Frequently Asked Questions

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Why Sri Lanka

Aptitude is a natural tendency to do something. In Sri Lanka the natural tendency is GSD which means Get Sh!t Done. This is part of the DNA of the Sri Lankan culture and is built on the various adversities the country has faced such as civil war, tsunamis etc. This has created a proactiveness you will not see elsewhere. In addition, there is no caste system in Sri Lanka so team members will not only manage up but also let you know when they do not understand something – so no more saying yes when they mean no.

Contemporary IT skills in Sri Lanka are second to none. This is one of many reasons Kearney has identified Sri Lanka as a technology powerhouse. The depth of skills is no accident and is based on ongoing investment by the Sri Lankan government in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). This investment has been identified by the Hyperscalers who have worked with SLASSCOM and other industry partners to ensure the university curriculum is aligned to modern cloud skills. As a result, technology is now the second biggest contributor to GDP.

English is a native language in Sri Lanka as it is mandated to be taught from kindergarten to grade 12. As a result the literacy rate of Sri Lanka is 98.9%. The British colonisation has meant that the education system is aligned to the UK, creating strong written and verbal skills with a neutral accent. As part of our process, we shortlist only the best communicators so much so that one of our customers recently said “I closed my eyes during the interview and did not realise I was talking to someone from Sri Lanka”.

How Much Does It Cost

The easiest way to work out how much a role in Sri Lanka will cost is 1 to 4. For every role in Australia, you can typically hire 4 of the equivalent team members (or better) in Sri Lanka. Plus, we take care of everything, and you do not need to worry about all the pesky hidden extras of staff such as payroll tax, insurance, Xmas parties etc.

If you are looking at India, Vietnam, Philippines or many of the other traditional offshore locations, you will find you get more bang for your buck in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is about 30% cheaper for commodity roles and 50% cheaper for highly skilled technical roles (if you can even find them in the other locations).

Last time we checked there was only 12 months in a year. There are no extra months in the Digital Staff calendar which means you do not have to make unexpected extra payments. We believe in paying team members well every month of the year and not making them wait until the end of the year for a “bonus” to make up for underpayment and stinging you with extra fees.

The simple answer is, there are none. Many other providers charge extra for training, Christmas parties and even ice-creams on a Friday. Our fridge is always stocked and our parties are always epic. However, our monthly fees are fixed so there are no hidden surprises, just an easy to understand invoice that is the same every month in your local currency.

110%. We know you don’t like surprises (except on your birthday) so you will never see additional line items on your invoice for things that should simply be included in the first place.

We believe in making life as easy as possible. Apart from providing an easy-to-understand invoice with no surcharges or hidden extras, we will invoice you in your local currency.

You can pay a bonus at any time, and we help facilitate the whole process and do not take any fees or charges ensuring your team member get the full benefit and reward! If you would prefer to organise something different to cold hard cash like a movie voucher or an air fryer, we can organise this for you as well.

We know that commitment is hard and sometimes things change. We enable you to cancel at any stage for convenience with 90 days’ notice.

Ready to Build A-Team

Building a dedicated team is super easy with Digital Staff. It all starts with our Job Description Development. We know that every organisation is unique, and we take the time to get to know and understand not only the skills your team member needs but also the culture of your business, so that we can design and build the perfect team. We do all the hard work for you and create the Job Description for you rather than you are staring at a blank Word document wondering what to write.

Almost all our customers start with one team member. This satisfies the needs for some customers, but we find that once you have experienced the depth of skills and the proactive and empathetic culture Sri Lanka is famous for globally, that one is never enough.

A local leader is not necessary to get the best outcomes for your team. We want every engagement to be successful, whether that is one team member or 100 team members. We provide a local People & Culture Business Partner that is assigned to your organisation. They work together with a Customer Success Specialist based in Australia. This dream team helps make sure your team member gets all the support they need and delivers awesome outcomes for your business.
For most roles, you can expect approximately 5 weeks from the time you let us know your requirements to when an awesome team member is delivering outcomes for you. We will generally have great candidates for you to interview within a week and then typically there is a 4 week notice period until they start with you.

The Digital Staff employee value proposition (EVP) includes numerous benefits that are designed to ensure every team member is supported and can deliver the best work possible for our customers. These benefits range from health insurance for the team members and their families, wellness benefits including access to an employee assistance program (EAP) and subsidised gym membership, through to internet reimbursement and a Spotify subscription and even includes a birthday cake on the team members Birthday. Our benefits are designed around promoting a healthy work-life balance and are all included in our fixed monthly fee.

Training

Our Customer Success Specialists work with you to understand the unique needs of your business and where you are going. We believe mastery is super important for ongoing retention of team members and we will work with you to design a training and development plan based on your specific needs.

We know vendors like to keep moving the goal posts on what certification is required. We make it super easy for your team to take industry exams with a Pearson Vue test centre in our office. We are there to help align the certification requirements of your business to meet the latest partner requirements.
We have purpose-built facilities ranging from a board room to a huddle room that is available for our customers to use free of charge at any time. Giving you the freedom to train your team or use however it make sense.
We know that as your business grows, that the needs of your team need to grow as well. You could be moving from Sophos to Fortinet or changing the structure of your development team. We work with you to ensure that the career development of every team member is aligned to your specific goals and objectives so that they meet the needs of your business today and for tomorrow.

Policy & Procedure

Safeguarding the confidentiality of customer data is of the upmost importance to Digital Staff. Our dedicated IT and Cyber Security teams have implemented a robust set of controls aligned to ISO27001 standards and can assist tailor these to your specific requirements. Our controls are a combination of people, process and technology. These include a range of data security and privacy policies and procedures, non-disclosure agreements for team members, endpoint protection with centralized management, and unified threat management. This is coupled with ongoing training of team members to ensure that your data is protected.

100%. We can enrol the high-end laptop that we supply into our Intune instance or alternatively you are free to enrol the device in your own end point management solution. Whatever you need, our IT team can assist you.

We do not believe in fractionalised working, so you always know that your team is dedicated to working 100% for only your organisation. We encourage regular check-ins with your team members, with the best practice being a daily stand-up. These regular connections ensure that the team member is focused on what you need, and any blockers are uncovered. We regularly check-in with you and your team to ensure that the outcomes you need are being delivered. We can provide monitoring software at no cost to provide a breakdown of activities but believe the best measure of performance is delivery of outcomes and a delighted customer.

Life would be boring if everything was the same. You know your business better than anyone so why should we dictate what RMM/PSA or code repository you use. We design and build your team so that they have the skills and experience to use the tools and processes you use to run your business and stand out from the crowd.

Team Dynamics

The team is your team, and you should communicate directly with them the same way you do with any other team member. They are a dedicated member of your team; they just happen to be working in Colombo. So, include them as part of your stand-ups, town halls and even the footy tipping competition. If for what ever reason you are having any communication issues, we are here to support you get the outcomes you need.

A Digital Staff member is just like having an onshore team member and day-to-day they are directed and managed by you. We are there to provide you and the team member everything they need to deliver amazing outcomes for your business.

Sri Lankans want to feel part of a team and be treated just like any other team member with respect and dignity. They crave feedback whether that is good or bad as they genuinely want to make a difference to your business. Remember that cultural awareness is an ongoing process, and whilst Digital Staff will assist you, having an open mind and genuine interest in understanding and appreciating Sri Lankan culture will help.

You bet. Providing the opportunity for a team member to visit Australia allows them to deepen their understanding of the culture of your business and there is no better way to strengthen relationships than a beer or two. We can assist with the Visa process to ensure there are no hiccups as well as organise flights and everything that is needed for a successful trip.
100%! We highly encourage our customers to visit their team members in Sri Lanka. You are welcome to visit at any time and use our world-class office at no charge. We are there to make your visit as easy as possible whether that is organising accommodation through to helping you book a cheeky holiday to visit one of the many wonderful beaches on offer in Sri Lanka.
We often get asked by customers what beach they should visit or where is the best place to view wild leopards. We can tailor an itinerary for your visit to Sri Lanka from just giving you the tips on the best bars and restaurants all the way to a full turn-key solution where we book your hotels and a driver or anything in-between.
Everyone loves swag and there is no better way for a team member to feel part of the team than wearing one of your fancy polos or trendy t-shirts. We can help you find a local supplier or assist with shipping any merch to ensure it does not get held up in customs.

Customer Success

Working Arrangements

Ready to Build Your Team?