A holistic view of employee wellbeing: India Inc. wants staff to be ‘fit’ enough for walks

Bangalore: Corporate India is intensifying its focus on employee health and wellbeing, developing a range of programmes to provide holistic support, boost productivity and reduce absenteeism and attrition. Recognising that employees are increasingly prioritising optimal health and wellbeing alongside career success, a group of companies including Deutsche Bank, Aditya Birla Health Insurance, upGrad, Philips, Thales and Meesho are integrating health objectives into performance appraisals.

They also offer access to on-site diet and nutrition consultants, launch wellness sessions to improve mental balance, assess heart health, and actively track health metrics within privacy regulations.

Aditya Birla Health Insurance has taken a decision to integrate employee health objectives into the performance appraisal process from this appraisal cycle. From FY2025, all employees will be required to incorporate at least one health objective in their Key Result Areas (KRAs).

“Health goals, which carry a weightage of up to 10% in the annual performance appraisal, cover activities such as weight loss, regular exercise, yoga, better nutrition, improved sleep management and quitting unhealthy habits like smoking,” Mayank Bathwal, CEO, Aditya Birla Health Insurance, told ET.

Under this initiative, managers will engage with team members to regularly discuss progress on health goals, and employee health metrics will be tracked through comprehensive testing and digital assessments. Additionally, daily step count and workout activity are monitored through the company’s app.

The company plans to offer personalized health counseling for employees at higher risk for health- and lifestyle-related diseases, Bathwal said.

There has been a 110% increase in companies offering comprehensive healthcare, according to a survey conducted by insurtech company Plum earlier this year.

Philips has launched the Heartprint initiative, a tool to assess the heart health of employees and prevent potential heart-related problems. The program enables early detection of dynamic health risks and helps postpone or avoid medical interventions.

“We actively track health metrics within privacy regulations to measure the impact of our initiatives and continuously refine our offerings to better support our people,” said Vishpala Reddy, Head of Human Resources for Philips Indian Subcontinent.

Mental wellbeing is important
Others, such as Deutsche Bank, focus on the mental health aspect.

Over the past year, the company has introduced access to on-site mental health counselors and psychotherapists.

Integrating this service into the workplace has fostered greater engagement and contributed to long-term success by promoting employee well-being and resilience, said Madhavi Lall, Head of Human Resources, Deutsche Bank Group, India.

Meesho has also launched weekly wellness sessions where employees can schedule time with a counselor, ensuring easy access to support when needed.

In the coming months, educational technology company upGrad will launch the Happiness Wheel program, which aims to educate employees about the science behind happiness, neurotransmitters, and their role in regulating mood and emotions.

“Employees can participate in a wheel-spinning activity to better understand the science behind neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. Based on their results on the wheel, they will receive personalized guidance to increase their happiness score through daily activities,” said Saurabh Deep Singla, CHRO, upGrad.

Recently, Thales organized a well-being program to enable employees to discover practical tools and techniques to improve mental balance.

“During the workshop, employees were given the opportunity to learn transformative breathing and meditation techniques, and were provided with sustainable ways to maintain their mental health and overall well-being in the long term,” said Sekhar Sahay, Head of Human Resources at Thales in India.