The maxim of one local gymnasium says it all: “Motivation gets you started; habit keeps you going.” The clichés are thick when it comes to sport, but that’s because it does have a real influence on wider issues. Nelson Mandela is a strong believer that sport can change the world; his ideological sway is also supported by the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace. It promotes a strategy for sport’s contribution to world peace, political stability and universal health.
In the corporate world, advocating sports participation has its own rewards. As employees’ fitness levels increase, organisations benefit from reduced absenteeism and disability time, HR professionals say. As endorphins become a regular release in staff vertebrates, organisations will also enjoy reduced costs and medical claims, as well as improved productivity and employee morale.
Most importantly, corporate sport schemes offer a bridge across social and economic gaps, bringing employees together and teaching vital cooperation skills. It assimilates employees into the workplace community and helps build teamwork.
The case for sport
The obvious business case for embedding sports in the tapestry of corporate life is physical fitness. JP Morgan Chase and SAP Asia Pacific are two companies that celebrate physical fitness and the importance of health and wellness in a fast paced environment.
The JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge is just one example from the finance powerhouse. “It is a testimony to (our) continuing support of health and fitness, teamwork and camaraderie in corporate communities across the US and abroad,” says Barbara Paddock, senior vice president for the bank.
The event, held in 12 cities (including Singapore and Hong Kong) throughout the year is purely for corporate runners. The distance varies according to the city but is calculated with the busy executive in mind – around five to six kilometres.
The Series sends a message that it is not just fiscal fitness that is important in the corporate world. Physical fitness must also be considered for healthy organisations. Participating companies use the races as platforms to promote fitness and well-being in the work place. Runners find it easy to train for the distance and have the extra benefit of competing with their colleagues in a relaxed and social atmosphere, says JP Morgan Chase.
Software solutions firm SAP Asia Pacific-Japan hits the waters when it comes to building a successful corporate sports atmosphere. It started out as an invitation to take part in the 2006 World’s Breast Cancer (dragon boating) Survivor Race.
“We saw the team spirit and camaraderie in this sport which led to us to start our own SAP corporate sport team in 2007,” says Geraldine McBride, President, SAP Asia Pacific-Japan. “Dragon boating is about synchonisation and team work, and we have seen the team being motivated through endurance and fitness.”
In playing sports together, team members have to depend on each other to win. This has helped some supervisors improve their relationships with lower-ranked staff, many of whom could perform better than their boss, says one SAP employee.
The SAP dragon boat team takes part in most corporate dragon boating races, including the Singapore Management University, Singapore Dragon Boat Association events.
McBride also views sports as a balancing aspect in employees’ lives. “Sometimes we see individual employees getting so involved in their work that they neglect their families and personal lives,” she says. “The current market environment can also exacerbate that tendency. Taking part in sports helps our employees recognise the benefit of balance in their lives.”
Other returns companies see by advocating sports participation include that sense of trust that develops among colleagues as they learn to cooperate.
Staff also meet people they won’t normally encounter during their regular work days. When people play as a team, some of the social distance that had been established at the workplace disappears. Standard Chartered Bank sees just that in its sporting programmes. “In a diverse and international organisation like ours, sports encourage a sense of belonging and identity – bringing our people together,” says DM Arulraj, Head of HR Singapore and Southeast Asia, Standard Chartered Bank.
He says outside sports commitments helped to develop a network where employees are able to accomplish tasks faster because of their familiarity with each other.
Arulraj also says the research on employee fitness programmes points to one key idea: physically fit, and therefore healthier, employees positively impact companies through lower healthcare costs, reduced absenteeism and improved productivity. Physically active employees have also been found to have a greater ability to cope with stress and tension – all of which translates to better work performance.
The bank’s sponsorship of the annual Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon has given it further reason to encourage staff fitness. And Arulraj says staff are more committed to competing in it than ever before. Standard Chartered first got involved with the race in 2002, providing name-sponsorship and a few hundred staff runners. Last year, around 2000 staff, half of the Singapore office, participated.
“We have found marathons to be a great way for us to connect with the community and our staff,” says Arulraj.
Participating in sports also helps employees make decisions and manage their emotions. One employee at United World College (UWC) said that it was only after she started participating in sports that her dissatisfaction towards her job reduced. Sports distracted her and helped her cope, she confessed.
Sports gives employees a common interest which leads to better work relationships and communications. Staff are more likely to consider their colleagues as friends, not simply coworkers. “The better you know someone, both individually and personally, the better you can work with them,” the UWC worker noted. “Familiarity breeds understanding and that spills into the workplace.”