EVERY morning at 8 am, the staff at Sankyu's main office along Clementi Loop, line up in front of the building for a simple morning workout -10 minutes of light exercise led by a scheduled exercise leader, carried out to the beat from a health and fitness CD. It is a scene repeated at most of the company's island-wide facilities, from warehouses to customer service centres.

These morning exercises have been a part of Sankyu's daily routine since its establishment in 1971. Even before the formal implementation of a workplace health programme in 1999, health and wellness was ingrained in the company's workplace culture. The programme therefore found swift acceptance and, in the long run, great success - Sankyu has been a recipient of a Singapore HEALTH Award since its programme began, with the last three awards all being golds.

Much of the credit for this achievement goes to the team behind the programme, which is known as Sankyu Active Lifestyle or SAL for short.

Set up by Chang Kok Choy, deputy manager of the firm's Human Resource/Quality, Safety, Health and Environment Department or HR/QSHE, the team comprises HR/QSHE staff members who are not just volunteers - their official duties encompass the oversight and implementation of the health programme, underscoring how deeply health and fitness runs in Sankyu.

SAL's goal is clear-cut: 'To encourage our employees to have a healthier and better life,' says Ms Joanne Chua of the HR/QSHE Department, who is on the SAL team. Activities and events under SAL are entirely sponsored by the company or heavily subsidised at least, and they run in tandem with those organised by the Sankyu Sports and Recreation Committee (SSRC), which oversees work-life, sporting and recreational activities.

Annual basic health screening for all employees, involving checks for diabetes, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, is the most basic stage of a workplace health programme and always attracts a high level of attendance.

Health talks on subjects such as cancer and hypertension are just as popular, as are activities such as kick-boxing classes and monthly badminton sessions.

The high level of health awareness among Sankyu's employees can be put down to the strenuous efforts of the SAL team and a company culture that takes health very seriously. During events such as Fruits Day, when all employees are encouraged to eat healthily and take at least one serving of fruit, the SAL team has gone to the extent of preparing sliced fruit and other healthy food, and taking it to various branches to treat all employees to a healthy lunch.

The environment does not lack reminders of health either. Entering the reception area of Sankyu's headquarters, a welcome screen displaying health and fitness messages is visible in a prominent position - directly opposite the main doors.

HPB brochures promoting personal health and wellness are placed together with the latest issues of Sankyu Links, the company's internal newsletter, where anyone can browse through them and take a few copies for personal reference. Sankyu Links features, without fail, coverage of the latest health, fitness and work-life activities conducted by SAL, SSRC or parent committee QSHE, which oversees safety and occupational health.

A health monitoring station has also been set up behind the reception area, equipped with a weighing machine, portable devices for measuring blood pressure and body fat, and a bulletin board that features health tips, a height and weight chart and even cards for people to record their statistics. The station is well frequented, with staff dropping by to quickly check their weight or blood pressure as they pass. Even members of the senior management take time out to visit the station several times a week. 'We have benefited by becoming more health conscious than previously. We check our health condition more regularly,' says Lewis Kiew, general manager of Sankyu's Logistics Division, who makes use of the station regularly.

Plenty of incentives are in place to encourage participation in health programmes. One of the best known is an award that offers cash prizes to staff who don't take medical leave for two straight years and participate in at least two SAL or SSRC activities a year during that time. The people receiving this award range from senior management such as Mr Kiew to employees in the front line, and the number of awards given out has been rising so quickly that the SAL team is now reviewing the criteria with an eye towards looking into a points reward system at department level.

In addition, the SAL team plans its annual line-up of activities according to feedback from employees, so as to fit in programmes that are popular enough to draw a high participation rate.

Sustaining the programmes, particularly multi-session activities, poses a greater challenge, with people inclined to lose interest mid-way, but the solution to this is often as simple as requiring a minimum fee to ensure they remain committed. One example of this is the highly popular kick-boxing class, for which the company charges a token sum - an illustration of how, on the employees' part, a small financial investment enabled by the company can yield high returns of health and wellness.

Sankyu's own investment in its workplace health programme is far greater than any amount its employees are charged, but with the full support of top management and a budget that is more than adequate to cover the entire range of all three committees' activities, that is hardly an issue. The returns in terms of employee welfare, productivity, loyalty and overall happiness are exponentially more than worth the company's while.

'I enjoy participating in the SSRC activities as I believe we can always have fun together off work too,' says Spencer Ngeu of the HR & IT Department.

This article was first published in The Business Times on January 14, 2009.