AROUND 70% OF SRI LANKAN WORKERS HOLD INFORMAL JOBS. WHY IS INFORMALITY SO STUBBORNLY HIGH, AND DOES IT MATTER IN THE FIRST PLACE
An earnest tenderer for a building improvement at a public sector energy organisation, who arrived at 9 am spent the next six hours to collect bidding documents. Due to the risks associated with the pandemic, employees at some public sector organisations are rostered for work two or three days a week. The officers who eventually attended to the tenderer arrived several hours late carrying bags of groceries evidently having completed weekly shopping during work hours.
Being a small business owner, the tenderer patiently endured another delay to pay a Rs1,500 non-refundable bid deposit. Although the state organisation publishes documents online tenderers must bid on, the originals are collected after paying a bid deposit.
For most small businesses, and private and informal sector workers, Covid has been devastating. Private sector employees endured pay cuts, small businesses went bust and those in informal jobs were without an income during the lockdowns to prevent the Covid pandemic’s spread.
A) Protocol for travellers who have completed recommended doses of COVID-19
vaccination and arriving after two weeks of completion of vaccination.
On arrival,
the original copy of the vaccination certificate together with a certified
English language translation (if the certificate is not in the English
language) should be produced to the Airport Health Officer.
Travellers
must be booked in a certified ‘Safe & Secure’ Level 1 hotel allocated
for tourists.
Travellers
should undergo a COVID-19 PCR test within 24 hours after arrival (day one)
from a Health Ministry approved private-sector laboratory.
The
relevant hotel will inform details of the travellers and their PCR test
reports on day one, to the area Medical Officer of Health (MOH).
The
traveller should produce the original copy of the vaccination certificate
together with a certified English language translation (if the certificate
is not in the English language) to the hotel management, where they will
take a photocopy to be submitted to local authorities.
If the
first PCR test result is negative, travellers can move within certified
‘Safe & Secure’ Level 1 hotels and visit approved sites in a
bio-security bubble until the completion of day seven.
If a
traveller displays COVID-19 symptoms, he/ she should inform the respective
tour guide/ chauffeur and hotel, and they will take steps to inform
the relevant local authorities.
If the day
seven PCR test result is negative and upon receiving clearance from the
area MOH, travellers can move about freely and engage with local communities.
If the PCR
test result is positive, hotel management will inform the area MOH and
follow the treatment protocol issued by the Ministry of Health.
B) Protocol for travellers who
have not received the COVID-19 vaccination/ not completed the recommended doses
of vaccination/ arriving in Sri Lanka within less than two weeks of
vaccination.
Travellers
must be booked in a certified ‘Safe & Secure’ Level 1 hotel allocated
for tourists.
Travellers
should undergo a COVID-19 PCR test within 24 hours after arrival (day one)
from a Health Ministry approved private-sector laboratory.
The
relevant hotel will inform details of the travellers and their PCR test
reports on day one, to the area Medical Officer of Health (MOH).
If the
traveller departs from Sri Lanka within less than fourteen days, a second
PCR test should be done depending on the date of departure and should have
a negative test report before departure (e.g. if the traveller departs on
day eight, a second PCR test should be done on day 6th to
7th ).
If the
traveller stays for less than 96 hours in Sri Lanka, it is not required to
undergo the exit PCR test and will be required only if the airline/
country of destination requests so.
If the
traveller stays up to 14 days or more, a second PCR test should be
conducted on day 11th to 14th.
If the
first PCR test result is negative, travellers can move within certified
‘Safe & Secure’ Level 1 hotels and visit approved sites in a bio-security
bubble until the completion of day fourteen.
If a
traveller displays COVID-19 symptoms, he/ she should inform the respective
tour guide/ chauffeur and hotel, and they will take steps to
inform the relevant local authorities.
If
the PCR test results of day one and day 11th to 14th are
negative, the area MOH will give clearance for travellers to move about
freely and engage with local communities.
If
the PCR test result is positive, hotel management will inform the area MOH
and follow the treatment protocol issued by the Ministry of Health.
These guidelines will be reviewed by the relevant authorities depending on the
COVID-19 status in the country and global situation, wherein such an event we
will keep you updated no sooner the verified news is received.
A) Protocol for travellers who have completed recommended doses of COVID-19
vaccination and arriving after two weeks of completion of vaccination.
On arrival,
the original copy of the vaccination certificate together with a certified
English language translation (if the certificate is not in the English
language) should be produced to the Airport Health Officer.
Travellers
must be booked in a certified ‘Safe & Secure’ Level 1 hotel allocated
for tourists.
Travellers
should undergo a COVID-19 PCR test within 24 hours after arrival (day one)
from a Health Ministry approved private-sector laboratory.
The
relevant hotel will inform details of the travellers and their PCR test
reports on day one, to the area Medical Officer of Health (MOH).
The
traveller should produce the original copy of the vaccination certificate
together with a certified English language translation (if the certificate
is not in the English language) to the hotel management, where they will
take a photocopy to be submitted to local authorities.
If the
first PCR test result is negative, travellers can move within certified
‘Safe & Secure’ Level 1 hotels and visit approved sites in a
bio-security bubble until the completion of day seven.
If a
traveller displays COVID-19 symptoms, he/ she should inform the respective
tour guide/ chauffeur and hotel, and they will take steps to inform
the relevant local authorities.
If the day
seven PCR test result is negative and upon receiving clearance from the
area MOH, travellers can move about freely and engage with local
communities.
If the PCR
test result is positive, hotel management will inform the area MOH and
follow the treatment protocol issued by the Ministry of Health.
B) Protocol for travellers who
have not received the COVID-19 vaccination/ not completed the recommended doses
of vaccination/ arriving in Sri Lanka within less than two weeks of
vaccination.
Travellers
must be booked in a certified ‘Safe & Secure’ Level 1 hotel allocated
for tourists.
Travellers
should undergo a COVID-19 PCR test within 24 hours after arrival (day one)
from a Health Ministry approved private-sector laboratory.
The
relevant hotel will inform details of the travellers and their PCR test
reports on day one, to the area Medical Officer of Health (MOH).
If the
traveller departs from Sri Lanka within less than fourteen days, a second
PCR test should be done depending on the date of departure and should have
a negative test report before departure (e.g. if the traveller departs on
day eight, a second PCR test should be done on day 6th to
7th ).
If the
traveller stays for less than 96 hours in Sri Lanka, it is not required to
undergo the exit PCR test and will be required only if the airline/
country of destination requests so.
If the
traveller stays up to 14 days or more, a second PCR test should be
conducted on day 11th to 14th.
If the
first PCR test result is negative, travellers can move within certified
‘Safe & Secure’ Level 1 hotels and visit approved sites in a
bio-security bubble until the completion of day fourteen.
If a
traveller displays COVID-19 symptoms, he/ she should inform the respective
tour guide/ chauffeur and hotel, and they will take steps to
inform the relevant local authorities.
If
the PCR test results of day one and day 11th to 14th are
negative, the area MOH will give clearance for travellers to move about
freely and engage with local communities.
If
the PCR test result is positive, hotel management will inform the area MOH
and follow the treatment protocol issued by the Ministry of Health.
These guidelines will be reviewed by the relevant authorities depending on the
COVID-19 status in the country and global situation, wherein such an event we
will keep you updated no sooner the verified news is received.
Off the port side on a half-submerged branch, the keelback snake clings for dear life in the dark, muddy shallows. The serpent is wrestling with a warty frog and, as dusk approaches, it needs dinner. Flattening its head to strike, it contorts to attack its prey.
It would be a spoiler to reveal what happens next at our anchorage, but also unnecessary. Because the memorable nature of a two-day journey along the Bentara River lies in the ever-variegated encounters with Sri Lanka as it reveals itself, inch by inch, along the riverbank.
It is close to bedtime near Bentota on the south-west coast, but our day is beginning. We are cruising in twilight on the lookout for fruit bats and owls, chugging at tugboat pace into Sri Lanka’s forgotten jungle lands.
The silent mangroves morph into rainforest proper, Tarzan vines and all, and the outline of traditional fishing huts on the embankment hints at some idealised evocation of life deep in the jungle. There are no lights and an absence of electric wires, other boats or visitors. It feels a long way from the crowds of Colombo 50 miles to the north. Which is exactly why we’ve come.
The Yathra Houseboat by Jetwing is the star attraction. It’s a two-suite Keralan-style barge, the first houseboat in the country, with a shaded sundeck. Thatched with a wig of branches, it looks like a countrified canal boat. But that impression is betrayed by the bamboo and burnished jackwood interiors and warmth of the service. Three types of hotly spiced fish and veg curry, served on deck, with chilli and mango chutney, coconut sambol and a roof of moodily downlit stars? Yes, please.
Sri Lanka has long been renowned for its hospitality, but there has been darkness to this lightness over the past few years. In April 2019, the Easter Sunday suicide bombings in Colombo saw nearly 270 people killed. Tourism dried up overnight. Covid-19 saw the entire Indian Ocean region rendered out of bounds for international travellers.
But as restrictions continue to lift, and the outlook looks more promising, it’s time to plan a return to the land of tea, temples and jungle trails – before everyone else does.
According to Leel Koralage, Yathra Houseboat’s captain, if I want to see the Sri Lanka that he grew up in, there’s only one place to begin: next to him at the helm as we embark upriver from glassy-calm Dedduwa Lake.
“Look! In the shallows!” he cries, the river basking in a dusky glow. “A marsh crocodile, an adult male. For most of the year, you’d be lucky to see him.” He passes a pair of binoculars for a closer look, just before the broad-snouted bull slides into deeper water. During the rains, says Koralage, the crocs stick to the swamps, disappearing like ghosts into the undergrowth.
If we are already at the brink of overstimulation – it’s hardly wildlife on demand, but still – we can turn to our cabin instead. The boat is a study in the worth of holding on to the old ways and nightly entertainment is a good book or a board game. Alcohol is a bring your own affair and the excursions are limited to crab fishing or morning and evening cruises through the river’s ecosystem, Mother Nature providing all the steamy air-con you need.
A little after 8pm, the boat moors, and the sound of the jungle takes over. There is the low hum of truck and tuk-tuk traffic from a faraway road, but also a chatter in the treetops. A crew of lost mynas gossiping? A family of whistling kingfishers? Whatever, after copious beers on board, it’s a mellow soundtrack for a good night’s rest on the river.
In the morning, anchored at an embankment on Dedduwa Lake, I’m on my balcony staring out, listening to the songbirds. The sailing today, a five-hour round-trip, takes us to Pahuru Kanda Temple and a replica of the Buddha’s footprint where, says captain Koralage, we can contemplate hope and fate.
Given the wealth of religious relics, palaces and temple highlights elsewhere in Sri Lanka – the terracotta pagodas at Anuradhapura, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, Lion Rock at Sigiriya – it is a disappointment. More eye-catching by far are the lone fishermen who paddle past heroically in barely afloat outrigger canoes. Here, catfish and crabs outnumber the locals.
All too soon it is time to putter back towards the coast, and I join the captain beside the stern, neither of us saying a word. We don’t need to. A monitor lizard appears in a climactic rush, diving into the river with a plunging splash, as if to fill the silence between us. It’s startling, and for the briefest moment there is a sense that it’s times like this that keep him in the job.
Yathra, meaning “the journey”, offers plenty of such moments away from tried-and-tested Sri Lanka. Afterwards, lying on a palm-fringed beach in Bentota, or following the crowds south to Galle Fort, you might yearn to be back afloat exploring the serene river lands, lost amid tropical rainforest.
As for the frog? It was swallowed, lock, stock and barrel, before the keelback vanished as if it had never been there at all.
Mike MacEacheran travelled to Sri Lanka before the pandemic. Yathra Houseboat by Jetwing (00 941 146 27739; jetwingtravels.com) offers balcony cabins from £106 a night, B&B, including excursions. SriLankan Airlines (00 941 177 71979; srilankan.com) offers London Heathrow to Colombo from £457 return. For more information, see Sri Lanka Tourism (srilanka.travel).
Although remote workspaces have mushroomed all throughout 2020, they aren’t necessarily a new concept. The industry of software development in Sri Lanka (and elsewhere, for that matter) has been providing offshoring services – which entails remote work by default. Together with reliable cloud support services, remote work has been made affordable and easy to setup, unlike the bulky video conferencing systems of yesteryear. If we are to go further down memory lane, home offices of qualified professionals such as architects and lawyers should also count as work-from-home concepts, now isn’t it?
We may have come a long way from isolated home offices, but pre-2020 still saw select organizations in equally select industries embracing remote work. Whether it was for sustaining multinational teams or offering flexibility, working from home was a novelty – and a luxury. As businesses emphasized on the importance of having teams based centrally in physical offices, the remote workspace concept was perceived as an embellishment (in spite of its many benefits). Come 2020, though, and remote work was not an embellishment anymore; it was an essential that determined whether your business stayed afloat, let alone thrived.
While this shift happened for obvious reasons, companies that were otherwise wary were now able to experience the myriad benefits of maintaining teams remotely. From cost-savings to increased employee efficiency, positive outcomes were tangible and very much rewarding. Considering the prevailing circumstances, remote teams are here to stay – at least for a while. Although remote work welcomes many desirable benefits, it’s still not absolute. Setbacks and loopholes still remain to be addressed. What distinguishes organizations that are successful at operating remotely from the rest is their ability to rectify or mitigate these very setbacks.
But before we delve into the nitty-gritty of what you can do to ensure your remote workspace thrives, learning about some of the most common setbacks brought on by remote work shall serve as a good starting point. This way, problems can be identified at the root, to then devise precise and targeted solutions.
The most common setbacks of remote workspaces
Isolation.
This may not be directly related to your business, as it is more socio-psychological. But increased feelings of isolation are the most common [unpleasant] outcome of remote work, in spite of all the autonomy and flexibility that employees get to enjoy. Spontaneously greeting a fellow coworker in the corridor or sharing quick banter with another in the cafeteria are subtleties we don’t realize we have been taking for granted – until we establish our workstations at home.
Communication gaps.
It is widely accepted knowledge that communication is more than just verbal; from gestures to body language, numerous factors intermingle to express one’s ideas and feedback. On top of that, the lack of in-person communication means that only methods such as email, instant messaging and video calling are available. As a result, there is a likelihood that items can ‘fall through the cracks’, so to speak.
While both isolation and communication gaps are fundamental setbacks when it comes to remote workspaces, they can be safely circumvented to promote greater productivity and employee well-being. The below pointers are aimed at resolving these setbacks. While your business will require customization to suit unique requirements, these tips and techniques can give you an understanding of what will work for your business, and vice versa.
The basics
Schedule regular meetings.
Regular online meetings are the cornerstone to successfully working on a remote basis, without a doubt. As teams geographically disperse across cities, states and even the world, the need to have meetings can feel deceptively unnecessary. On top of that, team members smoothly working to achieve deadlines can further make even the shortest of meetings feel redundant. While it is important to strike the right balance between productivity and downtime, the absence of a regular meeting schedule can lead to teams working in silos.
Silos have been a perpetual problem even in brick-and-mortar workplaces. So the lack of in-person attendance can further aggravate even the slightest of silos within a remote environment. Therefore, maintaining a meeting schedule which invites relevant team members to share updates and progress pertaining to the tasks they’re working on is a fundamental yet highly effective way to stay on top of things.
Ultimately, it is the frequency and productivity level of online meetings which indicate how successful a company is with its remote work practices. In turn, this helps to determine whether such a policy should be continued – as opposed to stripping flexibility from team members by requesting them to report to the office.
Collaborate real-time.
The technology of collaborating on one central document with multiple team members has been one of the most popular characteristics of modern business work processes. Facilitated by cloud computing, providers of hosted solutions are now a one-stop-shop for anything and everything pertaining to running a business on the cloud. Having no need to operate physical servers and other storage equipment, SaaS solutions have been a boon for companies both big and small to save money while enabling accessibility anywhere 24/7.
However, cloud providers have taken it a step further as organizations are now able to team up through dedicated partnerships (such as being an AWS partner, for instance). This offers companies everything that they need to run daily processes – while also scaling up or down if needed due to changing business circumstances. This has been one of the biggest driving factors for remote work in 2020. With quick setup and commitment-free pricing options, businesses are able to set the tone for what needs to be done, where, when and how – instead of the other way around.
Therefore, it is imperative for your business to collaborate on a real-time basis via hosted solutions. But, also think about how centralizing your company’s business systems on the cloud (or even hybridizing it by using a combination of cloud and on-premise components) can help your company reap the benefits of remote work in the long-term.
Conduct regular company and employee reviews/roundups.
While regular reviews are crucial in any company irrespective of whether work happens in-person or remotely, they become more crucial in the wake of fluctuating economic climates and job security concerns. Reviews can be done via online meetings on an individual, department and company level, to brief employees on where the organization currently stands and where it is headed.
Reviews can go beyond the latest company happenings to feature more value-additions for team members. For example, you can use this opportunity to cross-pollinate between departments, by demonstrating what members in other departments are accomplishing to the company at large. Again, this addresses the issue of company silos. So talking about how other business units are contributing can offer employees better insight on what they can do to contribute to a more refined and mutual business goal.
This not only helps to break an otherwise monotonous work cycle, but gives employees fresh insight on how they can leverage their own duties – while being involved in exchanges that encourage engagement and a sense of belonging.
Going beyond the basics
Schedule sessions to let off some steam.
As teams get engrossed with chasing deadlines day in and day out while being remotely distributed, the proverbial ‘chat by the water cooler’ becomes obsolete. Although a subtle few moments that aren’t given second thoughts when moving around a physical office, the absence of such happenstance interactions can really be felt when you’re working all by yourself from home. The void is ironically gaping for something that was otherwise known to be so anodyne. So how can you emulate similar experiences virtually?
This can range from being as simple as setting a particular day and time for ‘banter’ only, or organizing a fully-fledged eSports tournament for some extra fun. If it still feels like a stretch, simply creating an IM channel that is only dedicated to updates and conversations outside of what’s happening at work can inject some light-heartedness in an otherwise isolated and repetitive work cycle.
Participate in seminars/workshops.
This goes a notch above water cooler and gaming sessions, by arranging events that employees can attend for extra education/insight outside of work. With leading conferences now operating virtually, it is easier to gain access to international events right from the convenience of your PC or smartphone. Make the most of all the virtual access by sponsoring your employees to also attend such events. Whether it’s a panel discussion on career development or a demonstration of industry-specific technology trends, ask your team members to suggest what they would prefer to attend. While this empowers employees to gain exposure to the latest for advancing their careers, it also establishes a sense of rapport towards the company.
Alternatively, identify specific employees who would also be willing to conduct training sessions for fellow coworkers. An arrangement of this sort benefits both trainer and participant; while trainers get to practice thought leadership skills, participants glean hands-on knowledge from a colleague who they may already be familiar with.
Encourage heart-to-heart discussions.
This features a combination of remote work practices that need to be done consistently, from regular online meetings to virtual ‘water cooler’ or ‘happy hour’ sessions. On the other hand, sustaining an environment where employees are confident to voice their thoughts and feedback is the sign of a healthy workplace that’s coupled with strong leadership. Remote or not, it’s the calibre of leadership that will eventually determine how transparent your employees are with you. To put it simply, do they ever approach higher-ups to discuss concerns? If so, how often, and are there any specific topics that are most commonly broached?
While this isn’t specific to remote workspaces, the importance of encouraging open discussion is something that can never be stressed too much. Doing a combination of all the above pointers is what will establish the right mojo for employees to feel confident enough to share. This is something which business leaders need to now think about from a fresh new perspective, as remote work policies introduce the constraint of distance that needs to be alleviated for smoother communication.
To start, intently listen to what employees have to say during regular work meetings. Not every opinion may be viable or even executable. But intent listening will gradually yet organically instil a sense of trust in your employees – which will only strengthen rapport and transparency in the long run.
In conclusion…
Remote work exploded in popularity and demand in 2020, and this trend is only here to stay – at least for a substantial period of time. Apart from offering unmatched flexibility and less downtime, remote work still comes with certain caveats. How well these setbacks are addressed will determine the overall success rate of your remote work policies. But at a time when remote workspaces are one of the most advisable solutions for business continuity, it is imperative that you establish a productive yet sustainable remote work environment for your teams to thrive in.
Isolation and gaps in communication are two of the most common setbacks when it comes to remote workspaces. However, both can be rectified by opting for a combination of good remote work practices that can get everyone accustomed to performing well within a distributed team.
Regular online meetings, while a basic requirement for remote work, is foundational for building transparency and trust amongst your team members. Real-time document collaboration not only removes version-related hiccups, but also vastly streamlines the remote work process. Regular reviews and roundups may once again be mundane, but they form an integral stepping stone towards understanding what really makes your employees tick all the way to an individual level.
Go beyond the basics by engaging your employees further via conferences, seminars, workshops and interactive training sessions that can be conducted by existing employees. Virtual water cooler sessions, happy hours and even gaming tournaments can further create positive buzz, thereby reducing the chronic isolation that can significantly impact employee productivity and well-being.
With Sri Lanka opening up the country to safe tourism on 21 January, Best of Sri Lanka, Aitken Spence Travels and Qatar Airways chose to launch a series of webinars for Swedish travel agencies.
On February 3, about 20 reps for Swedish travel agencies participated in the webinar under ”Sri Lanka opens up”.
The panel consisted of;
Leif I Ohlson, Founder of Best of Sri Lanka and Secretary General of the Sweden-Sri Lanka Business Council
Pernilla Tillas, Senior Sales Manager and Eunice Raila, Sales Executive, Qatar Airways Sweden
Kapila Aberwaydane, Nordic Manager, Aitken Spence Travels, Sri Lanka
During the webinar, the four presented the current situation in Sri Lanka, how it is possible to travel there safely and what opportunities and experiences are in place within the framework of the safe concept Sri Lanka Tourism has developed.
Many participants came from travel agencies outside the Stockholm area.
“Even though the majority of Swedish tourists travel during October – February, it is important to be able to absorb the travel agencies’ information needs now and in the future. Aitken Spence with long experience as a partner in the Swedish travel industry would like to contribute ”said Kapila Abeywardane
Sweden and the Nordic countries discovered Sri Lanka early on, and before the disturbances of recent years, the number of tourists from the region had increased considerably.
I think it is important that Sri Lanka looks at the Nordic market as a whole, says Leif I Ohlson. Then the Nordic region will be as big a market as France or Russia for Sri Lanka.
Good connections from the Nordic airports are also important. It is gratifying that Qatar believes in Sri Lanka and offers safe, secure and regular travel, states Leif I Ohlson.
We look forward to continuing with more information seminars in the spring, but it is important to emphasize that the authorities ’and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ recommendations will be followed. We look ahead and see that there is a future ”concludes Leif I Ohlson.
I och med att Sri Lanka den 21 januari öppnade upp landet för säker turism valde Best of Sri Lanka, Aitken Spence Travels och Qatar Airways att inleda en serie webinars för svenska resebyråer.
Den 3 februari deltog ett 20-tal repr för svenska resebyråer i webinaret under ”Sri Lanka öppnar upp”.
Panelen bestod av;
Leif I Ohlson, grundare Best of Sri Lanka och generalsekr Sweden-Sri Lanka Business Council
Pernilla Tillas, Senior Sales manager och Eunice Raila, Sales Executive, Qatar Airways Sweden
Kapila Aberwaydane, Nordic Manager, Aitken Spence Travels, Sri Lanka
De fyra presenterade under webinaret aktuellt läge på Sri Lanka, hur det går att resa dit säkert och vilka möjligheter samt upplevelser som finns på plats inom ramen för det säkra koncept Sri Lanka Tourism tagit fram.
Många deltagare kom från resebyråer utanför Stockholms-området.
”Även om större delen av de svenska turister reser under oktober – februari är det viktigt att tidigt kunna ta till sig vilka informationsbehov resebyråerna har nu och framgent. Aitken Spence med lång erfarenhet som partner till den svenska resebranschen vill gärna bidra” sade Kapila Abeywardane
Sverige och Norden upptäckte tidigt Sri Lanka och före de senaste årens störningar hade antalet turister från regionen ökat ordentligt.
Jag tycker det är viktigt att Sri Lanka tittar på den nordiska marknaden som en helhet säger Leif I Ohlson. Då blir Norden en lika stor marknad som Frankrike eller Ryssland för Sri Lanka.
Bra förbindelser från de nordiska flygplatserna är också viktigt. Det är glädjande att Qatar tror på Sri Lanka och erbjuder ett säkert, tryggt och regelbundet resande konstaterar Leif I Ohlson.
Vi ser fram emot att fortsätta med fler informationsseminarier under våren, men det är viktigt att framhålla att myndigheternas och Utrikesdepartmentets rekommendationer skall följas. Vi blickar framåt och ser att det finns en framtid” avslutar Leif I Ohlson.
