Despite the vast majority of UAE businesses (92 per cent) agreed that they want employees to prioritise physical and mental health overwork, most employees don’t believe the support they are offered is good enough
According to Aetna International’s recent Business of Health 2020 report, titled “Tackling polarised perceptions of corporate health and wellness“, only 27 per cent of employees rated the availability of health and wellness benefits as good. The same proportion (26 per cent) actually rated the support provided by their employer as poor.
Even with stress ranking so highly, 51 per cent of UAE workers view support for stress as poor, compared with 13 per cent of employers. These figures are particularly alarming when compared to the global average which found that 38 per cent of employees view support for stress as poor compared to 11 per cent of employers.
Given that 88 per cent of UAE employees went on to indicate that stress could one day impact their ability to work, a perceived lack of support in this area could seriously hamper business effort at both recruitment and retention, as well as an organisation’s future business performance.
Catherine Darroue, senior director of Customer Proposition, EMEA, at Aetna International, said, “A clear gap is emerging in the UAE when it comes to the level of mental and physical health support businesses are providing and the impact this is having on employees. While employers recognise that offering wellness and health support is becoming as vital as policies around holiday time, sick leave and retirement plans, companies need to do more to better understand and meet the needs of workforces.”
Significantly, two thirds (67 per cent) of workers stated that they wouldn’t join a company if it didn’t have a clear policy on supporting those with mental health issues including stress, anxiety or depression, reflecting the priorities of today’s jobseekers.
Catherine concludes, “Employers must ask themselves how they can help their workforce achieve a good quality of life, empowering them to manage any issues that arise over and above offering financial rewards. It’s these social and professional determinants of health that influence employee happiness and well-being, and therefore performance and loyalty. By inspiring individuals to change their habits and giving them the tools to be successful in achieving their goals, organisations will improve their performance and ensure they’re equipped to keep pace with tomorrow’s needs, demands and technology.”
