Q: Does senior management play a role in establishing a great place to work?
A: SYNERGEN HEALTH was founded in 2011 to help healthcare organizations realize their full revenue potential and ensure financial success. Having commenced with only 17 employees, we now boast a workforce of 400 with clients spread across 45 states in the US.
Senior management plays a major role in making SYNERGEN Health a great place to work by defining the core values practised within the company. The organization’s DNA – comprising innovation, passion and joy – and the values of caring, learning, achieving, sharing and being socially responsible, are a vital part of our overall vision, strategy and mission. Alignment with these values is a key criterion in our hiring process, and senior management ensures that every individual lives up to the company’s values and DNA.
Q: What lessons have you learnt by participating in the Great Place to Work Sri Lanka Survey?
A: It has helped us improve our organizational culture over the years. When we first took part in the survey two years ago, the company was placed among the top 25 great places to work.
Apart from gaining this prestigious recognition, the survey helped us identify and work on areas that needed improvement with regard to work culture, staff motivation, staff development etc. It gave us a new perspective on how companies the world over prioritise staff. Also, the advice and guidance received on evaluating the report greatly benefitted us.
Q: How can greater diversity be inculcated in the workforce?
A: Ours is a diverse workforce with employees hailing from various religious and ethnic backgrounds. With regard to gender representation at SYNERGEN Health, we’re close to a 50-50 male-female ratio with many women occupying senior managerial positions.
We believe in equal opportunity for all irrespective of differences and everyone has an equal chance to climb up the career ladder. As we only hire fresh graduates, ours is a millennial workforce with 90 percent of employees being below the age of 30.
We have employees with engineering, science, IT, accounting, finance, statistics and language backgrounds, thereby portraying diversity in terms of expertise and qualifications.
Q: What steps have been taken to ensure that employees work as a cohesive unit?
A: We have a flat organisational structure rather than a conventional hierarchy. All decisions and processes are based on inputs and suggestions from all three levels — viz. the lower, middle and senior levels.
Moreover, we organise team outings and other engaging events for employees, and follow a system where each employee is allocated a `house’ when they join the company. Participation in events such as sports and educational quizzes earns points for their houses. This fosters healthy competition among them, and provides an opportunity to communicate and socialise with fellow employees from other teams, locations and work shifts.
Productive insights are also rewarded. The house with the most points at the end of the year is recognised and awarded. Therefore, we encourage a culture of innovation and improvement for employees to work as a cohesive unit.
