrity reporting policy, whistleblowing against wrongdoing of any kind is encouraged and employees share their concerns.

Over the past year, women have achieved notable recognition within our organization, earning 33% of the highest performance ratings, receiving 58% of our training investments, and excelling in the Best Salesperson Awards. This underscores our commitment to providing equal opportunities and acknowledging the substantial contributions of our female employees.

HNBA has hosted a variety of programs throughout the year to celebrate, acknowledge, and empower women. These include “Open Mike” sessions, Mindfulness Programs focused on mental health, Career Development Programs, Wellness Programs and Auto Maintenance Workshops tailored for women, all designed to break barriers. At the Annual Staff Conference 2023, we also honored the most exceptional female figure with an outstanding “In.She Award”, recognizing her remarkable career achievements. Additionally, we launched the 12th edition of “Liya Harasara”, a unique benefit given to insurance products exclusively crafted for women, in conjunction with International Women’s Day.

HNBA’s telecommuting policy has created flexible work arrangements, greatly benefiting female employees. The company boasts a 100% return-to-work rate for women after maternity leave, reflecting the excellent work-life balance we provide. In 2022, the company introduced paternity and adoption leave, extending our female-friendly policies to the home front by offering flexibility to fathers, thereby alleviating the burden on new mothers. Furthermore, the company introduced the single parent support policy in 2024 to provide comprehensive support to employees who are single parents, acknowledging and addressing the unique challenges they may face in balancing work and family responsibilities.

In recognition of these efforts, HNBA was named one of the great workplaces in Sri Lanka in 2022 and was named as the Best Workplace in Asia list in the large organization category under the Great Place to Work Survey. Additionally, HNBA received the “She Grows” award and was recognized for the most female-friendly innovation/practices in Sri Lankan workplaces during 2023 at the Women Friendly Workplace Awards 2023 organized by Satynmag.com & CIMA.

In every endeavor we undertake at HNBA, equality stands at the core of our mission. We are committed to fostering a culture where fairness, inclusivity, and equal opportunity thrive in allthat we do.

In conclusion,” Don’t look for a man in a woman’s body; appreciate and celebrate her uniqueness.” That’s one of our key features at HNBA.