In the Asian market, there has been a rise in technology companies that are making it easier for employers to manage employee benefit schemes. Unlike in Australia, where employee benefits programmes are rare due to superannuation and medicare policies, Asian companies see 'corporate perks' as a necessary part of their business' operations.
Rewardz is a Singapore-based startup that focuses on corporate perks management services. The startup has recently launched a new digital corporate fitness platform called Flabuless, which it hopes will motivate users into pursuing healthy lifestyles by getting them to participate in fitness challenges that allow them to receive real-world rewards.
In just under two years, Rewardz has garnered more than 30 clients, including National University Healthcare System (NUHS), Courts, Crocs, Fuji Xerox, Aetos, SPRING Singapore, and the Public Utilities Board (PUB). Rewardz has also received recognition as “Best in Benefit Technology” during the Benefits Asia 2013 Conference.
Motivating employees to live healthier, more active lifestyles is a concept in Asia that is starting to scale fast within the region. In fact Asia's fastest growing business last year was ConnexionsAsia, another tech startup founded by entrepreneur Rosaline Koo which generated more than SG$6 million in revenue within its first 12 months of operation.
Rewardz was co-founded by Nicole Seah and Jaya Maru both who have strong corporate backgrounds and left their careers to make 'perk' redemption easier for Singapore businesses whether they were startups or established corporates.
Like Connexions Asia, Rewardz also works by grouping a large number of companies, that it has negotiated with to obtain the best corporate rates for employees lifestyle essentials such as medical facilities, gym memberships, F&B, travel, enrichment classes and more.
However, the Flabuless product is a clear differentiator that uses elements of gamification to encourage staff participation and competition - something which at its core should help to actually reduce a company's medical costs for its employees as well as boost both morale and productivity, meaning that both staff and the business as a whole is healthier.
According to a JobsCentral survey conducted earlier this year, more than three in five Singaporean workers gain a considerable amount of weight after starting work, with 76% of weight gainers citing a lack of time to exercise due to their busy schedules as the cause.
“There is a growing concern among human resource professionals about hectic or irregular work hours contributing to a lack of an active lifestyle among working adults,” said Rewardz co-founder Nicole Seah.
“With Flabuless, we hope to create a healthy and inclusive company culture, and build a happy, productive workforce.”
Flabuless aims to help companies motivate employees with prizes and perks through fitness events and challenges such as stair-climbing or cycling. Employers can also organise workshops, seminars, health screenings, fitness clinics and cooking demonstrations to drive their company workforce towards active, healthy living.
The online application can also be integrated with popular fitness tracking apps and devices, so users can track their physical activity and earn points on the Flabuless platform to win prizes such as vouchers and monetary rewards. Flabuless also acts as a social networking platform for sharing status updates, photos, healthy recipes and more, and is also integrated into the Rewardz perks ecosystem as well, allowing companies to enjoy corporate benefits provided by Flabuless’s parent program.
Following its successful implementation in the National University Healthcare System (NUHS), who has seen over a thousand participants covering a total of 4360 kilometres through the platform, or 493 times the height of Mount Everest, Nicole sees many other companies following suit in the name of achieving a healthy and productive workforce with happy employees.
“We see systems like Flabuless as a much better long-term solution to human resource healthcare provisions, rather than tweaking traditional employee health benefits,“ said Seah.
“We want to create a win-win scenario for both employer and employee, by helping organisations build a cost-effective, productive work environment through a healthy and active workforce.”
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