Dubai Fitness Challenge gets under way today
HOW DR AL KARAM HAS TRANSFORMED HIS OFFICE AND INFLUENCED HIS TEAM TO STAY FIT
Imagine if doing yoga in the office were to be part of your job. At the Knowledge of Human Development Authority (KHDA), this is the norm and the 300-member staff have the option to do it at midday.
Midday yoga is just one of KHDA’s health and wellness programmes to encourage staff to lead a healthy lifestyle. It’s the brainchild of directorgeneral Dr Abdullah Al Karam, who walks the talk on fitness.
As the month-long Dubai Fitness Challenge begins today, Gulf News sat down with Dr Al Karam to explore how he transformed the KHDA workforce into a happy and healthy bunch.
The journey started with a survey on the team’s happiness and well-being. This led Dr Al Karam to introduce more physical activities in the workplace.
“It started five years ago with a daily programme of midday yoga because some people liked it. It was challenging in the beginning because some of the staff felt ‘why should I do yoga?’ We said doing yoga will make you do your job better,” Dr Al Karam said.
“We made sure this programme happened during office hours so they didn’t have to come early or leave late. The key was we let them know that it’s part of their job.”
Equipped with its own gym and fitness coach, the KHDA office is a departure from the conventional office space. The open plan office has ping-pong tables, colourful seats and even hammocks to promote positive energy and creativity.
“We believe that if you’re working eight hours a day, you are not going to be productive for all those hours. You are not a machine. In the best economies around the world, the average productivity is three to four hours for humans,” Dr Al Karam said. “It’s very important to us that you do things that are impacting your well-being and your happiness because then your productivity will increase.”
The transformation did not happen overnight, but it is now paying off as around 50 per cent of the team is regularly participating in sports competitions as their team-building activity.
Having a fit workforce also addresses the problem of absenteeism, although KHDA has done away with monitoring timesheets. “I do feel the staff is healthier, but when we did it for them, our motive was not because we wanted to lessen absenteeism. We did it because they are humans and their wellness and happiness is very important to us.”
Even Dr Al Karam cannot recall the last time he fell sick.
“He leads by example,” Leandro Avila, fitness coach at KHDA, said. “He has influenced us to live a healthy lifestyle. Fitness activities at KHDA have changed my life tremendously.”
Ann Kimani, director of First Impressions at KHDA, agreed.
“It has really helped me stay on top of my health. And yes,
the team workouts are a great way to know your colleagues. It doesn’t take a lot of effort once you get used to it because working out becomes part of your daily life and you enjoy it with your friends,” she said.
Similar fitness programmes are being implemented in Dubai schools to encourage the youth and parents to be active. In fact on the eve of the DFC, he sent emails to thousands of parents to take the challenge.