De-stressing employees

Long working hours can lead to a sedentary lifestyle and associated illnesses such as obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. A few minutes of physical activity can not only enhance employee productivity but also employee bonding, so crucial for any organisation

A competitive workspace, hovering deadlines and a pressure-cooker like environment are corporate realities of today. Our highly-connected lifestyles have magnified work-related stress with long working hours, disturbed sleeping patterns, sedentary lifestyles and lack of relaxation. As a result, most working professionals today suffer from various associated ailments. Stress is also becoming one of the reasons for declining productivity and attrition rates in some organisations. Additionally, organisations suffer from the loss of millions of working days due to stress-related illnesses.

However, an increasing number of organisations are realising that employees are not a replaceable property but human resource that needs to be valued. Efforts are being made by corporates to help employees achieve wellness, good health and reduce stress. For instance, setting up of gyms inside office campuses, official tours, yoga classes and socially-relevant activities are some ways organisations are improving employee engagement and wellness. Modern organisations can take various steps to reduce employee burnout.

* Reflexology is a non-intrusive treatment to wash away the stress from the body. In the procedure, effective pressure is applied to reflex points in hands, feet and ears by professional reflexologists. All that this treatment needs is a special chair and a 30-45 minute session. Experts say that a once-in-a-month session with a reflexologist can rejuvenate your employees and minimise their mental and physical stress. The treatment has been proved to lead to better sleeping patterns, thereby leading to better focus and high productivity at the workplace.

* Yoga is a form of meditation that synchronises the body, mind and soul. Globally, people practising yoga have discovered various psychological and physical benefits, including improved strength, flexibility and general well-being, apart from relief from stress, anxiety and depression. Arranging yoga sessions once a week can help employees de-stress. All it needs is a large room and some dedication on part of the management.

* Workout sessions, a few minutes a day, have proven to boost employee confidence and performance. Today, an increasing number of organisations are incorporating a gym area within the office premises. Long working hours lead to a sedentary lifestyle and associated illnesses such as obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. A few minutes of working out and stretching can enhance employee productivity. Sometimes, it also leads to employee bonding, so crucial for any organisation. Here, management can take steps by inculcating wellness programmes in the employee schedule.

* Off-site gathering is another employee bonding initiative. Often, hectic schedules distance employees not only from their personal lives but also from each other—competitive work environment is known to create fissures among employees. Thus, arranging occasional off-site gatherings can help employees mingle with each other and help them de-stress by talking everything but work.

By Rohit Aggarwal

The author is CEO, Koenig Solutions, the offshore IT training company

Source: The Financial Express dated 12/10/2015

WhatsApp offers Android users back-up in Google Drive

WhatsApp users will no more have to worry about memory storage capacity of their smartphones as it has announced a back-up feature for Android platform that will help store chats and multimedia content in Google Drive.

“...you don’t want your memories stuck on your phone. (What if something happens?!) So starting today, WhatsApp for Android lets you create a private backup of your chat history, voice messages, photos and videos in Google Drive. And once you do, you can restore everything on a new device with just a couple of taps,” Google Drive Director of Product Management Scott Johnston said in his blog.

“The new backup feature is rolling out over in the next few months, so keep an eye on your WhatsApp settings to see if it’s available,” he said.

WhatsApp website also shared similar information.

“You can back up your messages and media to Google Drive so that if you lose your phone or switch to another Android phone, your chats are safe,” the instant messenger portal said.

The feature will come in a new update for existing Android users. After updating their WhatsApp application, they can go to setting option in the application, select ‘Chats and Calls’ option and opt for frequency — daily, weekly, monthly or never — for saving their data.

However, this update at present is not available in WhatsApp application for Android users in India.

WhatsApp did not respond to the query sent regarding the date when this feature will be available for Indian users.

The mobile instant messenger reported to have over 70 million monthly active users in India till November 2014.

In September, the company disclosed that it has 900 million active users globally.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/whatsapp-offers-android-users-backup-in-google-drive/article7749703.ece?css=print

It is a ‘Game of Drones’ as students bag laurels abroad

Aero clubs from various colleges win prizes at competitions in the US

MUMBAI: For decades, aviation experts in India have rued India’s inability in producing planes and its makers. Even as the country continues to buy most of its aircraft from foreign aircraft makers, a small but promising culture emerging in city engineering colleges appears to be a ray of hope.

Fed by a rising wave of international aero design competitions, aspiring aeronautical engineers are forming ‘aero clubs’ to make their own flying machines.

Students of Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Matunga, established one such ‘aero club’ in 2010. The club, named Aero VJTI has so far sent four teams to the aero design competition held in the US and won some prizes, said students.

“Over the years, our club has become very good in aircraft designing. VJTI also has a windtunnel lab for those interested in research in the field of aeronautics,” said Darshit Dalal, a member of the club.

The Aero Design competition, held annually in the United States by the Society of Automotive Engineers, has found a number of takers among city’s engineering colleges. Students are tasked to make their own Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) at the competition.

These clubs also help students apply their minds beyond the curriculum. “The problems presented to us in the aero design competition are very real. The UAVs and the aircraft technology has wide application in many fields,” said Akib Peerzade, a former member of ‘Team Aerosouls’ at the MH Saboo Siddik College of Engineering at Byculla.

According t o Peerzade, Aerosouls was the very first Indian team to compete and win in the advanced category at the competition.

Students added that juggling time for such activities along with their studies has been a challenge.

Funding is one of the biggest challenges, felt students. While many colleges and sponsors provide monetary assistance to the competing teams, the students often have to fund their trip to US.

“Initially, the funding was a problem. But as we progressed, the college realised the importance of our work and helped us generously. But once we won prizes at the competition and were featured in the newspapers, the funds started pouring in,” added Peerzade.

Source: The Hindustan Times dated 12/10/2015

3 tech-savvy kids campaign against the noise nuisance

Trio maps city decibel levels, prepares tables based on their findings

MUMBAI: When 11- year- old Sahil Parab stepped out with his parents on the last day of Ganeshotsav celebrations to witness various processions heading towards immersion sites, he could not stand the noise.

He asked his father for his smartphone, opened a noisemeasuring app and found that the decibel levels were touching 100dB. “The loudspeakers and DJ’s sets sent vibrations through my body, while drunk people were dancing all around me. It felt like I was partially deaf,” said Parab adding, “I showed my parents the readings and persuaded them to head home.”

The growing noise levels had been a concern playing on his mind even before the Ganeshotsav began. To bring forth the need to turn down the volume, Parab, along with two 12 year olds – Harsh Mhadadlkar and Anirudh Chowdhury – recorded noise levels of 12 locations during Dahi Handi and 10 locations during Ganeshotsav.

The children – all residents of BDD chawl in Lower Parel – took up the task as part of a research project guided by Reniscience Education, an organisation that works with children outside the classroom.

“These children prepared tables and recorded noise levels during the morning, evening and night. We were surprised with their findings,” said Sangita Kapadia, their teacher from Reniscience Education.

The trio also met Sumaira Abdulali, convener, NGO Awaaz Foundation, to learn how to use noise meters. “We put together a set of questions for Sumaira ma’am and wanted to know how noise meters are used. We also asked her about how the city has been divided into silence and residential zones and how complaints can be filed at police stations,” said Mhadadlkar.

Implementing the format they read in newspapers, the trio took down readings in their notebooks and compared them to what was published over the 10 days of the festival. “We downloaded a decibel meter application on our teacher’s phone and found that noise from dhols, DJ sets and loudspeakers measured high on the meter,” said Mhadadlkar.

Abdulali explained to them how noise complaints could also be filed online on various social media websites. “These children have the ability, interest and enthusiasm to do something even the police could not. They have set an example of how citizens can be proactive,” said Abdulali, adding, “I am very impressed with them and hope to mentor them in future.”

In the coming week, the boys will accompany volunteers from the NGO to take noise readings during the 10-day Navratri festival.

Source: The Hindustan Times dated 12/10/2015

Maharashtra Government Resolution dated 7th October 2015 for the Celebration of Vachan Prerana Din on 15th October, 2015

Maharashtra Government Resolution dated 7th October 2015 for the Celebration of Vachan Prerana Din on 15th October, 2015

https://www.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/Upload/Government%20Resolutions/English/201510071739196521.pdf

Analysis

Students in the city and surrounding areas can leave their school bags at home next Thursday , when schools across the state will observe Vaachan Prerna Diwas or Reading Day as per a government order.

The decision to celebrate October 15, the birth anniversary of former President of India A P J Abdul Kalam, as Vaachan Prerna Diwas in schools across the state was made by school education minister Vinod Tawde soon after Kalam's death on July 27. In a government resolution issued on Wednesday , the state asked all students from Class III to VIII to read non-academic books in school, and instructed schools to host book exhibitions, implement gift-a-book programmes, introduce students to well-known authors from around the world, and hold discussions on books. The government has said that almost Rs 6 lakh is available for the programme.

Going a step further, the office of the deputy director has asked schools in the Mumbai region to also allow students to leave their bags home on the day . “Kalam's writings are an in spiration to students and youth. These activities will help students develop an interest for reading, which is sorely lacking. So we created the `school without bags' plan for that day,“ said B B Chavan, deputy director, Mumbai region. Suggested activities for schools in Mumbai include inviting authors, literature and other subject experts, reading a book that is not a school textbook and teaching students how to read out loud. “There should be no kind of pressures in class this day and a positive environment should be created. This way , students can read what they like and have fun doing it. Only then will the programme be a success,“ said the circular issued by Chavan.

Schools have also been advised to dedicate time on a specific day every month for reading, host book fairs, organize meets for teachers and keep the school library updated. They should also award students and teachers who read the maximum number of books.

However, with exams just round the corner, schools are not sure if they can have activities throughout the day .“Our oral and practical exams begin next week, so we might not be able to dedicate the entire day for these activities. We will, may be, conduct them for some time during the day . The idea of celebra ting such days is school is great,“ said Freny Mehta, principal, Alexandra Girls' Institution, Fort.

Chavan said the plan is not rigid and schools can make adjustments as required.

Last year, all schools in the city's south zone marked November 21as No-Textbook Day . A brainchild of Chavan, schools had hosted various activities such as book reading sessions, interactions with authors, newspaper reading and making and book review discussions during school hours. There was participation of more than 430 schools. 

Suggested Timetable

Period 1 - Importance of the Programme

Period 2 - Invite an author, artist, actor or other Subject experts

Period 3 -  Teach Students techniques to read out in class or in public

Period 4, 5 - Students must carry to school a book of their choice and read out

Period 6, 7, 8 -  Students must read the books

Period 9 - Feedback Time

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