BENGALURU: Hemanth Chinnam was a singer in his college band, an experience he truly cherished. Once he graduated, he never thought he’d get to be a part of a band again. But that changed when he joined Capgemini as analyst/software engineer some months ago and became a part of Rubberband – the consulting and technology company’s internal band – which comprises over 50 members.
Capgemini is one of the many corporates, which is attempting to put in place employee-engagement programmes, especially on Mondays to help staff get over the dreaded Monday blues.
Their cafeteria is just like any other – linoleum flooring, clusters of tables and chairs, multiple food counters, etc. But come Mondays, it sees a complete transformation. Instead of the usual din and noisy canteen chatter, employees enjoy their meal with a live performance by Rubberband, which performs for an hour between 1 pm and 2 pm.
The initiative called ‘Thank God it’s Monday’ (TGIM), recently conducted their 600th such session on campus. And the band has even earned itself a place in the LIMCA Book of Records for running the longest-running show in corporate India.
Murali Shakarnarayanan, Chief Fun Officer, says, “We realised that nine out of 10 people like listening to good music. So, we decided to use music to drive away Monday blues."
Games People Play
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Who better to know this than a health insurance company? Besides Capgemini, other companies too are incorporating various activities to help employees start the week on a better note. Religare Health Insurance is one such company where on some Mondays, employees spend the first hour of the day playing games or taking part in Zumba or yoga.The initiative was first started in April this year and over the course of seven months, ten such sessions have been conducted. Games such as online tambola, spot the difference and identify the logo are played. “We wanted to find the ideal set of things which create a productive workplace. So to increase employee satisfaction, besides the games, we also introduced physical activities. Both the activities invigorate the mind and body. Employees can choose between a serene option like yoga, or a more lively one like zumba,” says Sanjeev Meghani, head of HR.
Special Monday menu
For WeWork, Bengaluru, TGIM initiatives have been a part of the culture since their inception in 2017. The team believes that the best way to start the day (and the week) is by having a healthy and wholesome breakfast. “We offer complimentary breakfast to our employees. We realised breakfast can make such an impact that we eventually extended this to all the other days of the week too,” says Surabhi Washishth, People Director, WeWork. While South Indian dishes are served the rest of the week, Mondays see a special menu that includes yoghurt, granola and a healthier spread.
Prepping for the week
While Capgemini’s band performs every Monday, practice goes on through the week. “Once we all wind up work at 6 pm, we head to the band room and jam for an hour. Over the past 600 Mondays, about 500 people expressed an interest in performing. If someone were to express their interest now, they would probably get a slot in January to perform. Until then, the practice room is open for them to rehearse,” says Shankarnarayan.
According to Tina Joseph, HR senior manager at the company, the cafeteria is most packed on Mondays, compared to the rest of the week. Pragya Tripathi, a consultant, who joined the company three years ago, recalls her experience at her previous company as “extremely monotonous.” “We’d do the same old work every day.” Now, it’s a different story with Tripathi warding off post-lunch slumps with music played by the band. “The best part is that you don’t have to be a professional singer. As long as you have an interest, you can get a chance,” she adds.
Memorable meetings
WeWork holds weekly meetings on Mondays, where employees are given updates about goals and upcoming plans. While some may consider Monday meetings to be a heavy start to the week, they pay attention to making it anything but intense. “A rewards and recognition programme is followed by dinner so that our employees go home feeling satisfied. This is a great way to start the week,” Washishth says.