- Mr. Ashwin Muthiah, Chairman Manali Petrochemicals & Founder Chairman of AM International Group, Singapore, gave away prizes to the winners
- Mr. Praveen Kumar, aged 28 years and a part of the mechanical department, received a cheque of Rs. 59,000/-; he lost 11.8 kg weight in 3 months
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ashwin Muthiah, Chairman Manali Petrochemicals & Founder Chairman of AM International Group, Singapore said, “At MPL and all our AM International group companies, we believe the health of an employee is as important as the health of the organization. A physically active life leads to mental alertness and healthy living. I am personally committed to ensuring that our employees and their families imbibe fitness in their daily routines. It goes with our HR philosophy of supporting work-life balance for our staff.”
The “Health is Wealth” 2018 contest was conceptualized with the aim of creating awareness about physical fitness, healthy living among employees and join the global fight against obesity. The HR team observed that with increased state-of-the-art mechanization and computerization at plants, employees were spending long hours at the desk and were in the danger of falling prey to obesity. The program was launched among all the 3,000 employees across the company’s three plants in Chennai, Tuticorin, and Pondicherry. It ran for a period of three months, starting December 15, 2018. A total of 772 participants enrolled for the challenge across various management grades, where weight loss for healthy living was the key criteria. A nutritionist from Qua Nutrition guided the participants and offered guidance pertaining to mindful eating – after all, ‘what we are is what we eat’.
Mr. Praveen Kumar from Mechanical department, who lost a whopping 11.8kg in three months, was the winner; he was handed over a cheque of Rs. 59,000/- by the Chairman, Mr. Ashwin Muthiah, in a ceremony in the Chennai plant in the presence of the leadership team and all employees. According to Mr. Praveen Kumar, the contest inspired him to inculcate a regular fitness regime. His new daily routine included necessary lifestyle course corrections - 45 minutes of regular exercising and walking in the morning and evening. Next, he took care of his diet, by cutting down on tea and coffee, controlling the intake of sugar and sweets, and focusing on not overeating. Mr. Charles Fernandez from Electrical and Mr. M Rajesh from Mechanical engineering departments lost 6.2 kg and 4.3 kg respectively and won the second and third prizes, winning Rs. 5,000/- for every kg lost.
Employees have received the initiative with great enthusiasm. Initial observations suggest that the launch of “Health is Wealth” contest has led to an increased awareness among employees towards weight management and fitness. It has resulted in reduced absenteeism, and many employees have provided feedback about feeling more energized, fit, and healthy, due to this initiative. The company plans to continue such awareness programs that encourage employees and their families to lead a fitness routine and contribute to work-life balance.
“Health is Wealth” will now become an annual wellness event for all employees at Manali Petrochemicals. Other group companies of AM International, Singapore across India, Singapore and the United Kingdom, are actively considering rolling out such initiatives for their staff. At MPL, employees are now preparing themselves to take a winning shot for the “Health is Wealth” Contest 2019!
