Latest news with #Body
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
India becomes chair of Asian Productivity Organization for 2025–26: Govt
India has formally assumed the chairmanship of the Asian Productivity Organization ( APO ) for the 2025–26 term during a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, the commerce and industry ministry said Wednesday. Tokyo-based APO is an intergovernmental body that promotes productivity enhancement across the Asia-Pacific region through mutual cooperation and capacity building. It has 21 members at present. India, led by Amardeep Singh Bhatia , secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade ( DPIIT ) emphasised the importance of regional collaboration in driving digital transformation, sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurship at the Governing Body Meeting of the APO, being held from May 20–22 in Jakarta, the ministry said in a statement. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Moose Approaches Girl At Bus Stop In Jawa Tengah - Watch What Happens Happy in Shape Undo 'Each year, over 100 Indian professionals participate in APO-led capacity-building initiatives through the National Productivity Council (NPC) under DPIIT,' the ministry said. As per the statement, these programmes contribute 'significantly to productivity improvements in India's industrial, services, and agricultural sectors'. Live Events Several demonstration projects, including those focused on Green Productivity and Industry 4.0 applications for MSMEs, have also been implemented across the country. The Governing Body is the APO's highest decision-making authority and meets annually to set the organization's strategic direction, approve major proposals, and review Secretariat performance.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Guardian Report: Americans point to physical and mental health as most important to well-being, but poor financial health prevents them from achieving wellness goals
Guardian's annual Mind, Body, and Wallet® report finds self-reported financial health is at a 14-year low, impacting Americans' abilities to focus on living a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life NEW YORK, May 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual Mind, Body, and Wallet® report from The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian) reveals that Americans are largely united when it comes to how they define well-being. Across generations, genders, income, and education levels, mental and physical health top the list of the most important influences on wellness. According to the report, the vast majority of U.S. adults (93%) rate their physical and mental health as "essential" or "very important" to their well-being. When asked about what else is most important to their well-being, safety and security (87%) and healthy relationships (84%) rounded out the top three factors. Essential to their mental, physical, and overall well-being is financial health. This connection is often overlooked, however, and many Americans report struggling with their financial wellness. According to the report, just 30% of U.S. adults report good financial health, the lowest in the report's 14-year history and down from 44% in 2022. Driving this financial stress is retirement planning. For the first time, retirement-related challenges topped the list of financial concerns keeping Americans up at night, including having a source of guaranteed income in retirement (46%), having retirement savings last as long as needed (44%), and being able to count on receiving full Social Security benefits in retirement (43%). Further, 73% of adults said they haven't saved enough for retirement and 69% regret not starting to save sooner. "Creating better financial habits allows Americans to focus on the aspects of well-being that matter most to them," said Andrew McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Guardian. "Financial wellness is not just about building wealth. It's about lowering stress and freeing up time to attend to physical and mental needs and goals, which can improve overall well-being." Other key findings from the annual report of 2,000 full-time working Americans include: While money doesn't define well-being, financial stress can take a toll. Just over half of Americans (51%) report "money and finance" as their top source of stress. 43% of Gen X adults self-report low financial health, the lowest among all generations. Less than half (42%) of Americans are confident they know how much money they'll need to live comfortably in retirement. Only 32% of adults say they're good about setting up and sticking to a long-term financial plan. Americans are working to improve their mental health, but many continue to struggle. 40% of U.S. adults have experienced increased anxiety or depression in the past two years—up from 24% in 2024. 73% of Gen Z say they feel lonely some or all of the time. 15% of Millennials struggle with addiction or substance misuse, impacting both their mental and physical health. By comparison, 3% of Baby Boomers and 8% of Gen X report struggles with addiction. Many are turning to spirituality for support, with 74% of Americans who report high overall well-being saying spiritual health is important. Physical health is valued, but symptoms suggest many Americans aren't well. Close to half of U.S. adults (49%) say they've skipped or avoided doctors' appointments, missed routine screenings, or put off seeing a specialist because of high out-of-pocket medical costs. Many Americans struggle with healthy habits, with just 35% saying they maintain a healthy weight, 31% noting they eat healthily, and 31% reporting they get enough exercise. For more information about Guardian's Mind, Body, and Wallet report and additional insights into the state of individuals' well-being, please visit our website. For mediamediarelations@ About GuardianGuardian makes a difference in the lives of people when they need us most. With 165 years of stability and fiscal integrity, we are a trusted resource to generations of families and business owners, inspiring well-being and helping build financial confidence. Today, we stand behind millions of consumers, helping them prepare and plan for a bright future for themselves and their families. We help business owners care for their employees. And we help people recover and thrive in times of unexpected loss. As a modern mutual insurance company, we believe in driving value beyond dividends. We invest in our colleagues, are building an inclusive and innovative culture, and are helping to uplift communities through thoughtful corporate impact programs. Guardian, which is based in New York City, is a leading provider of life, disability, dental, and other benefits, and has received accolades for its culture and service. Our colleagues and financial professionals serve with care and experience, and our commitments rest on a strong financial foundation, which included a 2025 dividend allocation of $1.6 billion – the largest in the company's history. For more information, visit or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. DisclaimerDividends are not guaranteed. They are declared annually by Guardian's Board of Directors. The total dividend calculation includes mortality experience and expense management as well as investment results. All guarantees are backed by the strength and claims paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Financial information concerning Guardian as of December 31, 2024, on a statutory basis: Admitted assets = $86.8 billion; liabilities = $77.5 billion (including $60.7 billion of reserves); and surplus = $9.3 billion. ©2025 The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Guardian Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Times
13-05-2025
- Health
- Times
Three ways to ease neck pain
According to Nice (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), up to 70 per cent of us will experience neck pain at some time in our lives, with prevalence peaking during middle age. Poor posture — while looking at your phone or laptop, for example — and anxiety are often underlying causes of neck tension and gentle daily stretches can help. 'Make sure you perform any neck stretches slowly and smoothly,' says the osteopath James Davies, author of Body. 'If they cause pain or make the muscle tension worse, you need to stop immediately and seek medical advice.' Davies suggests using a tennis ball to massage your neck muscles. Place the ball between the back of your neck and the wall. 'Position the ball
Scoop
09-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Inside The New Office Building Tauranga City Council Is Paying $91.9m To Lease
Tauranga City Council's chief executive has defended the $91.9 million, 15-year cost to lease its new building, saying this enables the council to adapt to a changing workforce. The council's 1000 or so administration staff have started moving into the eight-storey eco-building at 90 Devonport Rd in Tauranga's CBD. It is the first time the staff would be under the same roof since 2014, when black mould was discovered in the now-demolished Willow St civic administration building. The lease has an annual rent of $6,129,511 plus $313,352 for 65 carparks. The council is leasing the building from Willis Bond, having sold the property developers the land in 2021 for $8.5 million. Council chief executive Marty Grenfell said he was looking forward to having all the staff together and the collective culture it would bring. He was asked if the council had considered owning and constructing the building itself at potentially a lower cost than the lease. Grenfell said: "Owning and managing a building of this nature is not necessarily our [the council's] core business." The lease of 15 years, plus three five-year extensions, would enable the council to cater to the needs of staff in 20 to 30 years' time, he said. "Over that time, it's likely that the needs of office space changes. Otherwise, we're stuck with bricks and mortar." Grenfell said the fit-out cost of $33.5m over 30 years for the building was a "very modest spend and complete value for money". The council had calculated the cost of staff time walking between the old leased staff buildings at $1m a year, Grenfell said. "Arguably, over the period of time, the fit-out cost would be paid for by productivity." Stepping inside Local Democracy Reporting toured the building ahead of staff moving in. The full glass façade is softened as you step inside, with huge pine structural beams bringing nature indoors. The $45m building is the country's largest mass timber office, with more than 2000 tonnes of New Zealand timber. Built by LT McGuinness, it has a 6 Green Star Design rating and features rainwater harvesting, electric vehicle charging and facilities that encourage active commuting. LT McGuinness project director Craig Body said not damaging the timber elements during construction was challenging at times. "This was a finished product right from day one, so everybody had to treat it like a piece of skirting or a piece of scotia [moulding]." Body said the use of timber cut down noise - screws in wood rather than drilling into concrete. Prefabricated timber sped up construction and six people put in the structural elements, he said. Steel frames seismically connected the timber structure to the ground, making it a hybrid building, Body said. The first floor has council meeting chambers and a councillors' lounge. A cafe would lease ground floor space and be open to the public, with outdoor dining. Natural inspiration Warren and Mahoney principal architect Asha Page designed the $33.5m interior fit-out, which included meeting rooms, offices, flooring finishes, electrical, digital and IT. She said level two was her favourite floor because it felt like you were in the pōhutukawa tree growing on the harbour side of the building. The tree inspired the interior colour palette, earth tones mirroring the trunk on lower floors, then blue to represent the harbour, green like the leaves, with the top floors red like pōhutukawa in bloom, said Page. The pōhutukawa was also a sacred symbol of the past, present and future for mana whenua, she said. The wooden interior features are broken up with soft furnishings, carpets and greenery. Page said they had reused as much furniture and fittings as possible from the other buildings. An internal wood staircase aimed to encourage connection between people, getting them out of their seats rather than using the elevator, Page said. "Humans will easily walk up or down one or two flights of stairs, so you really start to see the workplace as a whole building, not just as where you sit on one floor, siloed with your team. "It's a tried-and-true method of creating a really vibrant or connected workforce." Page said staff had been spread across three buildings, so they wanted to maximise the ability for people to come together. It also tied into one of the building's design principles - taura here - binding people so they're stronger together, she said. Between 600 and 700 people would work in the building on any given day. Level five was the "anchor floor" with the kitchen, seating and an events area. The top floor houses the mayor's office, which has views of Mauao and the Kaimai range. The smaller deputy mayor's office next door shared the Mauao view. Māori design principles The values used to design the building were developed with mana whenua, Ngāti Tapu and Ngāi Tamarāwaho hapu, said council te pou ahurea cultural adviser Josh Te Kani. Te Papa houkura and Te Papa manawa whenua, referencing the fertile land and springs of the Te Papa peninsula, were about keeping the environment healthy. The other two were Te Papa o ngā waka, meaning people could find safe anchorage, and Te Papa kāinga o te iwi - the home of the people. "It's not just creating a building but creating a living environment where those values can be living alongside of us and grow with us." Council staff are to be fully moved into the building by Monday next week. The first council meeting is to be held in the new chambers on Tuesday.
NZ Herald
08-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Inside new office building Tauranga City Council is paying $91.9m to lease
The council is leasing the building from Willis Bond, having sold the property developers the land in 2021 for $8.5 million. Council chief executive Marty Grenfell said he was looking forward to having all the staff together and the collective culture it would bring. He was asked if the council had considered owning and constructing the building itself at potentially a lower cost than the lease. Grenfell said: 'Owning and managing a building of this nature is not necessarily our [the council's] core business.' The lease of 15 years, plus three five-year extensions, would enable the council to cater to the needs of staff in 20 to 30 years' time, he said. 'Over that time, it's likely that the needs of office space changes. 'Otherwise, we're stuck with bricks and mortar.' Grenfell said the fit-out cost of $33.5m over 30 years for the building was a 'very modest spend and complete value for money'. The council had calculated the cost of staff time walking between the old leased staff buildings at $1m a year, Grenfell said. 'Arguably, over the period of time, the fit-out cost would be paid for by productivity.' Stepping inside Local Democracy Reporting toured the building ahead of staff moving in. The full glass façade is softened as you step inside, with huge pine structural beams bringing nature indoors. The $45m building is the country's largest mass timber office, with more than 2000 tonnes of New Zealand timber. Built by LT McGuinness, it has a 6 Green Star Design rating and features rainwater harvesting, electric vehicle charging and facilities that encourage active commuting. LT McGuinness project director Craig Body said not damaging the timber elements during construction was challenging at times. 'This was a finished product right from day one, so everybody had to treat it like a piece of skirting or a piece of scotia [moulding].' Body said the use of timber cut down noise – screws in wood rather than drilling into concrete. Prefabricated timber sped up construction and six people put in the structural elements, he said. Steel frames seismically connected the timber structure to the ground, making it a hybrid building, Body said. The first floor has council meeting chambers and a councillors' lounge. A cafe would lease ground floor space and be open to the public, with outdoor dining. Natural inspiration Warren and Mahoney principal architect Asha Page designed the $33.5m interior fit-out, which included meeting rooms, offices, flooring finishes, electrical, digital and IT. She said level two was her favourite floor because it felt like you were in the pōhutukawa tree growing on the harbour side of the building. The tree inspired the interior colour palette, earth tones mirroring the trunk on lower floors, then blue to represent the harbour, green like the leaves, with the top floors red like pōhutukawa in bloom, said Page. The pōhutukawa was also a sacred symbol of the past, present and future for mana whenua, she said. The Lockwood-esque wooden interior features are broken up with soft furnishings, carpets and greenery. Page said they had reused as much furniture and fittings as possible from the other buildings. An internal wood staircase aimed to encourage connection between people, getting them out of their seats rather than using the elevator, Page said. 'Humans will easily walk up or down one or two flights of stairs, so you really start to see the workplace as a whole building, not just as where you sit on one floor, siloed with your team. 'It's a tried-and-true method of creating a really vibrant or connected workforce.' Page said staff had been spread across three buildings, so they wanted to maximise the ability for people to come together. It also tied into one of the building's design principles – taura here – binding people so they're stronger together, she said. Between 600 and 700 people would work in the building on any given day. Level five was the 'anchor floor' with the kitchen, seating and an events area. The top floor houses the mayor's office, which has views of Mauao and the Kaimai range. The smaller deputy mayor's office next door shared the Mauao view. Māori design principles The values used to design the building were developed with mana whenua, Ngāti Tapu and Ngāi Tamarāwaho hapu, said council te pou ahurea cultural adviser Josh Te Kani. Te Papa houkura and Te Papa manawa whenua, referencing the fertile land and springs of the Te Papa peninsula, were about keeping the environment healthy. The other two were Te Papa o ngā waka, meaning people could find safe anchorage, and Te Papa kāinga o te iwi – the home of the people. 'It's not just creating a building but creating a living environment where those values can be living alongside of us and grow with us.' Council staff are to be fully moved into the building by Monday The first council meeting is to be held in the new chambers on Tuesday.
