Asserting their commitment to enhancing the quality of life of all Sri Lankans,
the country’s fastest growing life insurer, Softlogic Life kickstarted their powerful new 4Her
platform in commemoration of International Women’s Day 2021. The first of its kind in the
country, the 4Her platform consists of a number of unique and revolutionary initiatives to
create an opportunity-rich, safe and highly supportive business environment for women in Sri
Lanka, enabling them to better contribute to and gain equally from workplaces, communities
and country.
Lead by a dynamic team of Softlogic Life’s most senior female leaders and aspiring female
leaders, the 4Her platform commenced on the 8 th March, 2021 with a vibrant and engaging
virtual coffee chat with Renuka Fernando, Group Chief Digital Services Officer and Chairperson
Dialog Finance PLC. This marks the first of a monthly practice of lively discussions which
enables female employees to interact with and learn from successful female leaders in Sri Lanka.
Inspired by passionate women who persevere towards their dreams everyday, putting in the
long hours, unfailing effort and love to succeed not only for them but as well as for those they
nurture, the 4Her initiative is geared to support the dreams and aspirations of the female
workforce as a long-term, ongoing practice, in a manner that will have the most impact.
The 4Her platform comprises of concerted initiatives crafted by taking into account four
primary spheres of development; work-life balance, entrepreneurship, education and leadership.
All initiatives are aimed at creating the most ideal, growth-oriented work setting that allows
female staff members or entrepreneurs to thrive in their careers while better managing their
multiple roles in work or home.
The most revolutionary of these is the granting of 100 days of maternity leave, which is a
significant increase from the normal 84 days, along with offering the additional option of three
more months to allow new mothers to work from home while adjusting to their new and
complex parental roles. Added to this, the company has arranged invaluable pre and post
mental wellness virtual lessons for moms-to-be in collaboration with leading private healthcare
provider Asiri Hospitals.
In terms of education, leadership and skill development, Softlogic Life will be launching a female
leadership specific model across the entire company’s operations. Under this, a group of five high flyers from the branch female staff will be groomed with high value mentorship
opportunities to kick start their journeys to becoming successful sales personnel at the fore of
the company. Mandatory training will also conducted, in partnership with the Softlogic Life
training center, while monthly e-flyers circulated to further enrich staffers.
The theme of International Women’s Day 2021 is “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal
Future in a COVID-19 World,” which aims to celebrate the contributions by women and girls
worldwide in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and shaping a more equal future. The
country’s already-low female labour force participation of approximately 35% is expected to
worsen due to the ongoing pandemic. Softlogic Life’s Vice President – Marketing Kavindra
Rajapaksha says the motivation behind this unique initiative was borne out of a strong desire to
change this predicament, starting from breaking down barriers and better support female staff
to thrive within the company and begin to create a more supportive business landscape for
women in the country.
“The pandemic shed a spotlight on many of the issues that were plaguing working women for a
long time. As a brand that inspires people to live fully and embrace their passions, we crafted
the 4Her platform to set a course towards creating a more supportive culture for our female
staff and all women across Sri Lanka. A path that is highly conducive to balanced growth in both
their professional and personal lives. As an equal opportunity employer, we believe that it is our
duty to help lead and ignite this change, both within our company and outside in our country, in
challenging norms and fighting for progress,” she stated.
“There has never been a more important moment in time to put together our resources and
commitment behind resolving some of the biggest issues holding back female staff and
entrepreneurs from achieving their best. We intend to further invest in the 4Her platform as it
evolves into an even more powerful initiative able to progress society and its practices to
better benefit our female workforce,” Rajapaksha stated further.
In order to ignite change outside the company, Softlogic Life has taken the bold lead in helping
to uplift external female entrepreneurs associated with the company by providing them with
access to high value resources and funding through their partnership with EO Sri Lanka.
Furthermore, Softlogic Life aims to introduce a unique, highly-beneficial female Specific life
insurance Product to better support female lives in Sri Lanka.
Marked annually on March 8, International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social,
economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for
accelerating gender parity as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements and
rally for women’s equality.
About Softlogic Life
Softlogic Life Insurance PLC is a subsidiary of Softlogic Capital PLC and is part of the Softlogic
Group, which is recognized as one of Sri Lanka’s most diversified and fastest-growing
conglomerates with interests in Healthcare, Retail, ICT, Leisure, Automobiles and Financial
Services. Significant stakeholders in the company include global investors Leapfrog Investments.