Lifestyle - Corporate Wellness

“Corporate Wellness” is not just about exercise and gyms, but an education on the resources essential for physical and mental wellbeing. It is about how to plan and execute a fitness routine, select the right kind of food, improve self-confidence and thereby improve efficiency and most importantly, manage stress, and work anxiety. Prevention of lifestyle related diseases like diabetes, hypertension and coronary heart disease is an added benefit. It needs to be addressed proficiently keeping in mind the unique needs of each individual and prioritising “safety of exercise”. Over-training or utilising inappropriate training techniques is completely unnecessary when you keep end results in perspective. Here the objective of a fitness routine is to ‘stay healthy and productive’, not just to be Mr. or Ms. Universe! Losing sight of priorities could lead to injury and set backs that are detrimental to personal and professional life.
Today’s working environment is such that individuals feel short changed for time and believe they are unable to work out and stay healthy as a result. ‘Wellness’, however, is not time-bound or reserved for the supermodel, athlete, or body-builder; the yogi who has renounced humanity, or the decadent narcissist who seems to have all the time in the world just to focus on “health and fitness”. It is available to, and necessary for everyone, particularly the overworked corporate or professional. An ideal routine for a busy corporate does not need to be endless or unrealistic. Sensible combination of routines could not only prevent boredom, but minimizse time invested while still optimizing results. Important aspects
What are the important aspects of corporate wellness?
Firstly, the diet. Healthy eating is a communal and social issue. Some companies provide food for employees through an on-campus cafeteria. In this case, it is the company’s responsibility to make healthy options available. Although this may sound rather idealistic, it is viable with the right guidance and resources. There may be resistance from employees themselves, in that they object to so-called ‘health food’ being served in the cafeterias and prefer instead, the calorie rich or deep fried snacks for lunch instead of a more balanced meal.
Till such time these options are available and within one’s reach, one has to make the best of what we can when carrying a home-packed lunch is the alternative. There are numerous choices if we prioritise our needs. If healthy food-on-the-move is the main concern, we would be inclined to pack our own meal of, say, a modified wrap (made of dry whole wheat and soy, rotis filled with paneer/ tofu, pickled veggies), keep fruits to snack on, choose whole wheat sandwiches with chicken, tuna, hummus or tofu to a cheese-filled pastry at a company outing, or opt for a bowl of clear soup, avoiding the constant snacking on bags of chips, sweet teas, and oily delicacies.
The flourishing fast food and home/office delivery system encourages one eat high calorie, low nutrient density food if one is ignorant of how to make the right food choices. To do this, the individual needs to be educated on the basic fundamentals of healthy eating after which he will find innumerable options even while away from home.
Secondly, Physical fitness. Research has proved conclusively that incorporating an appropriate fitness routine into anyone’s life helps improve quality of life. Onsite fitness facilities have been made available in several large corporate houses in the West and in India. It has become apparent, after the studies done at various organisations (Mesa Petroleum, Prudential Insurance company, as reported by a survey by the American Institute of Preventive Medicine), that rate of absenteeism is lower among the employees who participate regularly in fitness activities; health care costs are lower and the work productivity improves as a direct result of better sleep, better stress management, happier and healthier employees. Concentration and energy levels increase. Insomnia, depression, chronic fatigue, obesity, deep vein thrombosis a direct result of sedentary lifestyle can be combated. Fitness centres
Several Indian companies like Infosys, Bangalore which boasts a 10,000 square ft gymnasium; Hyundai Motor India; LG factory in Delhi to name a few have also incorporated convenient health centres within their framework.
Access to a fitness centre is one of the fringe benefits some corporates include for their employees. Isn’t be even better then medical insurance or health screening as it extrapolates into a form of preventive care? Some companies have found it to be so. Establishing a full fledged gym, sauna, and pool or tennis court is only part of the equation. Ensuring that the proper science of fitness is applied and practised is the responsibility of the company. Getting people to utilise the facilities appropriately is the outcome of proper education from a professional and encouragement from top level management. Our country hasn’t woken up fully to the absolute importance and benefits of a competently managed, regular fitness routine as a precursor to improved “wellness”.
It may be essential initially to mandate that employees participate in a programme that is suitable for them. It would be also be required that the time be made available for them to do so. Working a 16-hour shift may not be most conducive to including exercise into an already crammed day.
Thirdly, Proper counselling. Lack of compliance from employees may be a real problem. Professional guidance, counselling and motivation are essential. When higher level employees, CEOs and directors are as passionate about improving wellness for themselves as they are for their employees, the enthusiasm filters down the hierarchy.
Anil Ambani for instance, can sermonise on the benefits of fitness and be taken seriously by the employees of Reliance, even leading them to be encouraged enough to pursue it, as he would then be leading by example.
Although controlling expenses is one of the priorities of most companies, employee health and wellness may not be the ideal place to implement cutbacks. Substandard equipment, training methods or advice could do more harm than good.
The economic benefits of offering such facilities to the workforce are indisputable. An unhealthy employee is a liability rather than an asset to the company. Understanding this reality and working towards preventing it is beneficial to the bottom line of every company. While offering health insurance for the employees, it might make sense to also thwart those very diseases with the necessary preventive measures. This is not only economically advantageous, but also makes for a more dynamic and contented work force.
The final decision to improve wellness, of course, remains with the individual himself. However having professional guidance and a congenial environment that encourages such a lifestyle will support active participation and a proactive approach to one’s own health and wellbeing. A full time career does not have to be an impediment to healthy living.



Making small changes:

Encouragement and Endorsement from senior level management
The time to fit in a wellness programe, if necessary, within the working day.
If feasible, access to a well equipped fitness center which would also implement a higher and more authentic knowledge of the science of fitness.
The opportunity to choose healthy food from the cafeteria.
Regular education with regard to updated information on ‘Wellness’.
Wellness workshops on Exercise psychology, Health education, Personal safety, Cancer prevention, Substance abuse control, Stress management etc.
Individualisation for employees, one size does not fit all. For instance, one person may require a combination of Yoga and speed walking, while another may benefit from regular weight training along with cardio and rehabilitation for a chronically stiff neck, yet another may prefer to join an aerobic class a couple of times a week and follow it up with breathing and relaxation alternating with Pilates.