yoga

75

december 2018 / january 2019

yogajournal.com.sg

WELLNESS AT WORK

connect

ART DIRECTION: ANUJA BAGADE

While many in the West look to the East for

answers on ancient wisdom and spirituality

to fight modern stress, Asia Pacific is facing

its own crisis – employee health risk. Long

working hours and tight deadlines are affecting

wellbeing of many in the region’s workforce.

More than ever, big companies are introducing

wellness programs because of increased

incidence of sick leave and productivity

slowdown.

Companies such as Facebook, LinkedIn and

Google have wellness initiatives in place that

serve as perks for new employees – from gym

memberships, to yoga and meditation, to nap

pods, and much more. But one company that’s

focusing on driving wellness in a way that

makes its employees more “energized”, both

physically and mentally, is Johnson & Johnson

(J&J), the global healthcare conglomerate that

opened its new Asia Pacific office in Science

Park, Singapore, this year. J&J leverages its

Human Performance Institute (HPI) wellness

unit to focus on helping individuals connect

with themselves, their purpose and, in turn,

their contribution to the company.

Studies show that about 56 percent of

employees in Asia Pacific suffer from

elevated levels of stress, and only 65 percent

are engaged with their work. Employee

health risks such as stress, lack of physical

exercise and poor nutrition are the foremost

workplace issues that contribute to productivity

slowdown, according to the 2017/2018 Global

Staying@Work survey by Willis Towers Watson.

In Singapore alone, lost productivity due to

staff on sick leave could reach $3.3 billion a

year by 2030, according to a study done by

Mercer and Marsh & McLennan last year – Cost

and Productivity Challenges of Ill Health in

Singapore.

And so, J&J was smart to choose Singapore as

its AsiaPac hub for wellness courses. Holistic

in its approach, the HPI program aims to boost

energy for performance, focusing on the

physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of

participants, as well as encouraging individuals

to be aligned with their personal mission.

The HPI course is open to those outside the

company too.

“We have seen that a structured, evidence-

based approach that helps employees

understand their purpose is most effective

in bringing about behavior change and can

have a significant impact on wellbeing and

productivity both at work and outside,” said

Lowinn Kibbey, Global Head of J&J’s HPI unit.

J&J claims that 75 percent of employees who

took part in the training reported reduced

stress levels 18 months after the program, and

91 percent expect it to result in significant gains

in productivity. The company has set a goal for

100,000 employees to do the 2-day wellness

course by 2020.

“At HPI, we help people manage their energy

levels, use stress as a tool for good and

connect with a deeper sense of purpose,” said

Bobby Sheikh, the AsiaPac head for J&J’s HPI

unit.

The training puts strong emphasis on

“purpose” and helps employees identify

what it is that drives them as individuals in

the workforce and beyond, reflecting J&J’s

healthy and mature understanding of cognitive

behavior and the spiritual side to each

employee.

“It’s a risky thing because some (employees)

may identify a purpose that means not

working for us,” said Sheikh. “And that’s fine

too.”

Kavita Chandranis a health & wellness

columnist, ghostwriter for books, and an

author. She is the editor of Yoga Journal

Singapore, and has written for Reuters,

Bloomberg, CNBC and TheQuint.

BY KAVITA CHANDRAN