A Unique Way to Keep Employees Fit and Happy

Pankaj Malani (with ball) joined employees in a quick game of basketball.

Pankaj Malani (with ball) joined employees in a quick game of basketball.

By Jawahar Malhotra

SUGAR LAND: A home grown Indian company took the oft quoted phrase “the employees that work together, stick together” to a higher plane this past week by adding “who stay fit together, are happy together” to it through a change that delighted the surprised employees who had no idea of the new facility until it was opened.

“We wanted to build something on-site to promote physical fitness, camaraderie and teamwork in the office,” said Pankaj Malani, Vice President of Operations at the Unique Group of Companies after the ribbon cutting for the opening of the brand outdoor court that can be converted for use to play basketball, volleyball, mini-tennis, soccer, badminton or floor hockey.

On opening day, from left, Pankaj Malani, Pradeep Gupta and Jugal Malani cut the ribbon on the fenced in court.

On opening day, from left, Pankaj Malani, Pradeep Gupta and Jugal Malani cut the ribbon on the fenced in court.

“Many of our warehouse guys play soccer at lunchtime so now this gives them a better area to play,” added Malani who is a big sports enthusiast himself. “Many of our office staff is into sports and we found this court area will mix people from different departments in teams and help build better relationships and communication in the office.”

Unique Industrial Products, the core company in the group, was founded in 1997 by Jugal Malani (Pankaj’s father) and Pradeep Gupta and has rapidly made it’s mark as wholesalers of hydronics or plumbing and heating equipment and supplies. It is located in a large building with attached warehouses off Diary Ashford just south of West Bellfort in Sugar Land and employs 150 people.

So it seemed like a natural fit to use the space between the buildings for a fenced in outdoor court to allow people to work off their stress and get some exercise too. The interconnecting blue plastic floor tiles are made by Snapsports and the court was installed by Athletic Design Group, with two basketball posts on either side. On opening day, the court was crowded with employees playing a quick game of pick-up basketball – with Pankaj playing on one team.

The outdoor court can easily be converted to play volleyball too

The outdoor court can easily be converted to play volleyball too

The company has plans to convert a 3,000 sf space inside the building into a recreational and fitness area for ping pong, yoga classes and gym equipment. “Many office jobs engender a sedentary lifestyle,” said Pankaj of the plans, “We want people to be active, healthy and energetic and hope this helps by providing a good release of stress and to re-energize the body.”

There are future plans to add lights, a scoreboard and a cover to the outdoor courts and maybe even add a trailer with a locker room. The company intends to open the facility up to charities looking for a place to host tournaments and other events.