Hilton Named Sri Lanka’s Best MNC and Hayleys Plantations Best PLC at Best Workplaces 2026
AI-generated illustration of a Sri Lankan workplace awards gala. The authentic photograph accompanying the Daily FT report could not be reproduced.
Great Place To Work Sri Lanka has announced the winners of the Category Awards at the Best Workplaces Gala Awards Ceremony 2026, recognising organisations across the country for building workplaces shaped by trust, opportunity and effective people practices. Among the headline classifications, Hilton was named Best MNC and Hayleys Plantations Best PLC.
The awards are notable not only for the familiar names at the top, but also for the breadth of organisations recognised across sectors including agriculture, hospitality, financial services, logistics, manufacturing and technology. For Sri Lankan employees, employers and readers following the country’s business community from overseas, the results offer a snapshot of how workplace culture is being measured and celebrated.
A framework focused on every employee
The Category Awards are based on the Great Place To Work For All Model, which promotes an environment where employees can experience a consistently positive workplace regardless of their role. The model places emphasis on the everyday experience of work, rather than treating culture as a statement that exists separately from management decisions and workplace practices.
The award winners were selected from the 50 Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka 2026 and recognised across five award clusters. In addition, the 2026 programme recognised 20 micro and small organisations and 30 medium and large organisations.
Great Place To Work’s published methodology describes an assessment that combines employee feedback with an evaluation of people practices. Its Trust Index employee survey asks about trust in workplace leaders, pride in work and camaraderie among colleagues; the Culture Audit assesses the practices and processes used to sustain employee experience. The published methodology allocates 75 per cent of the overall score to the employee survey and 25 per cent to the Culture Audit.
AI-generated illustration representing employee trust and workplace experience.
Excellence in values and innovation
Two awards highlighted how organisational values and employee ideas can be reflected in daily working life.
AmSafe Bridport Ltd. received the award for Excellence in Living the Values. The award recognises organisations that embed their values in everyday practices, leadership behaviour and decision-making, helping to create a strong and distinctive workplace culture.
Altrium Ltd. received the award for Excellence in Encouraging Opportunities for Innovation. This recognition focuses on organisations that empower employees to share ideas, encourage innovation through people practices and turn employee contributions into meaningful business improvements.
The two awards draw attention to different, but related, elements of workplace culture: the consistency between an organisation’s stated values and its actions, and the ability of employees to contribute ideas that can help improve how the organisation works.
Leadership, responsibility and community impact
AIA Insurance Lanka Ltd. received the Cube Award for Bold Acts of Leadership in 2026. The award celebrates visionary leadership that supports long-term sustainability and meaningful community impact while building profitable businesses.
Initiatives considered for the award are assessed against their scope, the resources invested, measurable results and stakeholder engagement. These criteria place emphasis on the substance and reach of leadership initiatives, rather than on statements of intent alone.
AI-generated illustration representing employee participation and workplace innovation.
Classification and industry recognition
The classification awards named Hilton Best MNC and Hayleys Plantations Best PLC. Their recognition places two well-known organisations among the leading names in a programme that assesses workplaces across different organisational forms and sectors.
The industry awards recognised 12 organisations:
- Hayleys Plantations, Agriculture
- DIMO PLC, Diversified
- AIA Insurance Lanka Ltd.: Financial Services and Insurance
- Hilton, Hospitality – Hotels and Resorts
- Altrium Ltd., Information Technology
- Dijital Team, Information Technology Enabled Services
- Advantis Express Ltd., Logistics and Transportation
- AmSafe Bridport Ltd.: Manufacturing and Production – Apparel and Textile Sector
- AB Mauri Lanka Ltd.: Manufacturing and Production – Food and Beverage Sector
- Diamond Cutters Ltd., Manufacturing and Production – General
- Oxford College of Business Ltd.: Professional Services
- Ideal Motors Ltd., Trading
The list spans companies of varied kinds and sizes, illustrating that workplace recognition is not confined to a single industry. The award categories also make the results relevant to employees and jobseekers considering careers in areas as varied as hospitality, technology, education, transport and manufacturing.
Recognising sustained commitment
Legends Status honours organisations that have demonstrated a sustained commitment to employee engagement and effective people management by earning a place on the Best Workplaces List for five or ten consecutive years.
AmSafe Bridport Ltd. earned a place in the 5-Year Legends Hall of Fame. Honourable mentions as 10+ Year Legends went to Advantis Express Ltd., with 11 years; Oxford College of Business Ltd., with 13 years; and AIA Insurance Lanka Ltd. and DIMO PLC, each with 14 years.
These distinctions recognise continuity over time. A sustained record on the list indicates that an organisation has repeatedly met the programme’s assessment criteria, rather than receiving recognition for a single year alone.
AI-generated illustration representing workplace conversations in Sri Lanka’s plantation sector.
Awards across different organisational sizes
The awards also recognise organisations according to employee strength. Gold, Silver and Bronze winners are recognised across four size categories: Micro, with 20 to 100 employees; Small, with 101 to 250; Medium, with 251 to 500; and Large, with more than 500 employees.
This structure provides a way to recognise organisations operating at different scales, while the broader total of 20 micro and small organisations and 30 medium and large organisations reflects the range of employers represented in the 2026 awards.
For Sri Lanka, workplace awards can contribute to a wider conversation about the quality of employment and the country’s reputation as a place to work and invest. Trust, opportunity, leadership and employee engagement are not abstract concepts: they affect how people experience their working lives and how organisations build their capabilities. Recognition alone does not describe every employee’s experience, but the framework offers a structured way to assess workplace practices and employee feedback.
For readers in Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans abroad who follow local employers, the 2026 results provide a useful overview of organisations recognised across the country. They may also be of interest to people considering a return home or exploring career opportunities in Sri Lanka, where questions about professional growth and workplace culture can be as important as the role itself.
Organisations interested in entering future Best Workplaces programmes should note that the stated deadline for entries is 30 January 2027.
Source: https://www.ft.lk/hr/GPWSL-announces-winners-of-the-Category-Awards-for-Sri-Lanka-s-Best-Workplaces-2026/47-799054
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