The New Corporate ‘F’ Word

The corporate lot is no longer keen to inflate their bellies as much as their bottomlines. Working out is the in thing in the organisational pyramid, discovers Bhisham Mansukhani

Show me the way to go home
I'm tired and I want to got to bed
I had a little drink about an hour ago
And its gone right to my head and wherever I may roam
By land or sea or home
You can always hear me singing this song
Show me the way to go home

It used to be a common elegy except that nowadays corporates are hardly going home or to the bar either. They're going 'gymming' and not just once a year following a New Year resolution over chilled Screwdrivers.

The sight of Anil Ambani chasing the finishing line on Mumbai's tarmac, Pritish Nandy under the bench press, Kumaramangalam Birla treading the simulated track, Zubin Karkaria doing an Armstrong on static bike and Trikaya Grey Worldwide managing director Nirvik Singh braving the loaded barbell, have made the transition from exception to norm. Sweats are now as hip as suspenders. All roads lead to the fitness farm and it's closer home…ahem, office.

Health besides wealth

Pressure and stress, the two critical and disturbing off shoots of today's lifestyles have given rise to a number of health problems and it is the high flying corporates who are the most affected. Realisation has dawned slowly but surely with corporates making an early exit from the boardrooms to enter the gym, even if it is for a short time.

Most new age fitness institutes and centres across cities have recorded an increase in attendance by the present age corporates. Says Leena Mogre, chief operating officer, Gold's Gym, "If we compare the scenario over the past few years, there has been a transition as more and more corporates are getting hooked on to the fitness bandwagon. The trend is positive as fitness is regarded with seriousness rather than being just a fashion statement."

Keeping in view their erratic schedules and lifestyle, most top of the line fitness centres have specially designated personal trainers to meet fitness and training schedules of corporates. They try to mould the sessions and modules as per the schedule, liking and requirement of the client. Narrating his experience with one of his client (a big-wig on the corporate scene), Jeetendra Palekar, fitness instructor at Gold's Gym says, "There are times when my client just does not have the time, but it is essential to squeeze in some fitness programme in that short span. In such cases, we need to redesign a 30-minute schedule in 15 minutes keeping in view all factors such as output, safety etc. At times, there are clients who like to do a particular form of exercise such as power yoga as opposed to cycling. We have to permit them to do what they enjoy."

Adds Mogre, "It is very essential to understand the mind and the requirement of the corporate, hence we need to be 99 per cent psychologists and one per cent trainers. Today we cater to the needs of high powered corporates and need to be completely focussed and alert with regards to their requirements. Though gravity about health and fitness has made its mark, there are corporates who still come to us with their famous line, 'I don't have the time.' Pinning down these high flying executives is a tough act, hence we have to work our way around to encourage and push them to exercise. It is our duty to make the entire regime interesting and enjoyable for them to get hooked on to exercising."

Agrees Dipti Varma, COO, Fitness 2000, "Initially the corporates are apprehensive about fitness and training, with the time factor being their major constraint. It is the duty of the fitness expert to ignite their interest. We encourage them to exercise at least for 20 minutes on a regular basis to get them started. Once that happens, the situation reverses, where the corporates themselves squeeze time out to do their bit of exercise. Exercising during the lunch break is also on the rise. As per demand, we have also extended our timings till late in the evening."

Today, the mindset is fast changing and the benefits of exercising is not looked at from a narrow point of view. Women corporates are also open to weight training. But it is the responsibility of the gymnasiums to appoint highly qualified and expert trainers and dieticians on the job, as the corporate of today is demanding and seeks complete clarifications about every aspect related to health and fitness. Adds Varma, "We also make every effort to clear the myths and misconceptions related to fitness and exercises so that the corporates feel safe while training."

Working out at work

Grey Worldwide has it, Lintas has it, Cadburys does too and so also ICICI. It's called a gymnasium. It contains a treadmill, rows of stacked free weights, kinetic machines and raring employees going for it. Anju Kurien is general manager, employee relations and human resources for Grey Worldwide and has this to say for the company's in-house facility and what it has done, "A gym within the workplace makes a lot of sense -- it boosts overall employee health and it is cheaper than sending employees to commercial gyms. Couple that with team bonding which potentially occurs among work-out groups and a tension release that a work-out brings about and it all adds up to a good decision."

Kurien points out that it was the MD Nirvik Singh who was keen to include a gym in the new office when the company shifted into its Parel office in 2001. "The MD is inclined towards a healthy athletic lifestyle and wanted the same for employees. Everyone from the peon onwards is allowed to use the facility. In our observation, the usage has been 20 per cent of all employees. The gym fits well into the company's accent on employee benefit to boost creativity. The office also houses a lounge for games and a television and an auditorium for viewing Friday films and cricket matches," says Kurien.

Grey Worldwide's gym had been set up by Firdosh Unklesaria, proprietor, Fitness First, a gym consultancy that designs and puts up facilities for business houses as well as providing instructors. Unklesaria cites the trend as irreversibly northbound. "Inhouse gyms are a popular choice because they are affordable and as conveniently located for an individual as can be. Fitness is a priority for the working class, no doubt, but the concept of fitness for them is distinct. They have no fixed hours to work out, they never have much time and are not necessarily regular. Generally speaking, they aren't into serious muscle building, just weight loss and good health. And the results aren't just passable. Reduced absenteeism, a more enthusiastic work environment, less aches and pains are some of the benefits that the employee experiences and that is eventually good for the organisation."

K11 which its director Devaki Khimji calls a gym management company, has also set up fitness centres for corporate houses and even hotels. Khimji says,"Corporate houses find this option to be more economical than an arrangement with gyms outside. I have my own gym, Euphoria in Cuffe Parade, for which I had initially approached corporate houses with very good and flexible deals. Corporates who opt for gym memberships, have done so in individual capacity rather than on the tab of an organisation. Deals with corporate houses just hasn't happened. Employees of the Taj and Oberoi came on their own to get a better deal to benefit from the volume. I offered all kinds of incentives like deferred payments, transferable membership, black out period. There was some superficial interest evinced and that's all." Thirty per cent of Euphoria's 800 members are the corporate class.

Separating business and fitness

For some though, business and fitness don't mix. Mehboob Kasim, Lintas, prefers to work out at a commercial gym, Euphoria in Cuffe Parade, in spite of access to a gym inside the office. He says, "The gym is small and doesn't have all the facilities I would want to use. I have been taking personal fitness very seriously and within the first four months, lost eight kilos. I believe it is important to devote time to work outs in a week as it rejuvenates the body and enhances efficiency at work." Another of Euphoria's earliest members, Kamal Nagu, an advertising professional, lost 16 kilos in six months, sweating it out on the treadmill 20 minutes a day out of a taxing routine spanning consultancy and event management.

Weight vs weights

Inside an office gym or a private one, what is it that the corporate hopes to gain or lose from his exhausting incursion into the fitness farm? Amit Chavan, a fitness instructor at gyms as well as a personal trainer for close to a decade but presently on a sabbatical, puts fitness in the corporate context. He says, "For corporates, just getting into a gym is a significant event. Despite all the hype ensconcing this fad, there are still very few corporates who actually have a serious fitness regimen. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why. They have erratic working hours, night-outs with the odd food or an alcohol binge thrown in, never mind the prescribed diets. As an instructor, you cannot tell them what to do as you would a beginner or a Stallone aspirant. You have to put them on a programme which just about brings them back into the gym."

Chavan feels that unlike the younger brood, the working professional isn't much bothered about wrapping a measuring tape around his biceps and squinting at the reading. He says they just want to tone down the side tyres and the beer belly and maybe feel a bit good. He dispels a common myth saying that they're just as susceptible to drop outs as anyone else.

Khimji feels it's essential to customise fitness for corporates. She gets her new members to fill in a questionnaire that helps identify their health problems, their goals and their comfort zone, depending on which the members are accordingly advised and given a programme. She also advises personal trainers for corporates. According to Khimji, obesity is the main reason that corporates commit to a fitness regimen.

Well, be it the battle of the bulge, keeping out aches and pains, overall health or just to get over an overnight caffeine session, the working class is positively working out.

(With inputs from Reema Sisodia)