AIA Insurance encourages Sri Lankan employees to eat healthy 

AIA Insurance has extended its ‘Healthy Cook-Off’ competition to external corporates following the flaming success of the internal competition. The ‘Cook-Off’ is part of the broader ‘Little Changes Challenge’ (LCC) launched by AIA to encourage people to make little changes that can make a big difference.

The Cook-Off, which was organized just before the COVID-19 crisis occurred, was especially for the staff at HealthRecon Connect and saw the participation of 10 teams with six ‘chefs’ per team, sweating it out to whip up some fresh and healthy meals, which were judged by renowned local Chef Chathurika Anuradha. Winning teams not only savoured the glory of being the best cooks in the office but also won valuable gift vouchers, AIA said in a media release. 

The competition was intended at reminding employees about the importance of nutritious food. HealthRecon and AIA wanted to emphasize the point that despite busy schedules there are many ways to find healthy, tasty ways of meal preparation. It made participants innovate, collaborate and create, not only building a sense of team spirit but also encouraging the creation of healthy recipes, which they took home to their families, the release said.  
AIA’s Head of Marketing, Shevanthie De Alwis pointed out, “results from our Healthiest Workplace Survey show that Sri Lankan employees can do much better in terms of eating healthier. 2019 results that surveyed 47 companies with a combined workforce of 2,137 employees saw a staggering 89% of respondents admit to not eating a healthy diet. Overall, it was found that 100% of employees are at risk of at least one nutritional element, which is surveyed by the amount of fruits and vegetables, whole grain and added salt in their diets. For example, we found that many people didn’t consume enough fruits and vegetables and had too much added salt. That is why we organize these ‘Healthy Cook-Offs’ to show employees how to make a healthy meal in a quick and fun manner. We were also delighted to see the great enthusiasm and engagement from the team members of HealthRecon Connect.” 

CEO of HealthRecon Denver Fernando commented, “this was a first of its kind, engaging activity carried out by AIA for our staff and it was immensely effective in helping our employees strengthen their belief in the importance of making healthy lifestyle decisions. It was a fantastic event that created a sense of excitement and team spirit while also giving them the opportunity to be creative. Hats off to the AIA team and I look forward to their next activity.”

The AIA Healthiest Workplace Survey, now in Sri Lanka for the 2nd consecutive year, is a pioneering science-backed workplace survey that examines employee lifestyle, clinical indicators, stress and mental health, to understand the associated impact on wellbeing and productivity.