Investing time in employee wellness programs is a key factor in supporting sustainable business growth, UAE business leaders surveyed by MEED revealed. Employee wellness programs are described by regional CEOs as essential to retaining the best talent and maintaining a loyal workforce, but they say picking the right initiative is more important than the level of investment. "Employee engagement through a wellness program will benefit the company as much as it will the employees," said National Health Insurance Company – Daman CEO Dr. Michael Bitzer. "The fitter they are, the more energetic they become; the healthier they are, the less sick leaves they will take. Also, the better they feel, the more motivated they will be. All of this translates to increased productivity in the work place." The MEED survey was conducted to coincide with the call for entrants for the 2016 Daman Corporate Health Awards, which recognizes the best employers in the UAE for their commitment and success in corporate health and wellness. The deadline for entries for 11 awards categories was on May 19. "Many organizations feel the need to cut all budgets when things are tight, including budgets on employee engagement programs," said Nour Suliman, Middle East and North Africa (Mena) CEO at logistics group DHL Express. "But the only way you guarantee talents stay loyal and work hard to help us grow is if you continue to invest in their development, and improvement of their work conditions wherever required." DHL Express was the winner of the Workplace of the Year Award in the 2015 Daman Corporate Health Awards. "Doing it right is more important than heavily investing in wellness programs," said Fadel Al Ali, CEO of investment group Dubai Holding. "The key thing is making sure employees are engaged and collectively create or sustain a culture of wellness." "What really mobilizes them to adopt healthier lifestyles is when they see top management leading by example," added Al Ali. Well-thought out programs achieve measurable results and there is plenty of research proving the business case for investing in employee health, Dubai Holding told the survey. Employees are more likely to produce higher quality work and are less likely to get sick, change jobs and will recover from illness more quickly. Al Ali says wellness initiatives will "ultimately impact the bottom line." Marcos Bish, Managing Director of interiors group Summertown Interiors, member of the awards judging panel and winner of the CSR Employee Engagement of the Year Award 2014, said wellness programs do not require a massive amount of investment, with simple planned activities throughout the year. "Companies that implement an effective wellness program will quickly see the benefits, from a boost in team morale, to overall productivity and effectiveness in the workplace," said Bish. "It is important for companies to thoroughly research how best to install a wellness program that is efficient, smart, scalable and goal-oriented for its employees – each company will have a different strategy." Bish suggested companies send monthly newsletters to employees about various health and wellbeing topics such as stress management, the importance of exercise and getting enough sleep. "At a time when the entire region is seeking ways to improve efficiency and productivity, employee wellness is arguably the most important opportunity to drive change," said MEED Editorial Director Richard Thompson. "Investing in employee wellness will boost morale, loyalty and productivity." All the business leaders surveyed stressed that it was important for each company to find a wellness program that meets its individual needs. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. DHL's Suliman said: "The first place they need to start is to listen to their people, and identify the areas of improvement. Develop a program with a clear deadline that targets these areas of improvement and make sure this program has legs for the future; and that to me is the point that many seem to miss."
