Investing in employee wellness programmes is key to driving profitability and growth amid challenging business times, say some of the region’s top business leaders.

A survey by media firm Meed found that most of the CEOs interviewed agreed that employee wellness programmes are essential to retaining the best talent and maintaining a loyal workforce. However, they say that picking the right initiative is more important than the level of investment.

The survey was done as part of the call for entry initiatives of the 2016 Daman Corporate Health Awards, which recognise the best employers in the UAE for their commitment and success in corporate health and wellness.

“Employee engagement through a wellness programme will benefit the company as much as it will the employees,” said Dr Michael Bitzer, CEO of National Health Insurance Company, Daman. “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.”

“Many organisations feel the need to cut all budgets when things are tight, including budgets on employee engagement programmes,” said Nour Suliman, Middle East and North Africa (Mena) CEO at logistics group DHL Express. “But the only way you guarantee that 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.

Well-thought out programmes achieve measurable results and there is plenty of research proving the business case for investing in employee health, according to Dubai Holding, which picked up the awards for Corporate Health and Wellness Organisation, and Corporate Wellness Team of the Year at the 2015 Daman Corporate Health Awards.

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, suggested that companies send monthly newsletters to employees about various health and wellbeing topics such as stress management, the importance of exercise and getting enough sleep.

All the business leaders surveyed stressed that it was important for each company to find a wellness programme that meets its individual needs. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

“The first place they need to start is to listen to their people, and identify the areas of improvement. Develop a programme with a clear deadline that targets these areas of improvement and make sure this programme has legs for the future; and that to me is the point that many seem to miss,” concluded Suliman. –TradeArabia News Service