We all need to take time to rejuvenate from time to time. Looking at the overall involvement and engagement of employees with their work, the Nielsen India HR team felt a strong need to develop a platform that would introduce elements of fun and family to the office curriculum. The credit for starting this initiative goes to Bavan Mathews, who envisioned having a small group of creative enthusiasts cultivate interesting ideas to bring an element of fun to their colleagues. And “HitF5” was born.
The name originated with the F5 button on your computer, which you can use to refresh and reload the page you’re viewing. Thinking along those lines, the HitF5 team began developing small events like indoor sports week, family day, treasure hunts and art and talent competitions that would give the associates an opportunity to break up their day without disrupting the general business of the office and then go back to their duties refreshed and energized.
HitF5 kicked off an office-wide event called the one-minute show, which was a series of simple game tasks that associates would complete in one minute. Cyrus Elavia, chief legal counsel, India Region, launched the event and it received a huge response. From there, the team organized small, high-impact events across all other branches and field offices to engage them all in this newfound energy source.
The team also encourages associates to meet colleagues within different functional groups at the company. HitF5 has been the pulse of Nielsen India for the last five years. It’s grown into something that all Nielsen India associates cherish. Not only does it give them a break from their workdays, it brings them closer together as a team.
HitF5 recently hosted a cricket competition, in which the associates were thrilled to participate.