From wellness kits to PPE gear: Firms gift goodies loaded with health benefits to staffers

Kolkata | New Delhi: Diwali gift hampers have a lot more focus on health, hygiene and safety this year.In keeping with the times of the pandemic, companies are giving immunity-boosting products, wellness kits, yoga mats, sanitising appliances, personal protective equipment and even vouchers redeemable against healthcare products as Diwali gifts to employees, associates and customers.“This pandemic has pushed organisations to explore new ways of engaging with their employees and acknowledging priorities like health and well-being,” said Sudeep Ralhan, Walmart Global Tech India’s vice president-people.The company that provides technology services to the Walmart Group is giving journals on wellbeing, face shields and masks, door holders, hand sanitisers, oximeters and digital thermometers among other items to employees.Working from home is often taking a toll on the physical and mental wellbeing, and companies are looking into that aspect too. Online yoga sessions, workouts with fitness experts and counselling sessions are being gifted by some companies, while a few others are even offering free Covid tests, said Sumit Khandelwal, the chief executive of Xoxoday, a tech platform for rewards, incentives and engagement.Home services startup Urban Company said it had seen a 20% increase in gift cards purchased, mostly to gift pampering sessions. 79218455Global reinsurance company Swiss Re has gifted its employees $250 (about Rs 18,500) each to buy Covid-related essentials. Boutique law firm Burgeon Law has given a fitness gift hamper with a yoga mat and a pain-relieving potli bag, among other items to its staffers.“All of us are trying to be active while working from home, and thus, this seemed a great option,” Burgeon Law founder Roma Priya said.Ferns N Petals, a retailer of flowers and gifts which received more than 15,000 orders from corporates, said there was a huge shift in demand, with both companies and individuals opting for healthy gift hampers.“The demand for such gifting has grown by 200% compared to last year,” said Manish Saini, its chief operating officer-ecommerce.The retailer is offering healthy savouries and immunity-boosting hampers, including green tea, health drinks, gluten-free cakes and protein bars.Pee Safe has seen more than 150 companies, including startups, opting for personal hygiene kits for their employees. This is an over three-fold growth over last year, said Vikas Bagaria, the founder of the hygiene and wellness brand. “There’s a huge focus on personal hygiene. Companies connected with us in September to ensure gifts reach in time for Diwali,” said Bagaria.Morneau Shepell, which offers employee assistance programmes, ordered such kits for its 600-odd India employees, he said.Some companies are spreading the Diwali spirit beyond their employees. At least five companies including SAP have gifted menstrual hygiene kits to the lesser privileged, with employees too chipping in for the cause, said Bagaria.Flex workspace provider Awfis has collaborated with the Akshaya Patra Foundation to gift happiness kits (comprising essentials related to hygiene, nutrition, immunity boosting and education) to children. In return, members of the Awfis community each received a certificate for the gifts given on their behalf.— Additional reporting by Brinda Sarkar in Bengaluru

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/38UeL2H
via IFTTT