Every Indian middle income group has atleast one individual who is employed in a multinational company. It is the IT sector and the business process outsourcing (BPO) business which has given this boost to many a families. This privilege gave an alarming thrust to the automobile and the construction business. The rest of it is history. Every person in the IT field has a vehicle loan, a home loan, a few credit cards- all these leading to financial stress. This compounded by work stress due to target achievement, long duty hours, night shifts, and sedentary lifestyle have resulted in increase in morbidity and mortality in this group. What is more threatening is the beating taken by the emotional and social wellness components in this group. No permanent relationships, no time for family and no quality time for themselves as well. The net result of all these is a seemingly attractive job in a lifeless life.
Employees in this field have numerous health problems due to physical inactivity and mental stress. The commonest health problems are acid peptic disorders, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart attacks before age 40, infertility, PCOS, low back pain, disc prolapse, depression, suicidal tendencies and feelings of guilt.
What could be the solution of these maladies?
In India, the concept of wellness is identifying and treating diseases as and when they arise. In every organisation there is a prevalent system of thorough medical examination to identify and treat maladies after they pop up. There is no risk stratification and intervention before diseases show up. Hence the system is flawed. What is the use of identifying and treating a diabetic when the damages have started years before the person got labelled as “diabetic”. What is the use of a wellness program which does not prevent a heart attack?
The master health checkups need scrutiny. Every individual should be followed up by a health personal even in the absence of diseases. There should be a personalised program for every person in the corporate world. And follow up every year to grade progress or stagnancy or deterioration. There should be an intervention for everyone. Those who are truly healthy should be taught to negate the ill effects of aging and should be empowered to live a truly fulfilling life.
The prevalent system of heath checkups is the last step. Start with destressing methods, exercise and diet interventions for every person in the corporate world. This is a continuous process. Identify those who show signs of progress and reward them. This is a morale booster. Give them a reason to focus on their overall wellness. This does not need a panel of doctors. It needs an expert who sees the whole individual, looks at his biometrics and with a sound knowledge of nutrition and exercise plans, can prevent most of the diseases he was otherwise destined to suffer from. A medical checkup has always been done. Has it bettered the life of any employee? It is time to analyse.
Every organisation/company should have a health coach to offer tips for prevention of disease and promote holistic wellness. Key areas should be Prevention of diabetes mellitus, Prevention of heart attacks and management of stress related psychological problems. In the obese group they should device diet plans and exercise routines for healthy weight loss. Also the coach should teach destressing methods and offer personalised care for the mental wellbeing of the staff. To those groups who are already with morbidities they should help with prevention of complications. Management of age related diseases like osteoporosis can be made easy . For the ladies, problems like PCOS can be addressed and PCOS diet and exercise can be advocated.Postural problems and low back pain are a huge area of concern for the ladies in the corporate world. In addition to the designing of the workplace ergonomically, it is time to teach the corporate folk to strenghten the muscles which are constantly abused in the course of their work
The benefits of a corporate wellness program/ lectures or consults are many. Minimal absenteeism due to illness and better focus in work both contributing to better workout and hence increased productivity. If there is good health among employees, it translates into a reduction in medical expenses and hence minimal medical reimbursements. A focus on health and wellbeing ,improves the brand image of the company with maximal staff retention . A thriving wellness culture in a corporate office, helps with better staff interaction and mutual support in times of crisis. A seasoned relationship between employer and employee is a an added power to the company especially when the company goes through a rough patch.
On the whole a corporate wellness programme is the need of the hour . It is time to do away with the mundane and useless health checkup that is the prevalent norm in most corporate companies.