Wellness Buzz in India - "Flavor of the day" or "Need of the hour"?

[The following article written by me was published in News15 Employee Benefits newsletter of Almontz Insurance Brokers Ltd. dt April 4, 2014]

There is a new buzz around ‘Wellness’ in India as is apparent by the number of recent newspaper articles on the topic, and the fact that even health insurance companies are putting out full-page newspaper advertisements talking about ways to wellness, rather than cures for illness. Is this the current fad, or is it the crying need of the hour that corporate India cannot afford to ignore any more?

A 2012 study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry pointed towards the fact that nearly 78% of corporate employees in India sleep less than 6 hours a day, leading to severe sleep disorders. And 21% of the sample suffered from depression, the third most prevalent lifestyle disease, ahead of hypertension and diabetes. 

Chronic lifestyle disorders and diseases are gaining prominence – obesity, heart disorders, diabetes and digestive disorders are all on the rise. The consequence of India’s growth from a “developing” to a “developed” country has brought about dietary changes, reduced physical activity and consequent obesity. According to WHO estimates 39% of the adult population in India suffers from diabetes and cardiac conditions and 28% have high cholesterol. According to Government estimates the incidence of diabetes will go up one and a half times between 2005 and 2015. Not only is the incidence of diabetes on the rise, it is also appearing much earlier in life. This means that its chronic long-term complications are becoming more common. Currently one fifths of the deaths in India are from coronary heart disease. By 2020 this ratio is expected to go up to one-third. Sadly many of these deaths will be those of young Indians from the workforce. In 2005 it was estimated that chronic diseases in India accounted for 53% of all deaths. By 2020, this is expected to go up to 66.7%.

The consequences of workplace stress, or even general stress, don’t show up immediately. However, it is known that stress tends to get people to make irrational decisions, by actually affecting the way the brain functions. These irrational decisions then, often, increase the stress further.

So what are the typical stressors that employees of corporate India face? They could be due to the high cost of living, the prolonged economic slump, the shrinking incomes and the fear of layoffs; the fuzzy job expectations, the tough deadlines, the intense competition and the working across time zones; the need to be constantly connected and available, the sedentary lifestyle, the noisy work areas, the rising pollution levels and the nightmarish traffic. Or, they could be due to the pressures of belonging to the so called ‘sandwich’ generation – one that needs to care for young children and aging parents at the same time. Another feature quite common in corporate India is one of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole – where no mapping of interests and aptitudes to career choices is encouraged. People tend to follow the herd to gain social respectability, with scant regard for their own individuality and preferences. Naturally this results in high stress levels as people are constantly trying to stay afloat. 

The good part, however, is that we humans have tremendous resilience and capacity to deal with all that life throws at us at multiple levels, provided we are given the opportunity to nourish ourselves physically, emotionally, socially, professionally and personally. And the more nourished we are, the less stressed we are, and the more we are able to perform to our potential. It is about time corporate India woke up to this reality and focused on wellness in all these five domains. Wellness programs could just be the competitive edge they need in the race to retain and hire new talent as well. With employees spending the bulk of their waking hours at work, there is no better, and no other, place for them to focus on their wellness. Employers must not only allow it, but also encourage and facilitate it.