Pickleball Is Now Part Of The Recruitment Offer

Don't say it out loud lest you jinx it, but corporate India is embracing the active lifestyle.

- Shrenik Avlani

Until recently, "corporate wellness programmes" focused mainly on regular medical check-ups, mental wellness workshops and health insurance cover. Then there was the annual sports day, which usually meant hosting an in-house cricket tournament.

The difference now is that a number of companies are partnering with sports brands to support running, pickleball, obstacle racing and other activities as more India Inc. employees want to participate in such events instead of passively engaging as spectators.

Sometimes, it's an incentive that gives the employee a push; other times it's the employee who pushes the company to bring about the change.

Pulak Chaudhary, 45, the Bengaluru-based director of sales at Puma, started running about a decade ago when his reporting manager promised him a trip to Goa if he completed a half marathon that the brand was sponsoring in under two hours. What started as a bet of sorts has turned into a lifelong passion for building endurance. Chaudhary recently participated in the Hyrox race, an indoor fitness race that combines running and functional workouts in Mumbai, which Puma sponsored.

"The encouragement from your colleagues in the run-up to an event plays a big role in people signing up for activities they wouldn't normally do. Also, when the company takes the initiative to sign you up, it's one hassle less," says Chaudhary.

While cricket remains, by some distance, the most popular sporting activity, other sports such as running, racquet games, football, padel and pickleball are catching on.