Archive: November 8, 2022

Business

ALIPH Foundation to open an office in Riyadh and to fund 16 new projects, ushering in a new growth phase for the organization

Nov 8, 2022 by Praveen 0 Comments

Riyadh, 8th November 2022: The Foundation Board of the International alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas (ALIPH) held its 10th meeting in Riyadh on October 27th. The meeting was hosted by Saudi Minister of Culture and ALIPH Foundation Board member, His Highness Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, who was represented by the Vice Minister of Culture, His Excellency Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, and steered by the Chairman of the Foundation, Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan. The Board agreed on a series of landmark decisions to further advance the Foundation’s work to protect cultural heritage in conflict and post-conflict areas.

Under the adopted decisions, ALIPH will be able to broaden its scope of work and expand its operational footprint. While continuing to provide grants critical to the preservation of cultural heritage, the Foundation will also play the role of an operator whenever necessary.

Due to the positive impact of the Foundation’s work and its numerous partners, ALIPH will open an office in Riyadh at the beginning of 2023. Saudi Arabia has offered to host and fund this office, enabling the foundation to increase support for its projects in the Middle East and grow its partnerships in the region.

“The ALIPH Foundation undertakes incredibly valuable and important work in the preservation and rehabilitation of cultural heritage in conflict zones. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is honored and delighted to support the ALIPH Foundation in its noble efforts through funding the establishment of its regional office in Riyadh, one of the fastest growing cities in the world, which will enable the Foundation to strengthen the international and regional focus of its work” His Highness Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud.

The Foundation Board also adopted 16 new heritage projects for nearly USD 8 million. This brings the total number of ALIPH supported projects to nearly 180 in over 30 countries since ALIPH became operational in 2018.

During ALIPH’s second Donors’ Conference at the Musée du Louvre in Paris on 31 January 2022, the Foundation raised nearly USD 90 million in pledges, in particular from France and Saudi Arabia (USD 30 million each), the United Arab Emirates (USD 20 million), as well as from Morocco, Luxembourg, China, Kuwait, Monaco, and Oman.

“In just four years, ALIPH has established itself as a central actor in what has sadly become a growth industry. With today’s Board proceedings, ALIPH has once again demonstrated its unique agility with the approval of 16 new projects for funding, totaling some USD 8 million — most of them emergency measures to protect cultural heritage in conflict areas. Furthermore, the decision to create an ALIPH office in Riyadh will reinforce the Foundation’s capacity for responsiveness and its ability to act as an operator when and where necessary,” Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan.

Prior to the Foundation Board meeting, on the October 26th, a workshop with international experts on heritage protection was convened, hosted by the Heritage Commission of Saudi Arabia – marking the first event of its kind for ALIPH.

Education

JobTechInstitute Masai, Raises Series B, Enters Upskilling Market with Pay-After-Placement Courses

Nov 8, 2022 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments

National: November 08, 2022, Bangalore: India’s fastest growing JobTech institute, Masai School, has announced their latest fundraise, where the company has raised $10 million in a Series B round led by Omidyar Network India along with existing investors including India Quotient and Unitus Ventures, with the addition of Alteria Capital. The round also saw participation from 2 of Indian sports stalwarts, the face of women’s cricket, Mithali Raj and the legendary footballer Bhaichung Bhutia, as investors and partners for an undisclosed amount.

The latest fund infusion will enable the company, currently India’s leading Pay-After-Placement institute, to launch 2 new course categories while also enabling the expansion of their flagship “zero-to-one” skilling course in Software Development and Data Analytics.

Speaking of the fundraise, Prateek Shukla, CEO and Co-founder, commented, “This is an opportune time for us to pick up our series B funding, and we are excited to work with our new partners and our current investors alike. Our mission remains to build the country’s largest employable tech workforce. The last 3 years have been proof of our competency in bridging the tech skill gap for over 800 tech companies who have hired more than 2000 alumni.

The company is launching their first up-skilling course, MasaiX., which aims at fast tracking growth for software developers in India to meet demand of tech professionals in Global Capability Centres s and Sr. Software Developer roles. Masai is also launching the Scholar Program, targeted at college students to supplement their college education with industry necessary skills. The Scholar Program, which is a prepaid program, is being rolled out by the company’s subsidiary, Prepleaf, acquired by Masai in December 2021.

These programs, along with Masai’s existing offering, Masai 0NE, will be supported by 2 scholarships that are being enabled by Bhaichung Bhutia and Mithali Raj, who joined forces with Masai because of their shared interest in reimagining higher education in India.

Speaking at the press event, Mithali Raj said, “The common thought in India is that when a woman chooses her sporting career, her personal life takes a backseat. However, with Masai, Every individual gets yet another chance to have another career option apart from sports and excel in it.

Bhaichung added, “Access to quality education should be a fundamental right, irrespective of spending potential. And I commend Masai for creating India’s largest outcome-driven higher education institute that identifies untapped talent and makes them job-ready through a pay after placement mode. I am delighted to partner with a brand like Masai that is making a tangible contribution to the future of the youth in this country.

The 2 sports icons also announced Mithali Raj Scholarship for Women in Tech & Bhaichung Scholarship for Extracurricular Excellence, which will make available financial aid of ₹1.5cr in financial aid for students studying at Masai per year. The scholarship would be distributed based on academic performance and extracurricular credentials, respectively.

In 2021, the startup had raised its Series A round worth $5 Mn led by Omidyar Network India. Investors who participated in the round included Unitus Ventures, India Quotient and AngelList. The start up, which has positioned itself as a skilling institute, also raised funds in 2021 through seasoned angel investors such as Kunal Shah of Cred, Paytm’s founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Delhivery’s Mohit Tandon & co-founder of Tracxn, Abhishek Goyal among others.

To date, Masai has placed more than 2000 students across 25 batches that have graduated, with a placement rate of over 94% with an average CTC of 7.5 lakh INR per annum. The company has enabled student placements in some of the most sought-after engineering teams in India, including companies such as Ola, Swiggy, Meesho, Capgemini, Paytm, Dream 11, GlobalLogic and ShareChat. Masai currently has 7000 students enrolled in active batches.

Education

St. George’s University School of Medicine to Host Multi – City Tour to Meet Aspiring Medical Students

Nov 8, 2022 by Praveen 0 Comments

November 2022 – St. George’s University (SGU), Grenada, in the Caribbean will meet students and their families across India in an effort to support medical aspirants on their path to an international medical degree. Attendees will learn about the university strolling admissions process with first-term courses beginning in January, April and August for 2023. This flexibility offers prospective students multiple chances to begin their medical career, without missing an academic year.

SGU offers several options for aspiring students, such as the 5-Year or 6-Year Medical Degree Pathways. Moreover, students who have completed bachelor’s degree can apply to SGU’s 4-Year MD program, to become a doctor in the US or UK.

The 21-city roadshow will start on 15 November in Ahmedabad and end on 2 December in Chandigarh.  Students and parents can have a one-on-one session with the SGU team which includes their South Asian Regional Director, Mr. Bharat Gadhia and Recruitment Manager, Mr. Charath Soundararajan.  Students will meet with them for consultations in which they will evaluate their profiles and go over the academic requirements, financial considerations, and application materials needed to pursue medicine at SGU.

Given below is the full schedule of the roadshow over 21 different cities:

Date Location Venue Time
15 Nov 2022 Ahmedabad ITC Narmada 4PM – 8PM
16 Nov 2022 Delhi ITC Maurya 4PM – 8PM
17 Nov 2022 Bangalore ITC Windsor 4PM – 8PM
18 Nov 2022 Chennai Taj Coromandel 4PM – 8PM
19 Nov 2022 Hyderabad Taj Krishna 4PM – 8PM
20 Nov 2022 Kochi Marriott Kochi 4PM – 8PM
21 Nov 2022 Trivandrum O by Tamara 4PM – 8PM
22 Nov 2022 Mumbai ITC Maratha 4PM – 8PM
23 Nov 2022 Dehradun Four Points by Sheraton 4PM – 8PM
24 Nov 2022 Lucknow Taj Mahal 4PM – 8PM
24 Nov 2022 Pune Hyatt Regency 4PM – 8PM
25 Nov 2022 Goa Le Meridien 4PM – 8PM
25 Nov 2022 Kolkata ITC Royal Bengal 4PM – 8PM
26 Nov 2022 Jaipur ITC Rajputana 4PM – 8PM
26 Nov 2022 Mangalore The Gateway Hotel 4PM – 8PM
27 Nov 2022 Bhopal Taj Lakefront 4PM – 8PM
27 Nov 2022 Coimbatore The Residency Towers 4PM – 8PM
28 Nov 2022 Indore Marriott 4PM – 8PM
28 Nov 2022 Mysore Radisson Blu 4PM – 8PM
1 Dec 2022 Amritsar Taj Swarna 4PM – 8PM
2 Dec 2022 Chandigarh The Lalit 4PM – 8PM

Business

The Orchid Mumbai is Hosting ‘4 State Brunch’ on Every Sunday at the Boulevard

Nov 8, 2022 by Praveen 0 Comments

The Orchid Mumbai Vile Parle is hosting a specially curated brunch with signature delicacies from India’s 4 states Punjab, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on every Sunday of November 2022. To experience authentic Punjabi cuisine ‘Punjab da Swaad’ has been served on 6th November. Guest can savour ‘Maharashtrian Tadka’ on 13th November, ‘West Bengal Delights’ on 20th November and ‘Traditional Tamil Cuisine’ on 27th November 2022.

Guests can select from choices of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes prepared by the expert chefs at the Boulevard. Chef Paramjeet Chaudhary has curated Punjab’s most authentic popular dishes, including Paneer Makhanwala, Sarso ka Saag aur Makai ki Roti, Murgh Patiyala and Ma ki Dal. Chef Bijay Das has curated a special menu to accommodate both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that represent Bengali cuisine. These include Aloo Posto, Dalma, Kashamansho(Mutton) and Elish Masha Jhol. Chef Laxmikant Lad has curated a Maharashtrian-style menu including Bharleli Bhindi, Valache Bhirda, Komdi Fry and Bangda Curry. The Traditional Tamil style cuisine has been curated by Chef Bala Subramanian with a varieties of delicious dishes like Pori cha kootu (cabbage),Poondu kuzhambu, Eral Sukka (Spicy Prawns Curry) and Kozhi Varutha Curry.

Come and indulge yourself in the diversity of India’s Food Culture.

Venue: Boulevard, The Orchid Mumbai, Vile Parle

Date: 13th, 20th, and 27th November 2022

Time: 12:30 PM to 4 PM

Health

Glocal’s digital and acute healthcare delivery model bridges urban-rural healthcare divide

Nov 8, 2022 by Sujata Muguda 0 Comments

New Delhi: The innovative and transformational digital healthcare delivery model of Glocal Healthcare Systems, a leading technology, and process-based healthcare social enterprise, is proving to be a big boon for the underprivileged, especially in remote rural regions, by reshaping the way modern and quality healthcare services is delivered and accessed by the most marginalized section of society.

Glocal’s three mutually supportive arms comprising of telemedicine, digital clinics, and digital acute-care hospitals also pare into the iron stranglehold of Indian healthcare by making healthcare affordable, accessible, and accountable and in turn bridging the social, regional, and economic divide.

Glocal’s impactful interventions have been validated by independent assessments. A study titled “Social Impact of Glocal Healthcare Systems” conducted by Sambodhi Research and Communication involving nearly 500 respondents from the states of Bihar, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh, revealed that on three significant parameters of Affordability, Accessibility, and Quality of Care, respondents were highly satisfied and that the popularity of Glocal Healthcare delivery model has been increasing through endorsement and positive word of mouth recommendations.

The study points out that Glocal’s transformational model has become a game changer and a big support for the national commitment to providing quality Universal Healthcare to all by 2030. It may be noted that providing quality and affordable healthcare solutions to the poorest section of society remains one of the biggest challenges and commitments for 21st-century India.

The study also noted that the Glocal Healthcare model strives for the efficient use of adequate healthcare resources to achieve, preserve, and protect individual health and contribute to public health with the realization of Universal Health Care by 2030.

“We exist to ensure that healthcare is available to everyone, everywhere, anytime at a price that people and society can afford. To make it happen we use technology and when needed create new technology to transform how healthcare is delivered”, Dr. Sabahat Azim, Founder and Chairman of Glocal Healthcare.

Glocal currently operates 11 multispecialty acute care hospitals in West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha, as well as over 700 Primary Care Digital Dispensaries (DDs), mainly in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Gujarat. Its digital facilities have touched the lives of more than a million people in target areas.

The scale of the country’s healthcare challenges can be gauged by the fact that a staggering 39% of the Indian population does not have access to the requisite healthcare services. Delivering quality healthcare becomes a tougher challenge given the sharp urban-rural divide as 75% of healthcare facilities as well as 75% of the doctors’ population reside in urban areas while 68.84% of the national population still lives in rural areas. Covid-19 has further highlighted the gaps in the system and the chasm between urban and rural centers.

India’s doctor-population ratio of 0.62 per 1000 people is also well below the WHO recommended doctor-population ratio of 1:1000. The situation is far dismal in central-eastern Indian states, especially when considering the available facilities within the public sector. For instance, Bihar has the highest population served per allopathic government doctor (28391 people), followed by Uttar Pradesh (19962), Jharkhand (18518), Madhya Pradesh (16996), Chhattisgarh (15916) and Odisha (12744).

Against this challenging backdrop, Glocal’s incorporation of high-end health technologies and processes has significantly cut down operational costs and has enabled it to offer accessible, affordable, and accountable healthcare to the underserved population through telemedicine, digital clinics, and Acute Care Hospitals. Millions of previously under-served and un-served populations are now availing of Glocal’s digital consultations which provide access to the best of healthcare experts.

As recognition for its huge impact on the bottom of the pyramid population and digital innovation, Glocal Healthcare was conferred the Gold (top) Award in two categories – (1) Excellence in Social Initiatives and (2) Digital Innovation in Healthcare, by FICCI in the 14th edition of FICCI Healthcare Excellence Awards (2022) on 11th October 2022.

Education

Canadian International School students qualify for Tournament of Champions at Yale University in November 2022

Nov 8, 2022 by Praveen 0 Comments

Bangalore, November 08, 2022: The high school students of the Canadian International School (CIS), Bangalore, performed exceptionally at the regional round of the World Scholar’s Cup academic competition held earlier this year. After shining bright at the Bangalore round, the CIS team qualified for the global round held in Dubai recently, where they competed against 3,000 scholars from over 50 countries. Now the CIS school teams qualify to compete at the annual Tournament of Champions to be held at Yale University in the USA in November 2022.

The Regional rounds of the World Scholar’s Cup take place worldwide throughout the year. This year, The World Scholars’ Cup – Bangalore’s round featured two teams from CIS. In the Senior division, Rajat, Arjun, Zayaan, Ronojoy, Niranjan, and Kovid won 38 individual gold and silver medals in various categories. The CIS students also secured the team writing trophy and the team debate gold medal, competing with over 60 teams from schools across India.

At the regional round, the CIS scholars participated in four events: Team Debate, Scholar’s Bowl, Scholar’s Challenge, and Collaborative Writing. The questions and the content were based on six subjects – Science and Technology, Art and Music, Literature and Media, Social Studies, and History. This year, the 6th subject was the Psychology of Mistakes.

Ronojoy, 11th grade student of CIS and a member of CIS team admitted that the curriculum of the event and the tasks were challenging and encouraged “out-of-the box” thinking. “It does not resemble a conventional exam. You have to use your critical thinking, it tests your ability to think on the spot and connect the randomized topics to each other,” he said.

“For example, in the art and music section, there was a very famous painting that was part of the syllabus. And the question was – if a particular state leader in 1600 made this painting, what would it look like or how would it change?” added Niranjan, 11th Grade student and CIS team member.

“Your performance determines how many points you get,”- explains Zayaan, a member of the team. “You are ranked based on the number of points, and if they exceed the threshold of 20,000, the team qualifies for the final Tournament of Champions. And the competition was incredibly high.”

Speaking about the students’ accomplishments, Ms. Shweta Sastri, Managing Director, Canadian International School, Bangalore, said: “All CIS community is proud of our students for their stupendous achievements in the initial rounds. We also commend them for their brilliance and commitment and are sure that they will achieve a great deal more as they head into the future. We also believe that this feat by our students will also inspire other students to actively participate in many such global competitions.”

The CIS team is preparing for the Tournament of Champions, which is two months from now. It is more than just another Global Round. The learners will immerse into Yale University life and take a chance to understand what it is like to be a student at one of the world’s most outstanding universities. They will interact directly with the Yale community and have fun with people from different cultures – talking, debating, and even dancing. They will also learn how to leverage the World Scholar’s Cup experience as part of their admissions portfolio.

The first World Scholar’s Cup took place in Korea in 2007 as a small regional tournament and has grown to reach about 15,000 young talents worldwide. Besides competing, the students communicate with learners from various cultural backgrounds to discuss concepts and ideas.

Business

Elegance and excellence, Cassa 4, Euro Pratik’s new product launch in India

Nov 8, 2022 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments

Cassa 4 by Euro Pratik extends a pool of opus with one of the finest interior choices that promises to provide elegance and class.

New Delhi, November 8th, 2022: Euro Pratik, a lifestyle industry veteran, introduces a new line of exclusive wall panels with stunning designs and unrivalled quality. The Cassa 4 offers a huge variety of innovative options, ranging from 56 fresh and creative layouts.

It is believed that the Cassa 4 product line blends sophistication and elegance in a way that nobody has ever seen before. Its undeniably exclusive and bold designs have the potential to fit in with an infinite number of implementations. The Cassa 4 commits to providing a harmonious look with contemporary moulds, shades, and designs to uplift the aesthetic of the interiors.

“Our industry-leading superior products inspire our appreciated customers to meet their preferences to create customised interiors,” said Mr. Pratik Sanghvi, CEO of Euro Pratik. “Cassa 4, our most recent creation, is truly a game-changing innovation that is poised to become an industry sensation. One of the most appealing features of this product is that it shields and embellishes your walls with an aesthetic touch.”

The range of Cassa 4 gives various choices with respect to numerous applications. All products of Euro Pratik are apt with their opulent looks for retail shops, work places, homes, rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, theatres, bistros, studios, restaurants, amphitheatres, get-together rooms, video conferencing rooms, sports complexes, night clubs, casinos, museums, private suites, parlours, etc.

To ensure its clients are never out of choice, Euro Pratik looks after every price point. Euro Pratik distributes to 150+ urban areas in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, remaining balanced in order to truly develop market patterns and needs.

Priced suitably, ‘Cassa 4’ by Euro Pratik is available pan-India in 8 and 9.5 foot lengths, and a huge variety of options for ingenious customers.

Business

Paytm net loss reduces sequentially by 11%, while revenue surges

Nov 8, 2022 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments

Paytm, India’s leading digital payments and financial services company, continues to strengthen all its businesses with strong revenue growth. The company has reported a 76% year-on-year (YoY) growth in revenue to Rs 1,914 crore and sharp improvement of 61% YoY in EBITDA before ESOP cost by Rs 259 crore. Also, it has registered an 11% QoQ reduction in its net loss for Q2FY23.

The company identified its revenue drivers to be growth in loan disbursements, continued growth in the merchant subscription base leading to increase in subscription and MDR revenues, and increase in payment gateway revenue driven by higher GMV in online business, primarily ecommerce. This was achieved without any UPI incentive during the quarter. On a QoQ basis, revenues grew 14%.

The payments business witnessed revenue growth of 56% YoY and 9% QoQ in the quarter on account of continued platform expansion, with average monthly transacting users (MTU) growing 39% YoY to 79.7 million, while merchant base has increased to 29.5 million. The company further strengthened its leadership in offline payments with 1.1 million devices deployed in the quarter, taking the total to 4.8 million. With this, Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) stood at Rs 3.2 lakh crore. Revenue from payment services to consumers stood at Rs 549 crore, an increase of 55% YoY, while payment services to merchants was Rs 624 crore, marking an increase of 56% YoY.

Driven by improved monetization and continued focus on reduction in payment processing charges, Paytm’s net payment margin (calculated as payments revenues plus other operating revenues, less payment processing cost) stood at Rs 443 Cr, increasing 15% QoQ and was up 428% YoY.

The company’s fast-growing lending vertical saw revenue from the financial services business was Rs 349 crore, up 293% YoY and 29% QoQ. It now accounts for 18% of total revenue, compared to 8% in Q2FY22, driven by sourcing and collection revenues. In Q2FY23, Paytm disbursed 9.2 million loans, up 224% YoY and 8% QoQ, amounting to Rs 7,313 crore, marking an increase of 482% YoY and 32% QoQ. With a long growth runway ahead, the company saw a high demand in the loan distribution business for all its products – Paytm Postpaid, Personal Loans, Merchant loans.

The company also reported 55% YoY and 14% QoQ growth in Commerce and Cloud revenues to Rs 377 crore, with Commerce revenue increasing 49% YoY due to higher ticketing sales, while Cloud revenues were up 58% YoY.

Business

KKR to Invest $400 Million in Decarbonization Platform Serentica Renewables

Nov 8, 2022 by Sujata Muguda 0 Comments

Mumbai/Hyderabad – November 8, 2022 – KKR, a leading global investment firm, and Serentica Renewables (“Serentica” or the “Company”), a decarbonization platform that seeks to enable the energy transition by providing complex clean energy solutions for energy-intensive, hard-to-abate industries, today announced the signing of definitive agreements under which KKR will invest $400 million in the Company.

Serentica looks to deliver round-the-clock clean energy solutions for large-scale, energy-intensive industrial customers. This includes providing renewable energy solutions through long-term Power Purchase Agreements (“PPAs”) and working closely with customers to design their paths to net-zero electricity. Currently, the Company has entered into three long-term PPAs and is in the process of developing ~1,500 MW of solar and wind power projects across various states including Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. Serentica’s medium-term goal is to install 5,000 MW of carbon-free generation capacity coupled with different storage technologies and supply over 16 billion units of clean energy annually and displace 20 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Serentica’s launch builds on the favorable macroeconomic tailwinds behind India’s power and renewables sectors, as well as the government’s strong commitment to advancing India’s energy transition. In addition, Serentica looks to provide clean energy alternatives to the critical but hard-to-abate industrial sectors that continue to drive India’s development and economic growth. As energy demands continue to rise alongside India’s developmental needs and prosperity, there is significant potential for renewable energy to play an important role in meeting the energy needs of the industrial sector in a sustainable manner.

Pratik Agarwal, Director of Serentica Renewables, said, “We are happy to have a like-minded strategic partner in KKR who believes in our model of sustainable development. The world is undergoing a clean energy transition and India is at the forefront of this effort with its ambitious target of 450GW by the year 2030. This investment will allow us to leap ahead in our vision of decarbonizing large energy-intensive industries and help in reversing climate change. This transaction is amongst the largest industrial decarbonization investments in India to date and carries forward the global decarbonization agenda which is center stage at COP27 (2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference).”

Hardik Shah, Partner at KKR, said, “Our investment in Serentica reflects KKR’s confidence in India’s renewables sector and our commitment to advancing the energy transition in India. Energy-intensive, heavy-industry companies play an important role in society but have traditionally faced more challenges in meeting energy needs sustainably. With Serentica, we look to support these companies in their decarbonization objectives. We are delighted to back Serentica through this latest strategic partnership and are excited to develop Serentica into a leading decarbonization platform that can contribute meaningfully to the energy transition requirements that lie ahead of us.”

Standard Chartered Bank acted as the sole financial advisor to Serentica for this transaction.

KKR makes its investment from its Asia Pacific Infrastructure strategy. The transaction in Serentica marks KKR’s latest investment in India and the renewables sector. Since 2011, KKR has deployed over $15 billion in equity globally to invest in renewable assets, such as solar and wind, which have an operational power generation capacity of 23 GW, as of December 31, 2021. In Asia Pacific, KKR sees renewables as core to its infrastructure strategy and seeks to invest in significant opportunities across the region.

Health

100% of participants concluded that workplace stress has an adverse effect on employee mental health and can reduce work efficiency – Genius Consultants report

Nov 8, 2022 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments

~Mid-work nap time, less office politics, and reduced number of work days in a week cited as probable solutions to reduce work stress~

National, 08th November 2022: As National Stress Awareness Day is observed today, Genius Consultants Limited has published a survey that reveals that an absolute 100% of the participants accepted that workplace stress can have an adverse effect on employee mental health and reduce work efficiency. A total of 1380 headcounts participated in the Genius Digipoll Survey which was conducted
in the month of September 2022.

Work-related stress has proven to be an identified reason for multiple challenges like mental & physical disorders to intellectual and behavioral impacts. The survey encapsulated all the aspects that can be affected by work stress with validated responses from the participants.

A solid 77% of the participants confirmed that work-related stress can induce anxiety and depression while 14% were neutral and a meagre 9% denied the possibility altogether. Furthermore, 82% of the participants also validated that health issues like immunodeficiency disorders, gastrointestinal disorders and musculoskeletal disorders are directly connected with work-related stress while 14% remained neutral and the rest of 7% denied any connection between work- related stress and health conditions of the employees. Absenteeism and employees absconding are some other roadblocks created by work stress and 68% corroborated with the general perception while 27% refused to confirm or deny and 5% negated the possibility that employees quit or remain absent at work due to work-related stress.

The most popular solution suggested mid-work nap time as an innovative method to combat work stress levels; with 73% of the survey participants agreeing, 18% being unsure while 9% disagreeing with the same. The participants stayed divided with less work, less office politics, and better employee engagement as possible solutions with 36% cited for the first option and 32% for other two cited respectively to control the stress levels. Reducing working days was another suggestion agreed by the participants with 68% agreeing, 18% being neutral and
14% differing with the idea of a reduced workday as a solution to decrease work stress.

Commenting on the survey, R P Yadav, CMD, Genius Consultants Ltd., said, “Conducting these surveys are reality checks for any organization. The fact that every single participant of the survey agreed that work-related stress affects the mental health of an individual is very telling. In the current age, where the talk of mental health has found momentum, it is crucial that we identify work stress and the environment as the prime reasons for the growing cases of deteriorating mental health conditions for employees. We, as a part of India Inc., should consciously work toward cementing any disbalance in the work environment for every working professional. On this National Stress Awareness Day, the results of this survey should be used as a guiding force to combat work-related stress and its side effects.”

The survey which lasted over a month’s duration was conducted on multiple social media platforms – Official GCL pages of LinkedIn, LinkedIn Polls, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram post plus stories, Google Free Sites (Survey Monkey, Type form, Google forms, etc.)