Meed, a top business intelligence brand in the Middle East, has announced this year’s finalists of the annual Daman Corporate Health Awards, the only initiative recognising UAE-based organisations for their corporate health initiatives.

“This year’s finalists have shown exceptional commitment to making employee wellness a priority, and they are commended for that.  Here in the UAE, we are just beginning to see this movement gain traction and we hope that by highlighting the achievements of this year’s best entries, they can influence and inspire other organisations to make wellness an integral part of their corporate culture,” says D. Michael Bitzer, chief executive officer, National Health Insurance Company – Daman, headline sponsor of the awards.

In competition for the Workplace of the Year award are four well-known organisations who consider corporate health and employee wellbeing as critical to their performance, productivity and profitability.

“Our ambition and objective is to provide our employees with safe and attractive work environment where they will feel at their best, unleash their creativity & potential and make the most of their energy,” said Shabbir Ali, director of Dubai Regional Distribution Centre, Schneider Electric, one of the finalists.

“We want to ensure that our teams are not afraid of stress because they are trained, they feel safe and happy in Schneider Electric.”

For Roche Diagnostics Middle East, another finalist, its people are its biggest asset, committed to doing their very best work with integrity, courage, and passion.

“Only through highly engaged teams, who are deeply connected to our purpose of 'doing now what patients need next', can we make an impact, think and act boldly and be a part of a global community,” Harald Wolf, general manager, Roche Diagnostics Middle East.

Also competing for the Workplace of the Year award, Saudi German Hospital Dubai (SGHD) believes that achieving work-life balance is an ongoing process and that employee satisfaction is among the management’s top priorities. “We strive to maintain an optimal work-life balance among its employees and has been actively promoting the wellbeing of its workforce in the best possible way,” said Dr Reem Osman, CEO.

Meanwhile, Edris Al Rafi, chief executive officer, Dubai Holding said the company understands that high productivity comes from a healthy body and mind and therefore a workplace that nurtures wellness is of key priority. A natural progression of this culture and vision is manifested in the physical structure of its new Dubai Holding Headquarters built in line with International Well Building Standards.

“Our main objective in designing this first-of-its-kind building in the region was to provide our employees not just a space for wellness events, but an infrastructure that creates more movement and connected spaces for physical wellbeing, facilitate more interaction for social wellbeing as well as more relaxation spaces for emotional wellbeing,” said Al Rafi.

Schneider Electric and Roche Diagnostics Middle East are also being considered for the Daman Award for Biggest Impact, along with Mashreq.

Several other awards are being given across a diverse range of categories in this year’s edition of the Daman Corporate Health Awards.

RAK Hospital, Dubai Airports, Leader Healthcare and Omnicom Media Group Mena have been shortlisted for the CSR Employee Engagement of the Year award; while Study World Higher Education Services, Mashreq, AECOM, Schneider Electric, Dulsco, Dubai Airports, The First Group, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Expo 2020 are competing for the Daman Award for Corporate Health and Wellness Organisation award.

The finalists for the Daman Award for Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative award include Informa, Dulsco, Zulekha Hospitals, National Bank of Fujairah and Gulftainer, which is also competing for the Health & Safety Initiative of the Year award along with HLG Contracting, Dubai Islamic Bank and Khidmah.

“Having a wellness initiative is one thing, however securing the support of the organisation to participate is another. For a programme to be successful, individuals and teams need to manage the programme with passion and commitment to cascade its objectives, benefits and mechanics across the organisation,” said Becky Crayman, programme director, Meed.

Daman Corporate Health Awards is giving away the Corporate Wellness Leader of the Year award and this year’s finalists are Patricio Rivera (Al Hosn Gas), His Excellency Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair (Mashreq) and Glenn Saldanha (Dubai Airports).

The Corporate Wellness Professional of the Year award shortlist includes Clare Patterson (Haddins Fitness) and Dr Ayesha Mussabah Al Memari (Mafraq Hospital); while the Corporate Wellness Team of the Year award is being contested by Dubai Airport Freezone, Mashreq, Dubai Airports and Mafraq Hospital.

Meanwhile, Advantage Sports Services, Beyond Nutrition Health and Wellness Service, DUPLAYS, Eternity, Haddins Fitness, Arabian Wellness, Ignite Fitness and Wellness and Flabuless have been shortlisted for the Corporate Wellness Partner of the Year award.

Organisations that have shown creativity and achieved high impact results in communicating their wellness initiatives will also be recognised through the Communications Campaign of the Year category with Dubai Holding and Mashreq as finalists.

A total of 48 companies, individuals and teams will now move on to the final round of judging to determine this year’s winners of the Daman Corporate Health Awards. The winners will be recognised on October 25 at the Westin Mina Seyahi, Dubai. – TradeArabia News Service