Thank you, #TeamVtas Pune, In Your Run for Resilience

[ShilpaSingh]

We celebrated #VeritasRun 4.0 (VRun) on 12 February 2022 with a total of 1231 (730 employees and 501 family members) running from their homes across India. The participants included employees, their spouses, parents, and children. When we started planning for VRun in November 2021, we originally scheduled it to be a hybrid marathon, giving employees the option to come to the office or run virtually from their location. The rising COVID-19 cases at the beginning of the new year meant that the event would run virtually. This didn’t dampen participants’ spirits, and we saw 1240 registrations for the event.

As an avid runner, this quote by Kara Goucher resonates with me “Running allows me to set my mind free. Nothing VRun Core Teamseems impossible. Nothing unattainable.” This mantra seems even more apt because the cause we ran for was mental health awareness. The VRun tagline for this year was ‘Run for resilience,’ reiterating the need to run, not just for a fit body but also for a fit mind. For me running or exercise helps to provide time to relax or reflect. It makes me stay active and alert throughout the day and improves my stamina to see the day through. I personally feel that my body serves me better if I keep it in motion and do some form of exercise, which is why I run.

15 other Pune employees who share my passion for running joined me in organizing this year’s VRun. Despite the many uncertainties, the core team worked through challenges and had a contingency plan for each aspect. Some of the challenges included getting permission from local authorities and ensuring the timely delivery of the runner’s kits to be distributed across India. Still, as a team, we persevered, and our resiliency paid off.

To encourage participation, we started the event preparations with a series of pre-events and challenges. There were weekend runs towards the end of December followed by a 30-day walk/run challenge to facilitate daily exercise, both of which collectively saw 200 employees participate. To add a competitive edge to the event, we threw in weekly challenges for squats, pushups, Suryanamskar, and plank exercises. This was executed in association with the Pune Women at Veritas Empowered (WAVE) team.

While participation was one aspect, another challenge we faced was to keep the buzz alive during this virtual event. Besides the multiple mailers, banners, and posters circulated, we also created awareness through a radio promotion schedule with employee testimonials and interviews going out at intervals throughout the day for 15 days leading up to the main event. We also created a small competition held for the Pune employees to develop a jingle, with the winning entry was used as part of the radio features.

Zumba warm-up before VRunThrough all these activities and initiatives our focus was mental health awareness and we worked with the Pune corporate responsibility team to enrol ‘Sheetal Astitva’, a non-government organization (NGO), as our registered partner. This NGO aims to use an interdisciplinary approach to improve well-being and mental health, and we also hosted a few joint webinar sessions with the NGO for our employees, which were well-received. Anshu Pathak, Manager, Technical Support, said about the session, “I loved the details on being mindful, and how it can help in developing my mental health.” The need to focus on mental health resonated with most employees with the backdrop of the pandemic and extended work from home.

I have personally taken great joy in organizing VRun this year, and I hope the participants shared my enthusiasm for participating. Veritas has many initiatives and resource groups that address employee health and wellness. There are events conducted throughout the year to make sure employees stay connected. If you would like to be a part of #TeamVtas, visit our careers page to explore opportunities.