Royal Plaza on Scotts (RP) creates a healthier and happier environment for all employees with Health Promotion Board (HPB). In support of this workplace health programme, HPB has approved a grant of $7,800 to help fund this project. In response to HPB's one million kg challenge to encourage Singaporeans to collectively lose weight and fight against obesity, Royal Plaza on Scotts announced that a hotel-wide weight loss competition will be held, where employees can pitch themselves against each other to determine who will be the "biggest loser" in this friendly competition. Employees are taking part in the competition in teams as departments and as individuals. Department heads will lead by example by kicking start the competition for the first week. They have pooled money together and at the end of the competition, the sum will go to Community Chest. The department which loses most weight within three months will walk away with $388 in cash and the biggest loser from the individual category will walk away with $188. 360 employees weighing a total of 23,961.5kg have also taken up the challenge, where the hotel will lose 3% of the total weight in three months. RP has also invested in digital weighing scales for all departments to encourage employees to be proactive in keeping fit.

RP has since implemented 'healthy lifestyle' initiatives to share the importance of healthy living with employees and encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyle habits. Talks will be conducted to educate employees on ways to protect themselves against hypertension, high blood pressure and diabetes.

RP aims to foster better work life integration at the workplace, where our employees look forward to come to work every day. The implementation of 'healthy lifestyle' initiatives at the workplace will create awareness amongst employees on the importance of healthy living and how this will benefit them in both their personal lives and at work in the long run. RP will continue to adopt different initiatives to ensure the physical and emotional well-being of all employees. For instance, food and beverages served in the staff cafeteria offer healthier choices with less oily and fried items on the menu.

Interactive activities will also be carried out, where employees can learn a range of simple exercises, tailored for working professionals to stay fit at the workplace. A cooking demonstration will also be held during the designated healthy lifestyle week, so employees can learn how to whip up healthier dishes and foster better eating habits to help them be more alert and efficient at work. To maintain the balance of work and play, RP employees will also be invited to participate in games such as bowling and futsal so that they can engage in fun physical activities and bond with colleagues from different departments at the same time.

Besides encouraging employees to engage in physical activities, RP also recognises the importance of mental well-being. Workshops will be conducted to help employees cope with stress and unwind with simple techniques such as abdominal breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. Employees can also pick up tips on how to achieve work-life balance through effective goal-setting, manage their time and overcome obstacles brought about by changes.

RP has always been concerned about the welfare of our employees. In 2007, the hotel introduced its non-smoking programme to promote the health of employees, where they are continuously encouraged to make a conscientious effort to either cut down on the number of cigarettes smoked or kick the habit completely. Through the success of the programme, 15 employees managed to completely quit smoking by 2008, a 25% improvement from the number of employees who initially quit. Those who smoke have also cut down their daily number by an average of three sticks. Employees have shared that they experienced increased health benefits since voluntarily participating in the programme.

By creating a healthier and happier environment for all employees, the hotel hopes to encourage employees to be physically active and maintain positive mind sets at the same time. Productivity, efficiency and staff well-being will increase as employees are healthier, more energetic and in better spirits when they feel better about themselves. The number of medical leaves taken will also decrease as more employees adopt healthier lifestyle habits. This will lead to an increase in our employees' productivity.