Sunday, September 14, 2003
Hughes Software Systems emphasises gym activities for its
employees
Twenty-seven-year-old Aditya Sharma, a tech leader in the
Spaceway (broadcast over satellite) division in Hughes Software
Systems, comes to his Gurgaon office at half-past eight in
the morning even though his working day starts only at 10am.
Mr Sharma has deadlines to meet for projectson hand, but thats
not why he comes into office early. It is to catch up with
some weight-lifting and other exercises so that he can start
the day with full vigour and energy. The Hughes Software Systems
building in Gurgaon houses a gym spread over 2,000 square
feet and equipped with all exercise equipment such as treadmills,
curling machines, free weights, steppers, a multigym with
a provision for four different exercises, a bench press and
a rowing machine. The gym also has a trainer.
In an information technology company like ours, where people
are the most important resource and most of their work is
sedentary, you simply cannot have the traditional practice
of all work and no play, explains Sandeep Kumar, senior manager,
Human Resources, Hughes Software Systems (HSS). He adds, Through
sporting activities, employees can not only rejuvenate their
energy levels and keep work-related ailments such as back
and neck aches at bay, such activities also provide them with
a platform to meet and interact with their seniors in the
management hierarchy in an informal environment. HSS new Bangalore
office also houses a gym while the office in Gurgaon have
two steam cubicles, one each for men and women!
There are many takers for a steam bath after a session at
the gym, says Mr Sharma, adding, there are many who use it
even in the summer to shed fat.
HSS HR policy involves encouraging employees to use the gym.
Though Mr Kumar declares that the company has an annual budget
for the gym and sports activities for the employees, he says
he does not know exact figures.
However, according to T M Rajeev, general manager of Power
House, a Delhi based company that supplied HSS with its gym
equipment, the company spent several lakhs of rupees on the
project. We set up the gym and the steam cubicles for Rs 10
lakh. That was some six-seven years ago. The multigym was
our own Power House product while the treadmill was imported
from Concept 2, reveals Mr Rajeev.
In various work divisions, we have health groups, the members
of which talk about the importance of exercise, especially
in our sedentary profession, says Aditya Sharma, who has been
working with HSS for five years and started using a gym only
since then. He says, Ive been working out in the gym regularly
for the last two years. Even a brief work-out helps in increasing
my energy level when I am sagging under work pressure. 30-year-old
Archana Sharma joined HSS two years ago as a tech leader in
its NEC Group. I started visiting the gym last one year following
a shoulder pain, says Ms Sharma. I come to the gym whenever
I am free from my project.
The average age of HSS employees in Gurgaon is 26-27 years,
and both men and women use the gym in equal numbers. On a
daily basis, we generally have 70-80 people come to the gym,
says Mr Sharma.
Last updated : February 2, 2004
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