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Dr Bitzer ... health is key to productivity.

Wellness drive boosts productivity in UAE firms

DUBAI, September 6, 2015

Leading companies across the UAE are reporting significant increases in staff productivity thanks to the adoption of a range of wellness initiatives to employees promoting healthier lifestyles, a report said.

The initiatives include wellness communication and education, fitness classes, stress management, and events promoting health and wellness, among others.

Dubai Holding, DHL Express and AlMansoori Specialised Engineering have reported positive business outcomes as a result of these initiatives. They form part of the select group of finalists for the 2015 Daman Corporate Health Awards, organised by Meed.

Dubai Holding was one of the first organisations in the UAE to formalise a comprehensive corporate wellness programme. The company believes that the workplace is an important platform to adopt a healthier lifestyle and is committed to supporting employees as they strive to be healthier and fitter.

Cedric Betis, chairman of Dubai Holding Wellness Committee, said: “Wellness constitutes an important pillar of Dubai Holding’s work environment and we have succeeded in building a workplace that is conducive to wellness and productivity. We motivate employees to extend healthy practices beyond office to family and friends, contributing to a healthier and fitter community. We are proud to continuously field the largest corporate contingent at ‘Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon’, ‘Dubai Holding Women’s Run’ and the ‘Dubai Holding Vertical Marathon’.”

“These events bring about a sense of excitement and achievement, encouraging employees to challenge their limits. Through sponsorship and participation in such key sporting events, Dubai Holding is giving employees the unique opportunity to run alongside record-breaking athletes and partake in world -class sporting events while building a culture of wellbeing.”

“We recognize that different people are motivated by different things and with over 1,000 UAE employees in diverse roles, we understand those drivers and create the environment and engagement for people to have a healthier lifestyle,” said Anu Daga, head of HR, DHL Express.

The company has dedicated half of an entire floor in its Dubai office to a fully equipped fitness centre (with free Zumba and yoga classes), recreation rooms, cafeteria (offering healthy salads and food) and relaxation zones. Other activities include regular health check-ups, encouraging the habit of reviewing vital statistics, health lecturers, sponsoring sports clubs, financial wellness awareness sessions, monthly health newsletters, quizzes and rewards.  The approach is holistic and focuses on long term employee wellness and creating a great workplace.

The results have so far been impressive - year on year DHL Express’s sickness rates for the last three years is at 0.01 per cent and overall injuries rate decreased by 46 per cent, well below market. Overtime has been reduced to practically zero in most functions reinforcing the importance of work life balance.

“Our experience has shown that healthier employees are in a much better position to contribute more significantly to the overall success of the company. productivity wise, a healthy person is likely to perform better, benefitting from increased energy levels and lowering the chances of illness. For the organisation, greater productivity per capita means greater productivity overall,” says Dr Michael Bitzer, CEO, National Health Insurance Company-Daman.

“We congratulate the companies who have been selected as finalists for the 2015 Daman Corporate Health Awards, a project we are proud to support because we strongly believe it is important to recognise workplace programmes that promote corporate health and support employee wellbeing.” – TradeArabia News Service




Tags: Daman | Health |

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