Sandra De Zoysa, Group Chief Customer Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC and Director of Dialog Business Services (DBS) discusses diversity and inclusion, particularly focusing on female empowerment and support for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and strategies to engage a Gen-Z and Millennial workforce.
Dialog Axiata is actively involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives. Could you elaborate on specific efforts and programmes that have been implemented to promote female empowerment and support for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)?
Focusing on diversity and inclusion, especially, female empowerment and PWDs, we believe is impactful and aligns with Dialog Axiata’s vision to empower and enrich Sri Lankan lives and enterprises.
Launched in 2018, Ideamart for Women stands as a testament to Dialog’s dedication to nurturing entrepreneurship among women. This programme is a beacon for women-led startups, providing them with the tools and community support needed to thrive in the tech industry. With over 5,000 female developers and service providers, it’s a platform where innovation and collaboration meet, offering resources on cutting-edge topics like Design Thinking, AI, and the Metaverse.
Another groundbreaking initiative is Yeheli.lk/Thozhi.lk, Sri Lanka’s premier trilingual advisory service. This platform empowers women by offering confidential support on a wide array of personal and societal issues. With the backing of organizations like ‘Women in Need’ and ‘Without Borders Sri Lanka’, it has become a lifeline for over 1 million users, providing expert advice swiftly and efficiently.
As part of our differentiated service experience catering to the diverse needs of our customer segments such as women, kids, senior citizens and PWD, we have a wide range of initiatives such as;
Women – seminars, health camps, beauty & deportment workshops, campaigns aimed at addressing specific challenges and concerns such as cyberbullying and other cyber safety-related awareness sessions, celebrating IWD, panel discussions and merchant offers through our extensive merchant ecosystem valid through the year
Kids – children’s day, Avurudu celebrations, art exhibitions, education-based fun activities, kids coding camps in collaboration with SLASSCOM’s TechKidz programme
Senior citizens – health camps facilitated through our all-island customer experience centres, webinars and panel discussions creating awareness on the use of apps like MyDialogApp, Doc990, WoW, Uber, and PickMe enabling them to adopt a digital lifestyle including special concessions/ promo-offers
PWDs – We have launched DeafTawk, a trilingual app that facilitates communication for hearing-impaired persons, offering them a better experience through an interpreter when engaging with point-of-sale devices. We facilitated learning sign language by our employees over 2 decades back and continue to promote this practice to improve interaction with PWD customers. Additionally, integrating text-to-speech capability on our website for the vision impaired has made our online services more accessible and inclusive.
Through such initiatives, we are not only promoting diversity and inclusion within the organization and its subsidiaries but also leading the way in creating a more inclusive society. Our efforts in female empowerment and supporting PWDs reflect our commitment to equality, accessibility, and the well-being of all our stakeholders.
Managing a workforce primarily consisting of Gen-Z and Millennials can be quite challenging. What are some of the unique challenges and opportunities that this demographic presents, and how does DBS address them in its workforce management strategies?
The challenge of operating a 24×7 service management organization to meet the expectations of our discerning customers necessitates adaptable working hours from our employees, however, these schedules accommodate individuals seeking further education or part-time employment. Post-pandemic, we have seen a surge in the expectation for absolute flexibility, encompassing options for both full-time and part-time positions, as well as the ability to WFO/ WFH. Meeting these expectations for complete flexibility represents a considerable challenge.
Another unique challenge is the tendency of Gen-Z and Millennial employees to seek new opportunities within a relatively short period, often between 6 to 18 months of employment. This shift in career longevity expectations contributes to higher attrition rates early in their tenure. The escalating market demand for customer service and technical support skills puts increasing pressure on the management of compensation & benefits.
On the flip side, these demographics bring tremendous opportunities. Their expectation for employers to be at the forefront of technological advancements aligns perfectly with our positioning in the ICT industry, making us an attractive workplace for the tech-savvy Gen-Zs. The company leverages this by offering enticing benefits packages, including free voice & data packages and discounts on tech products and services, which are highly valued by younger employees.
DBS also capitalizes on the younger workforce’s desire for creativity, innovation, and learning. By providing opportunities to acquire new skills and engage with the latest technologies, DBS positions itself as an employer of choice for those eager to forge careers in experience management within the ICT and BPM industry. The shift towards more frequent feedback and open communication channels, moving away from traditional annual performance reviews, resonates well with Gen-Zs and Millennials, fostering their personal and professional growth.
Some of the strategies employed by us include;
To support new parents, we offer extended maternity and paternity leave and options for new moms to return to work on a part-time basis or with flexible hours, easing the transition back into the workforce.
We are happy to rehire employees who have previously resigned to pursue further education, work abroad, take a career break, or gain experience in other industries.
DBS maintains a transparent, merit-based career advancement scheme, offering equal opportunities for all employees.
Our policy of regular job rotation supports employees in exploring various roles within the organization, enabling them to gain diverse experiences across different functions, and fostering professional growth and skill development.
Can you highlight some of the career prospects and development opportunities that DBS offers to its employees, especially in the context of a workforce largely composed of younger generations?
At Dialog Business Services and our parent company, Dialog Axiata, we place a high priority on fostering the talents and aspirations of our employees, predominantly from the younger generations. Our career development strategy is comprehensive, offering a variety of paths in areas such as technology, IT, digital transformation, customer experience, sustainability, finance, sales and marketing. This approach enables our staff to experiment with and transition between different roles, discovering their unique interests and passions.
We encourage participation in cross-functional projects that allow our team members to gain insights into different aspects of the business, thereby enriching their skills and knowledge through experiential learning. Engagement in these gigs is recognized through the rewards programme, offering an avenue to earn more.
We provide access to an extensive selection of online courses, workshops, and seminars, along with reimbursement for further studies or professional qualifications tailored to our employees’ career goals. Our development approach includes mentorship and coaching, linking up-and-coming talent with seasoned experts for skill enhancement, guidance, and knowledge sharing.
Our leadership development initiatives are designed to identify and groom future leaders through comprehensive training and experiences like retreats, shadowing, and informal meetings with senior management. Each participant in this year-long programme is paired with a mentor and a buddy, fostering a supportive learning environment and encouraging peer collaboration.
Our performance feedback and career planning mechanisms are designed to provide clear, actionable insights into each employee’s career trajectory, helping them to identify and develop the skills necessary to achieve their professional goals which employees can update in the ‘skills directory’ as and when they have acquired new knowledge and qualifications.
In the context of diversity and inclusion efforts, how does DBS measure the effectiveness of its initiatives, and what are some of the key outcomes or success stories you can share related to these efforts?
DBS has received multiple global and local recognition for its diversity & inclusion efforts such as;
DBS has been certified as a “Great Place to Work” (GPTW) in Sri Lanka for the fourth consecutive year.
Top 50 “Best Workplaces” in Sri Lanka for the third consecutive year and ranked 7th in small category in 2023.
Top 15 “Best Workplaces for Women” in Sri Lanka for the third consecutive year.
Recipient of the AICPA & CIMA “Women Friendly Workplace” award.
DBS is the only Customer Operations Performance Center certified (COPC) organization in the country with best-in-class workforce management capabilities.
To gauge the success of our diversity and inclusion efforts, we rely on a combination of quantitative metrics and qualitative feedback. These include employee engagement surveys, retention rates, diversity representation statistics, participation in diversity and inclusion programmes and training sessions. We closely monitor these indicators to assess progress, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that they are making a meaningful impact on our workforce.
One of the key outcomes of our focused efforts is the significant improvement in gender diversity across all levels of the organization, especially in leadership roles traditionally dominated by one gender. We have successfully created more balanced teams, recognizing the unique perspectives and contributions that both men and women bring to the table. Our middle and senior management cadre is made up of 35% women.
Moreover, our efforts have extended beyond the confines of our organization, impacting the communities in which we operate. Through various sustainability initiatives aimed at empowering underrepresented groups, we have been able to contribute positively to societal change and promote inclusivity at a larger scale.