Corporate Fitness: Healthy Staff and Healthy Organization

Varun Lau

The concept of corporate fitness had its origins at the Institute for working Physiology in Stockholm, Sweden, in the late nineteen century. The incentives to corporate industry are reduced ailments and absenteeism, less workers turnover and greater productivity.

The recent revelation that employees as young as 20 years of the Indian BPO sector are falling prey to heart attacks due to increased stress and strains levels is shocking. It is also underlines the jot stress we face daily as part of our work has a lot to do with other our well being. Due to globalization and a stressful working environment hypertension threatens to wallop the work force in India, according to survey.

India is losing its potentially productive years due to increasing heart diseases, strokes, diabetes in the age group of 35 -60, one of the highest in the globe, according to report. According to report 4 million deaths in 1990 were due to chronic diseases and same was likely to touch a figure of 7 million by 2015. The rise in premature death would only add to the national losses, which in monetary terms were pegged at $ 90 million between 2005 and 2008. The report estimated that it was likely to jump to $ 160 million during 2009 and 2015.

The present time workplace characterized by 24 X 7 working hours, sedentary jobs, stress laden work, stress pressing deadlines and accessibility to high fat food at office canteens made up all the classic causes of heart disease – stress, unhealthy diet and lack of adequate exercise. 

Exercise, physical recreation, sports and games activities call for no major expenditure and can be best to keep employees healthy and employers financially healthy and wise educated to face the ferocious reality of life after Google and Apple. “Exercise is the elixir of life” , says Richard Verrier, from the Harvard school of Public Health, you need at least thirty minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise daily. 

“According to Forbes magazine Coalgate – Palmolive tops Indeed’s list of the 25 best big companies for work life balance. Work life balance is often dependent on efficiency and professionalism; when management and employees are dedicated to their jobs and work hard during business hours, it gives them the flexibility to maintain a healthy personal life. In addition, Colgate-Palmolive offers some great benefits, such as flexible work hours, telecommute options, and nearby back-up childcare centers, which is a nice perk for work-at-home parents. As a result, Colgate-Palmolive has a high rate of employee retention, which is a testament to their culture. Work life balance helps their employees to maintain a healthy lifestyle and increase the productivity of the company.” The objective of the corporate fitness programme is to keep employees physically and mentally healthy so that their ability to work effective and efficiently is not restrained by ailments related problem. In assumption, if a employee is healthy and misses fewer days of work, job productivity will increase. The purpose is not to make the employee work harder and faster, but rather to reduce human error and increase efficiency. Subsequently, there should also be a decrease in health bills as employees attain a higher level of wellness.

The achievement of good health in a employees is both a social and economic goal. It can be a goal for employers wanting the best for their employees and also a goal for a nation wanting the best for its citizen.