Companies investing in health of employees to increase productivity

GURUGRAM: For years, Tijo Zacharia, a human resources professional at PricewaterhouseCoopers, wanted to lose weight but could never get himself moving. He signed up for a wellness competition, Lose to Win, which his company started early this year.
Less than three months later, Zacharia was 8kg lighter, happier and more confident. “The sense of competition and working out with peers motivated me. Apart from feeling good, we were rewarded for losing weight,” said Zacharia.

Many companies are investing in employee health with special programmes and initiatives. As India faces a grave obesity challenge, organisations are reinventing wellness programmes, both physical and mental to ensure employees are fit.

More than 400 employees took part in PwC’s competition, grouped as teams of four. “We had a project manager who monitored our progress every week and each of us had a personalised diet chart,” said Zacharia.

Saraveshretha Paliwal, who heads the Azure division at Microsoft India, was diagnosed with high blood pressure and decided to use Microsoft’s Fitness Benefits programme to work out and get his diet right. In nine months, he lost 12kg. “You need the support of your family and friends to cross the bridge. That’s where the health programme worked,” said Paliwal, whose next goal is to learn swimming and go diving at the Great Barrier Reef.

Ingersoll Rand has an annual 100-day physical activity challenge where employees compete with one another and employees of other companies across the world.

They set themselves challenges such as taking 20,000 steps a day or cycling or swimming a certain distance.

“It was a 100-day challenge and we had to take 20,000 steps a day. Our health stats were monitored and we were given dietary guidance. At the end of the 100 days, we all came out stronger and healthier. It also helped me accomplish my personal goal of running a 10K marathon,” said Ilango Murugesan, engineering manager. Last year, 1,043 employees from India and 11,382 employees globally participated in the challenge.

To draw in millennials, Microsoft has gamified its health initiatives. Its Fit for Life game involves a series of fitness events. “The employees are given a fitness challenge every week. They have to complete the task and log their results. Participants are usually grouped into teams of six to eight. The games test for fitness levels, endurance and strength,” said a Microsoft spokesperson.

Organisations are also hiring personal coaches for employees, whether the goal is weight loss or training for a marathon. Adobe provides employees with a personal health coach as well as a life coach for mental, social and financial health.

Sapient offers free counselling sessions not just for employees but also family members. The sessions are discreet and sometimes anonymous and online. Neha Kukreti, a senior associate at Sapient, said the onsite counselling helped her immensely. “They helped me discover what was holding me back,” she said.

Microsoft runs a similar programme, Microsoft CARES, for emotional wellbeing of employees. “It is a confidential counselling service designed to help employees and their immediate family, whether the challenges are at work or in their personal life,” said a spokesperson.

“The impact of our wellness initiatives has been great. A recent study indicates that 67% of Sapient staff believe that the company helps them achieve work-life balance,” said Kameshwari Rao, group vice-president, people strategy, Sapient India.

Experts say organisations are investing in corporate wellness programmes because the well-being of employees directly affects organisational productivity and efficiency. Such initiatives also build employee satisfaction and loyalty.

Shirin Salis, VP, human resources, Sapient, says employee wellbeing is directly proportionate to performance and for an organisation to be successful, it is essential that the employees are healthy. “We believe efforts to improve employee well-being is pivotal to raise productivity while improving the quality of life of every employee,” said Salis.