A new corporate climbing

Geetu Vaid

Well, if rat race, cut throat competition and politicking are the only “games” that come to your mind in reference to the corporate workforce, then its time to take a look again. As under the stress -laden, sedentary work routines wherein work-life balances go topsy turvy, undercurrents of change are building up. 

To move straight to the goal post one can say that the Indian corporate world is slowly waking up to the productive benefits of the excitement and thrill of participating in amateur sports. So a number of top notch companies as well as newbie start-ups are involving and encouraging their workforce to indulge in some real time teambuilding by sweating it out on the field. Thus, one sees a steady increase in followership for companies like Volano, that organises Devil Circuit Swift Challenge and Stepathlon Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd. (SLPL),  a global wellness company that aims to create an ecosystem promoting corporate health, fitness and productivity by increasing daily activity. 

While close to 250 teams from as many as 80 corporate organisations from all over the country took part in the Devil Circuit this year, last year, Stepathlon witnessed participation from 60,250 participants (Stepathletes) from 275 companies across 635 locations and 34 countries. 

The figures point at the increasing sensitivity of HRs of corporates towards the importance of including physical activity and sports events in their work calendar. 

The well-being of workers is imperative for employee motivation. A healthy company not only has less absenteeism but also a lower turnover rate, increased engagement and retention of talent. In such situations, Sports is seen as a stress buster for employees thereby promoting work-life balance. 

“Organisations are increasingly beginning to realise this potential, and therefore, are promoting sports across levels.  While some companies organise tournaments some choose to have in-house sports like table tennis, pool etc. Such activities are appreciated by the employees and help them do something beyond just work”, says Sanjay Bhatnagar, National Head-Corporate HR, Sony India. The company’s team won the Devil Circuit challenge this year. Maruti, Apollo group, Cognizant, Concentrix, Swarovski, Edusport, BMR, GMR, Global logic were among some of the top notch companies that fielded their teams in this challenge to hunt for the “fittest corporate organisation in India”. 

Social engagement

While Devil Circuit involves a rigorous competition that tests the physical as well as mental abilities of the teams, for Adnan  Adeeb, MD and Co founder, Volano Entertainment that organises this challenge, the main aim is to spread the love for sport for the sake of sport and to increase bonding within the organisation by making people from different hierarchies and departments to work as a team. 

Very few companies have personal engagement with employees and even among the employees the interaction is severely restricted to the people with whom one has to interact on an official basis. “There is virtually no interaction across the hierarchy and departments. People don’t come to you and you don’t go to them and there is a closed communication within the organisation. Thus in such a scenario sport is a platform for social engagement, it is this concept that we are trying to promote through Devil Circuit Swift Challenge”,  says Adeeb.

Team members from different hierarchies, age groups and gender get a chance to train together and work on each other’s strengths and weaknesses for a contest like DCSC. Thus, the finalist team  of Anamika, Abhishek and Keshav from Sony India, who were from different departments, would spend a considerable amount of time during lunch or after office to bond with each other which helped them to understand each other’s flaws and work towards its betterment. “Earlier the colleagues who were just acquaintances are now friends and cross departments decisions are quicker and precise. Senior management, in whose life sports had taken a back seat, have now included them in their daily schedule”, says Jyoti Singh, Senior Manager, Apollo Life while recollecting the effect of her participation in the event.

AHA experience

Whether you have a swish office or a cramped up one physical agility is the first casualty for most of the employees and soon withering muscles are complemented by lax grey cells, not a happy situation for companies looking to achieve ambitious targets. It is heartening to see that a number of Indian corporates are realising the importance of this connect and are forthcoming about giving their workforce a chance to be more up and about and taste the thrill of participating in a physically challenging activity. 

“As an employer we are keen to encourage individuals to participate in sports and other forms of activity that encourages teamwork, collaboration and a sense of winning together on a non-work platform”, says Sudhir Singh, from Pricewaterhouse Coopers. 

The trend is catching up fast among the employees too as most of these are aimed not only at the physically active and sporty people but for a wider group of “not so active” workers. 

“The aim is to give an AHA moment to each one of us who has forgotten the childhood thrill of playing just for the sake of playing,” says Adeeb. And contestants like Phepya Govil from Grand Thornton testify this fact with “When the race started and I crossed the first hurdle, it was more of a surprise to me. It was a 'Yayyy!!' moment for me. What ran through my mind was ‘I did it! I did it! I did it! It wasn’t so difficult after all!” and it was exhilaration not dejection that he says he felt on not being able to be on the top. 

“As the day progressed and our team was pushed out of the top 2 position we decided it was time to treat ourselves to a nice good lunch and talk about our experiences and the fun that we had”, he says while commenting that a slow and steady progression towards a health conscious culture is happening in the India Inc.  

A  wise investment

The tilt towards employee-centric policies as well as  more focus on talent retention has created a positive eco system for activities like Devil Circuit and Stepathlon etc in the Indian firms. So much so that the companies are seriously gauging the return on investment on these. “Healthier employees are more productive at work. over the years we have observed that there is reduced attrition among employees who regularly represent the company in various sports events,” says Deepak Nathani, COO and ED, Cybage.               “Such initiatives promote team building, camaraderie and high level of engagement in the employees. This is what we believe is the greatest ROI”,  says Jojo Mathews, Director HR (India & UAE), Concentrix. The company regularly organises sports meets and cricket tournaments for employees.  

Setting high goals

Ravi Krishnan, Co-founder and CEO, Stepathlon, had established it in 2012 with the vision of providing a holistic health and wellness ecosystem for Corporate India. Over the past three years, Stepathlon has evolved and what began as a 100-day race in 2013, became a 12-month programme in 2014 consisting of nine scientifically tailored 'Stepping Stones'. These have been designed to help individuals reach their health goals in a simple, fun and engaging manner. “In 2015, we are taking it a step further by launching the new Stepathlon Wellness Platform. While the 100-day race remains exclusively for Stepathletes, we are extending our offering to health and fitness enthusiasts. Users will have access to a host of motivating and engaging apps and tools; 'play' focused nutrition and fitness programs, expert resources, contests and challenges, and much more”, says Krishnana, who was recently awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year in Service Business — Fitness award at the 5th edition of Entrepreneur India Awards 2015.

For Adeeb the goal is to take amateur sport to another level and show that it is not a boring and drab exercise but a key to making the nation fit and active and add a zing for life to the corportate workforce. He rues the fact the India has so few avenues to make one active through sport.  “Our aim subsequently will be to identify the toughest man or woman and strength is not just biceps and this will lead to an increase in awareness about amateur sport”.

Mental health survey in corporates

Stepathlon Lifestyle Pvt Ltd  will conduct a mental health survey on corporate employees across India and the globe in association with internationally renowned epidemiologist, Professor Maximilian de Courten. The survey will measure and evaluate the impact of physical exercise on three major aspects of mental health: Stress, Anxiety and Depression.

Psychological welfare has become a growing area of concern in the workplace. According to an ASSOCHAM India study conducted this year, nearly 42.5 per cent employees in the private sector suffer from general anxiety disorders. The rate of emotional problems such as stress and depression has increased by 45-50 per cent in just the last eight years.

This year Stepathlon will be conducting a scientific mental health study before and after the 100-day event, enabling an assessment of any changes that occur on its participants.

Stepathlon’s  study will give organisations not only the baseline data that they need to get a snapshot of the current mental health in their workplace, but also information on how increasing physical activity and walking 10,000 steps can improve it. Companies can use this data to further invest in the health of their employees in order to reap benefits that go beyond financial ones such as, improved commitment by employees, reduced labour turnover, improved quality of goods and services as well as innovation at the workplace.