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Economic Times
20 hours ago
- Health
- Economic Times
Corporate cafeterias' menus undergo a healthy makeover
A health revolution is silently sweeping India Inc cafeterias as employees become more health conscious spurred by a rising trend of early lifestyle-related diseases. Protein-rich meals, diabetic-friendly/low-GI food, vegan or gluten-free alternatives, homestyle food with less oil and spices, and even 'recovery-focused plates' for fitness buffs are gaining currency. Companies such as Capgemini, Hindustan Unilever, Larsen & Toubro, Accenture, Razorpay, and Myntra say they have initiated steps to promote healthy eating, food literacy, and conscious choices at their workplaces, viewing meals as a strategic input to drive energy, mood, and performance. Corporates are opting for meals with less processed sugar and saturated fat, better hydration options, and those that are nutrient-dense and energising. Some are even setting up employee wellness counters, say food service providers like Compass Group and Rassense. 'There's been a significant rise in clients prioritising healthier food choices. Over 40% of our clients have requested health-centric menu transformations,' said chef Arjyo Banerjee, chief culinary officer at Compass Group India. 'These are built on the belief that small nutritional changes at work can boost employee productivity, improve energy levels, and reduce absenteeism.'Compass Group introduced healthier grain swaps like millets and brown rice; fermented items like kombucha and raita to aid gut health; functional foods such as lemon-infused buttermilk and sprouts, and wellness-led counters. Calorie Information Desserts are whipped up with jaggery, dates, and fruits, while favourites like biryanis, dosas, and pulao are reimagined with millets and quinoa. Technology, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), Global Capability Centres (GCCs), pharmaceuticals, education and consulting — featuring younger, more healthconscious workforces, and largely sedentary job roles — are leading the change. So, one can find calorie information on the food ordering app at Capgemini — it also hosts mindful eating sessions. At Razorpay, Manipal Hospitals' nutritionists and dieticians curate weekly food plans; HUL offers calorielabelled, portion-controlled dishes and personalised dietary counselling. Accenture's Purple Corridors programme promotes wellbeing as a collective responsibility at a team level, while even legacy companies like L&T opened diet-food counters at key office health-related concerns among employees are fuelling the shift. At L&T, annual health checkup data revealed a spike in lifestyle-related conditions such as high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes. To counter this, the engineering and construction conglomerate adopted a holistic, preventive healthcare approach — with nutritious food access playing a critical role, said Dr Divyang Shah, headmedical services & community health centres at L& recent months, cafeteria menus have been enhanced to offer balanced meals prepared with minimal oil — with guidance from internal and external nutrition experts. HUL, through its 'Healthier U' programme, developed in collaboration with the Workforce Nutrition Alliance, rolled out several initiatives to promote balanced eating. These include reducing salt, sugar, and oil intake, and adding local nutrient-dense superfoods. 'Our food courts carry visual nutrition guides and educational signage to encourage informed food choices,' said a HUL spokesperson. These efforts are enhancing employee physical health, evidenced by reported improvements in blood sugar levels, weight management, and hypertension control, according to HUL.'We believe that employee well-being begins with everyday choices—starting with what's on our plates,' noted Vijay Chandramohan, head of corporate real estate services (CRES)-India and APAC at Capgemini. 'By introducing calorie labelling, expanding healthy food options, and offering expert-led sessions on mindful eating, we're empowering people to make informed decisions. This reflects our commitment to a workplace culture rooted in health, awareness, and long-term well-being.' Across companies, employee feedback is playing a key role in shaping food offerings. Razorpay, for instance, has a dedicated food feedback channel on messaging company Slack where employees share suggestions and preferences. These are reviewed by teams and shared with food vendors for implementation wherever feasible.'Several enhancements to our menu have come from employee feedback. For instance, the introduction of healthier evening snacks and add-ons like salads and beans resulted from suggestions raised during town halls and focus group discussions,' said Chitbhanu Nagri, senior vice-president -people operations, online fashion and lifestyle retailer Myntra, the cafeteria offers varied healthy options — from detox water and fresh juices like tulsi-lime and kokum, to salads and seasonal fruits — and continues to evolve based on employee preferences, said Govindraj MK, CHRO.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Corporate cafeterias' menus undergo a healthy makeover
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A health revolution is silently sweeping India Inc cafeterias as employees become more health conscious spurred by a rising trend of early lifestyle-related diseases . Protein-rich meals, diabetic-friendly/low-GI food, vegan or gluten-free alternatives, homestyle food with less oil and spices, and even 'recovery-focused plates' for fitness buffs are gaining such as Capgemini, Hindustan Unilever , Larsen & Toubro, Accenture, Razorpay, and Myntra say they have initiated steps to promote healthy eating , food literacy, and conscious choices at their workplaces, viewing meals as a strategic input to drive energy, mood, and are opting for meals with less processed sugar and saturated fat, better hydration options, and those that are nutrient-dense and energising. Some are even setting up employee wellness counters, say food service providers like Compass Group and Rassense. 'There's been a significant rise in clients prioritising healthier food choices. Over 40% of our clients have requested health-centric menu transformations,' said chef Arjyo Banerjee, chief culinary officer at Compass Group India. 'These are built on the belief that small nutritional changes at work can boost employee productivity, improve energy levels, and reduce absenteeism.'Compass Group introduced healthier grain swaps like millets and brown rice; fermented items like kombucha and raita to aid gut health; functional foods such as lemon-infused buttermilk and sprouts, and wellness-led are whipped up with jaggery, dates, and fruits, while favourites like biryanis, dosas, and pulao are reimagined with millets and quinoa. Technology, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), Global Capability Centres (GCCs), pharmaceuticals, education and consulting — featuring younger, more healthconscious workforces, and largely sedentary job roles — are leading the one can find calorie information on the food ordering app at Capgemini — it also hosts mindful eating sessions. At Razorpay, Manipal Hospitals' nutritionists and dieticians curate weekly food plans; HUL offers calorielabelled, portion-controlled dishes and personalised dietary counselling. Accenture's Purple Corridors programme promotes wellbeing as a collective responsibility at a team level, while even legacy companies like L&T opened diet-food counters at key office health-related concerns among employees are fuelling the shift. At L&T, annual health checkup data revealed a spike in lifestyle-related conditions such as high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes. To counter this, the engineering and construction conglomerate adopted a holistic, preventive healthcare approach — with nutritious food access playing a critical role, said Dr Divyang Shah, headmedical services & community health centres at L& recent months, cafeteria menus have been enhanced to offer balanced meals prepared with minimal oil — with guidance from internal and external nutrition experts. HUL, through its 'Healthier U' programme, developed in collaboration with the Workforce Nutrition Alliance, rolled out several initiatives to promote balanced eating. These include reducing salt, sugar, and oil intake, and adding local nutrient-dense superfoods. 'Our food courts carry visual nutrition guides and educational signage to encourage informed food choices,' said a HUL spokesperson. These efforts are enhancing employee physical health, evidenced by reported improvements in blood sugar levels, weight management, and hypertension control, according to HUL.'We believe that employee well-being begins with everyday choices—starting with what's on our plates,' noted Vijay Chandramohan, head of corporate real estate services (CRES)-India and APAC at Capgemini. 'By introducing calorie labelling, expanding healthy food options, and offering expert-led sessions on mindful eating, we're empowering people to make informed decisions. This reflects our commitment to a workplace culture rooted in health, awareness, and long-term well-being.'feedback is playing a key role in shaping food offerings. Razorpay, for instance, has a dedicated food feedback channel on messaging company Slack where employees share suggestions and preferences. These are reviewed by teams and shared with food vendors for implementation wherever feasible.'Several enhancements to our menu have come from employee feedback. For instance, the introduction of healthier evening snacks and add-ons like salads and beans resulted from suggestions raised during town halls and focus group discussions,' said Chitbhanu Nagri, senior vice-president -people operations, online fashion and lifestyle retailer Myntra, the cafeteria offers varied healthy options — from detox water and fresh juices like tulsi-lime and kokum, to salads and seasonal fruits — and continues to evolve based on employee preferences, said Govindraj MK, CHRO.
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
AI May Be All Around Us, But Our Supply Chains Are Still Manual
Supply chains: a still-untapped AI frontier Nothing is more vulnerable than supply chains – everything and anything can rock them without notice. Tariffs, weather events, political disruptions, economic issues, worker shortages, and epidemics will always disrupt even the smoothest-flowing chains. Let's not even get started on the 2020 Covid toilet-paper crisis. And we're seeing the potential pain Apple is facing with tariffs on its manufacturing operations in China. Could self-managing, autonomous supply chains help companies rapidly adjust to such disruptions? Should they? A new survey of 1,000 C-suite executives out of Accenture says supply chains are the new untamed frontier for artificial intelligence. 'Today, companies operate their supply chains mostly manually,' the Accenture report's co-authors, Max Blanchet, Chris McDivitt, and Stephen Meyer, stated. 'Such supply chains aren't prepared to handle sudden disruption such as the recent tariff announcements.' Of course, no AI can predict political actions or natural disasters. But it can play a role in making it easier to switch off one supply route and switch on another. At this time, few executives in the Accenture's survey currently have autonomy built into their supply chains – the average company's supply chain is only 21% autonomous. 'Few companies use AI to adjust sourcing strategies, reroute logistics and recalibrate inventory positions with minimal human intervention," the report states. Only 25% of companies indicated that autonomous supply chains were a key priority for them. Only a very small fraction, four percent, aspired to reach full autonomy. Advancing autonomy in supply chains is 'held back by concerns like data privacy, poor data quality, immature processes, and low trust in AI.' There are two tall orders for achieving greater autonomy in supply chains. First, start with shattering functional silos, the researchers advise. 'Autonomous decision-making requires unprecedented transparency across functions, processes and dependencies. Without end-to-end visibility, even the most sophisticated AI systems will fail to deliver meaningful value.' Processes also need to be simplified. 'Companies that streamline operations and standardize processes will scale technology faster, adapt more quickly and accelerate AI learning cycles.' We're likely not likely to see significant progress in supply-chain autonomy for at least 10 years, the researchers predict. By then, approximately 40% aspire to achieve a higher degree of autonomy where the system handles most operational decisions. What does an autonomous AI-powered supply chain look like? Current automated systems "follow pre-set instructions and require human oversight – think of the cruise control function in a typical car," the Accenture team explained. 'Autonomous systems include a degree of automation but go beyond it. They are enabled by AI agents that make decisions and perform tasks without human intervention.' Most executives agree that autonomous supply chains can deliver tangible advantages. Survey respondents expect a 5% increase in net income and 7% improvement in return on capital employed. Operationally, companies could slash order lead times by 27%, and boost productivity by 25% Survey respondents believe autonomous supply chains to shorten the time it takes them to react to shocks by at least 62%, and recover from disruption 60% faster compared to today's existing networks. The Accenture team advises business leaders to 'build solid data foundations through a secure digital core, which standardizes platforms and governance frameworks.' Companies should also 'invest strategically in AI-enabling technologies, starting with targeted pilots before scaling proven solutions.' Most importantly, they need to 'restructure how people and technology collaborate, shifting human roles from routine execution to strategic guidance and oversight.'
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
Microsoft layoffs: What CEO Satya Nadella told employees in town hall on layoffs that left 6,000 jobless
Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella has spoken out for the first time following the company's recent decision to cut approximately 6,000 jobs — about three per cent of its global workforce — emphasising that the move was part of a broader internal restructuring and not a reflection of employee performance. Addressing staff during a companywide town hall meeting, Nadella said the layoffs were necessary to realign teams in accordance with Microsoft's evolving priorities, particularly its growing focus on artificial intelligence. He acknowledged the emotional toll of the decision but underscored that it was driven by strategic shifts, not shortcomings in productivity or talent. You may be interested in The job cuts have disproportionately affected engineering roles — a notable development given the traditional perception of these positions as secure. The move highlights a shift in the tech industry, where even product development teams are being reshaped amid the accelerating integration of AI technologies. During the same internal event, executives highlighted Microsoft's significant momentum in selling AI tools to enterprise customers. Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff revealed that British banking giant Barclays has committed to purchasing 100,000 licences for Microsoft Copilot — the company's flagship AI assistant. Althoff also noted that several major global firms, including Accenture, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Siemens, now each have over 100,000 users of Copilot within their organisations. Nadella stressed the importance of tracking how deeply Copilot is embedded across client operations, with Microsoft paying close attention to the proportion of users actively engaging with the tool. At a list price of $30 per user per month, the scale of these contracts suggests annual revenues in the tens of millions of dollars — although actual figures are likely reduced by bulk pricing agreements. The developments reflect Microsoft's pivot toward enterprise AI as a key growth area, even as the company trims its workforce to maintain efficiency and focus.
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
Microsoft layoffs: What CEO Satya Nadella told employees in town hall
Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella has spoken out for the first time following the company's recent decision to cut approximately 6,000 jobs — about three per cent of its global workforce — emphasising that the move was part of a broader internal restructuring and not a reflection of employee performance. Addressing staff during a companywide town hall meeting, Nadella said the layoffs were necessary to realign teams in accordance with Microsoft's evolving priorities, particularly its growing focus on artificial intelligence. He acknowledged the emotional toll of the decision but underscored that it was driven by strategic shifts, not shortcomings in productivity or talent. You may be interested in The job cuts have disproportionately affected engineering roles — a notable development given the traditional perception of these positions as secure. The move highlights a shift in the tech industry, where even product development teams are being reshaped amid the accelerating integration of AI technologies. During the same internal event, executives highlighted Microsoft's significant momentum in selling AI tools to enterprise customers. Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff revealed that British banking giant Barclays has committed to purchasing 100,000 licences for Microsoft Copilot — the company's flagship AI assistant. Althoff also noted that several major global firms, including Accenture, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Siemens, now each have over 100,000 users of Copilot within their organisations. Nadella stressed the importance of tracking how deeply Copilot is embedded across client operations, with Microsoft paying close attention to the proportion of users actively engaging with the tool. At a list price of $30 per user per month, the scale of these contracts suggests annual revenues in the tens of millions of dollars — although actual figures are likely reduced by bulk pricing agreements. The developments reflect Microsoft's pivot toward enterprise AI as a key growth area, even as the company trims its workforce to maintain efficiency and focus. (With inputs from Bloomberg)
