CMI – Sri Lanka Branch partners KPMG in Sri Lanka to host webinar on WFH

• Titled ‘Virtually managing the team at work while physically caring for the team at home’

As we move into a phase of accepting the consequences caused by COVID-19 and steering through the storm as it is the only way forward, on a positive note, amidst the disruption it is evident that everyone is rising up to the required level of adaptability to counter the aftereffects of COVID-19. 

Despite the regulators and governments making considerable contribution towards reshaping policy frameworks, private sector organisations have operated while adhering to lockdown regulations set by the authorities.

The current context of lockdown and social distancing may seem to continue into the medium and long term since there is no permanent solution yet to eradicate the coronavirus. From an organisation’s perspective, remote working will be the new norm and COVID-19 could be the catalyst that drives organisations towards the Industry 4.0.

With the above background set upon the horizon, the Chartered Management Institute – Sri Lanka Branch together with KPMG as the Knowledge Partner, organised a webinar on the 11th of May on the key implications of working from home, ‘Virtually managing the team at work while physically caring for the team at home’.

The webinar was a success with significant contribution from the panellists, Ambeon Holdings PLC Group Managing Director and CMI Sri Lanka Branch President Murali Prakash, KPMG in Sri Lanka Managing Partner Reyaz Mihular, Lion Brewery Head of HR Surani Amarasinghe, PIM USJ Chairman Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri and oDoc Chief Technology Officer Keith De Alwis, and moderated by KPMG in Sri Lanka Partner Kamaya Perera.

The primary focus of the webinar was to discuss the psychological impact on the employees who have continued to work from home for the past two months. As companies continue to pay attention to cashflow forecasts, working capital and revenue streams, CMI and KPMG identified that it is equally important to pay attention to the psychological aspect of transitioning to working from home.

In terms of employee appraising, a key point brought forward by Surani was that companies will have to pay attention to the quality of the deliverables instead of how it was delivered. Trust and communication will be critical to drive the company forward during the pandemic. In order to communicate, Prof. Ajantha emphasised that the leaders of the organisation need to create a suitable climate to communicate the necessary. A purpose driven culture needs to be adopted to overcome the externalities caused by the pandemic.

Some of the key takeaways from the webinar:

Organisations have been operational throughout the two months of lockdown whilst pointing out that employees don’t need to “be out there” for a smooth run of operations. As further stated by Surani, what is vital is to have a transparent method of communication among all employees. 

Remote working will require a certain degree of discipline and focus. The employee at home needs to bring in a structure (a designated working place and time period) as to how he or she will deliver given the flexibility paradigm of the employer. Murali also emphasised on the fact that given the circumstance, power structures and pyramids will have to change accordingly to manage and empower the team that is contributing significantly from home.

Adding to what Murali mentioned, Reyaz stated that employees need to have a clear mindset on the fact that this is not a vacation, hence commitments need to be prioritised accordingly among the team at work and the team at home. Discipline of the employer is also an important element to make this work smoothly. The employer needs to understand how the employees are transitioning into the new culture of remote working and leave room to balance out responsibilities of the family.

Since working from home will continue to be the new norm, this will test four fitness levels of employees, as stated by Prof. Ajantha. The four levels of fitness namely; physical, mental, spiritual and emotional. These will have to transition from the old norm of going to work to the new norm of working from home. 

From a Millennial’s perspective, Keith highlighted that the new challenge of continuing to work remotely is the cultural challenge. He also stated that as an individual who has been working from home for the past decade or more, the pandemic has not changed much about the ways of working. The challenge is to manage elements such as kids, parents and work falling under one roof. To manage the work aspect from home, many tech developers have introduced tools that make it easy to manage working from remotely. As a technology specialist, Keith stated that organisations need to thoroughly evaluate which tools are needed to be deployed to increase operational efficiencies as well as pay attention to security and confidentiality of data and information. As the necessary strategies are being taken to move away from a state of lockdown, it is at the best interest of the wider community for companies to take necessary measures from a micro level to stop the spread of the virus. Right now, is the time for companies to establish the necessary tools to move into a digitally enabled working environment which is the future that is driven towards Industry 4.0; the Fourth Industrial Revolution which will be an era dominated by digital.

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is the only chartered professional body for management and leadership dedicated to improving managers’ skills and growing the number of qualified managers. It is also the leading authority on management and leadership in the UK. 

CMI Sri Lanka cascades this core ideology into Sri Lanka, aiming to be the most recognised and respected professional body in the country. Within this framework, CMI Sri Lanka, provides its members with the latest management thinking and practical support thus helping its members to gain professional recognition to improve their management skills and thereby progress within their personal careers. It is in accordance to CMI UK, CMI Sri Lanka also facilitates various programmes such as the Management quiz to support employees embrace change, create high performing teams and keep ahead of the industry curve.