Employee wellbeing is becoming a major focus for organisations, and with firms introducing innovative initiatives to promote happiness, and in turn employee productivity in the workplace, the outcomes, while sometimes unexpected are notably impactful.

With the UAE government announcing initiatives such as the ‘Happiness Agenda’, one key pillar of which involves developing a unique scientific approach to measuring and sustaining happiness, it is no surprise that a large number of companies are increasingly implementing corporate health and wellbeing programs.

Organisations are taking great strides to cultivate a corporate environment that promotes healthy living, fosters creativity and teamwork, while reducing stress and absenteeism. Many have introduced initiatives including free spinning classes, fitness boot camps and in-house massages to counter prevalent issues.

Among the pioneers and champions of employee wellbeing recognized at Daman Corporate Health and Wellness Awards 2019, here are five firms who introduced exceptional health and wellness programmes to increase employee productivity in the workplace.

1 – The Executive Council of Dubai

The Executive Council of Dubai (TEC), a primary decision-making government entity in Dubai, incorporates employee Wellbeing as a priority in the organization’s mission and corporate strategy. TEC unceasingly nurtures a culture that promotes health and creates a strong sense of community within its work environment; encouraging employees to prioritize their health and happiness.

On quarterly basis, TEC provides health check-ups that are free of charge for employees, and urges them to track their check-ups in a dedicated workbook, which will assist them in making the right choices when it comes to their wellbeing. Educational sessions are also provided by TEC to educate employees and promote health literacy in the organisation.

2 – Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is leading the digital transformation of energy management and automation. They have launched a number of policies in accordance with their 2020 People Strategy to promote social and emotional wellbeing at work.

From “Flexibility at Work” principles to extensive education and training on different health and wellness topics, Schneider Electric is committed to ensuring employee wellbeing at work and at home. The senior management are dedicated to promoting a culture that fosters individual and collective wellbeing. To put this in practice, all management at the company are trained in mindfulness and wellbeing to ensure their ability to support their colleagues when needed. All employees are offered “Mindfulness at Work” training, along with in-house yoga, meditation practice sessions and zumba classes. With the implementation of these policies, Schneider Electric will continue to place employee wellbeing at the heart of its people strategy.

3 – Landmark Group

As one of the largest retail and hospitality conglomerates in the Middle East and India, with a growing presence across Southeast Asia and Africa employing over 55,000 people, Landmark Group has taken exceptional initiatives to create an environment which contributes to the emotional wellbeing of its employees.

Landmark Group focused on two main digital initiatives, the first of which involved providing a platform to manage employee grievance effectively, while the second focused on cascading organisation-wide communication. Both of these initiatives were supported by providing free Wi-Fi for all employees in order to make sure that they are able to stay connected at all times.

The Group facilitated an organisation-wide single internal communications platform in partnership with Workplace by Facebook in a further effort to build transparency and create a custom integration on the platform – The confidential and credible Listening Helpdesk, where-in employees can reach out to express their grievances directly through Work Chat, Workplace by Facebook’s chat feature.

4 – Fine Hygienic Holding

Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH) is the first and largest hygienic tissue and diaper producers in the MENA region. Leading the corporate wellness movement, the company’s own CEO, James Michael Lafferty, who is also an Olympic coach, runs fitness classes for company employees himself in their state of the art on-site corporate fitness facility. Leading by example, Lafferty not only trains his employees personally but also takes part in fitness challenges with them for incredible prizes.

The company also offers a range of classes from stress management to dietary counselling and yoga sessions. By recognising that employee wellness does not end with physical fitness, FHH’s offices also have dedicated spaces for employees to rest, relax, meditate and take time out of their busy schedules.

5 – Alpin Limited

As Thought Leaders for sustainability and the built environment, Alpin Limited considers people’s wellbeing as a vital part of what their expertise contributes to. Alpin recently relaunched its entire wellness program, Alpin Healthy, to now include a host of new incentives and features such as offering subsidies for its employees for fitness events and walkathons, or even to buy personal bicycles.

Alpin organizes team-building events like Clean-Up UAE in order to promote team comradery and exercise, as well as to contribute to the communities in which we live. Other exciting additions to Alpin Healthy include new ergonomic office furniture such as adjustable computer screens, desks, and seats, as well as providing organic fruit baskets and a selection of teas to encourage employees to maintain healthy eating habits and keep their energy levels up.

Recognizing that most of their employees spend time indoors, they even focused their efforts on improving indoor air quality. By live-tracking office air quality, they adjust their air filtration system as and when needed. The same efforts are also made towards achieving healthy noise levels as well as impeccable water quality.

Alpin goes beyond the workspace and provides wellness assessments with regular follow-ups organized by local wellness experts in order to help each employee maintain a healthier lifestyle, which all means that the Alpin team is healthier in both mind and body and understands the need to promote the ethos of wellness and sustainable in our society. 

The sixth edition of the Daman Corporate Health and Wellness Awards was held at W Dubai, The Palm. 11 companies were rewarded for prioritising employee health and wellbeing, namely, The Executive Council Dubai, Schneider Electric, Landmark, Fine Hygienic Holding, Alpin Limited, AlMansoori Specialized Engineering, Caesars Bluewaters Dubai, Standard Chartered Bank, Now Health International, Sucden Middle East and In2 Consulting.