Corporate Wellness Programs in Dubai
Dubai is a global city and a popular business hub in the Middle East. With so many established companies and startups doing business here, it’s time to talk about the corporate wellness programs that Dubai companies have to offer for the wellbeing of their employees.
Employees spend a significant part of their time in the workplace. Hence, it’s vital to develop effective corporate wellness programs that link wellbeing goals with work-life balance and drive successful business outcomes.
Corporate wellness programs increase employee productivity, reduce stress levels, increase attendance, decrease healthcare costs, enhance communication and teamwork, and attract new talent.
If you’re curious to know more about corporate wellness programs and are eager to start one, this blog post will guide you through creating an effective wellness program.
What are corporate wellness programs?
Corporate wellness programs encourage and support a holistic approach to employee well-being that improves health outcomes while boosting employee engagement, increasing productivity, and optimizing human resource investments.
How do I start a corporate wellness program?
Here are ten steps that will guide you to start a corporate wellness program
Designing an employee wellness program increases the employees’ health, satisfaction, and productivity. It benefits employers by lowering healthcare costs reducing worker compensation and disability-related expenses.
1. Get support from the Leadership management.
Start by getting support from the leadership of your company. Explain the employer benefits, employee benefits, and strategic goals in a presentation. Tailor your presentation to the company mission so the top leadership happily agrees to the wellness venture.
2. Conduct employee assessments
Focussing on the needs of the employees should be the foundation of the program. Conduct surveys and ask employees about their lifestyle and wellness habits. Some employees want specific fitness goals. Others just want to be more active. Getting to the bottom of these needs to increase participation.
3. Form a corporate wellbeing committee
After obtaining all the information, it’s time to form a wellness committee. Choose members from diverse corporate levels and departments. Including human resources, the executive team, the IT department, and the general employees. This core team will help you plan and manage the employee wellness program.
4. Plan a budget for the Corporate Wellness program
Establishing a budget is essential for the successful running of the wellness program. Include the cost of incentives, program design, and marketing. For example, you must consider the program promotion costs, program incentive costs, wellness technology, fees of employee wellness vendors, and the cost of the time your staff takes on program planning.
5. Design wellness program components
The wellness program may range from simple to multi-prong programs. Based on the needs of the employees and the available budget, brainstorm with the wellness committee and systemize a few broad types of corporate wellness programs that may include the following.
- Stress reduction programs
- Weight loss exercise programs
- Health screenings
- Nutrition education
- Behavioral health programs
- Health risk assessments
- Smoking cessation programs
- Health club community building
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction
- Disease prevention
- Education programs
- Dietary Supplement
6. Decide upon the wellbeing program incentives.
Make wellness incorporated into your company culture by offering year-round wellness education. Offer ongoing incentives for employees who prioritize their health and wellbeing. Offer lower costs on employee health insurance premiums, have specific areas for employees to de-stress, host walking and running clubs, and, if possible, have a spot for fitness.
7. Partner with company wellness experts
A corporate wellness program requires the backing up of many wellness experts. Find out the wellness companies in your area that cater to your budget and the wellness program you want to offer.
For example, VIWELL empowers organizations by engaging their employees in corporate sporting events. They provide solutions to team building, corporate social responsibility, wellbeing, sustainability, and brand activation. When you partner with wellness vendors, they help you quickly achieve your desired goal.
8. Develop a written policy
Ensure employee wellness program guidelines and outline everything in the employee handbook before employees enroll in the program. Educate employees by putting up posters and distributing the policies among recruits and employees enrolling in the benefit plans.
9. Roll out the program
Communicating is essential in making the program a grand success. The best way to roll out the workplace wellbeing program is by conducting an onsite wellness fair for employees and their families.
Make this fair a popular event by including a wide variety of interests such as fitness, nutrition, and stress management. Successful marketing of the wellness program also includes the following measures:
- Communicating the message through multiple avenues such as emails and presentations
- Upper management participation
- Repetition of the message
- Communicating through anecdotal situations
- Sustaining the program over several years
- Keeping the program fresh with new information
10. Gather feedback
Collect the feedback from the employees, have discussions with the wellbeing committee and brainstorm ideas required to keep the program attractive.
Collect positive stories from employees who are part of this wellness venture and highlight them. These positive testimonials will attract non-participants to the program and make it a roaring success among employees.
What is an example of a workplace wellness program?
Whether your business is big or small, all businesses benefit from wellness initiatives at work. One of the crucial qualities of a top-notch employer is the quality of their workplace wellness program in recruiting and retaining talent.
Some great examples of workplace wellness programs include the following.
Stress reduction
The American Institute of Stress says that 40 percent of employees reported that their job was highly stressful. Stress can cause high blood pressure, headaches, irritability, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. That’s why stress reduction education is vital in the workplace.
You can host luncheons to educate employees about stress, bring in experts, and conduct stress management seminars. Email employees informational videos about stress and promote a positive work-life balance in your organization.
Team building activities
Team building programs improve employee morale, increase productivity, better communication, improve mental health, physical health, and confidence levels. Also, it enhances creativity, responsibility, trust (Social Science), and respect among employees.
Onsite Physical fitness centers
An onsite fitness center will help employees live healthier lifestyles as exercising increases focus, energy levels, and overall wellbeing. An onsite gym facility supports a healthy work-life balance.
Other wellness programs include
- Smoking cessation programs
- Paramedical services
- Lunch and healthy snacks
- Yoga classes
- Naps
- Employee assistance programs
- Wellness challenges
- Ergonomically designed workplaces
- Wellness adventures
- Corporate social responsibility programs
- Sustainability
What companies have employee wellness programs?
Though many companies offer wellness programs here, we’re listing some companies with epic wellness programs. These companies go above and beyond to promote happiness, health, and productivity, by taking on holistic, engaging, and fun approaches to wellness.
Google offers an all-encompassing wellness program, including physical therapy, physician, massage, and chiropractic services. Likewise, its employees have access to community bikes, fitness centers, and skill-based classes. For example, they can attend cooking classes, coding classes, or even music lessons. Likewise, the micro kitchens and cafes are filled with color-coded nutritious meals and snacks.
Moreover, its employees have access to financial counseling, such as financial planning services and financial advisors. Google employees are offered vacation time, flexible hours, and volunteer time to have a work-life balance. Wow!
Accenture
Accenture offers employee assistance programs that provide private support to substance abuse, stress, depression, and anxiety. They allow employees to set health goals and provide rewards for completing these activities. Also, they offer discounted rates for gyms and fitness centers.
Microsoft
When it comes to health Microsoft pulls all stops. It offers weight management, fitness training, and smoking cessation education and resources. It holds health screening events where employees and their spouses are screened for diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease.
Likewise, Microsoft offers onsite healthcare services, gym memberships, and healthy food options. They also provide free Zumba classes, have onsite walking and running tracks, and volleyball, baseball, and basketball courts.
Companies that have a wellness program and have obtained the effective services of Corporate Sports Wellness coaches include the following.
- Dubai Police
- Amazon
- Emirates
- Du
- Dubai Islamic Bank
- Emirates Airlines
- Saudi German Hospitals UAE
- UAS International Trip Support
- SAP Middle East
- Dubai Customs
- Bayzat
- Mashreq Bank in the United Arab Emirates
How much do companies pay for corporate wellness programs?
Corporate wellness programs are so popular because employers have seen the results of these programs, from employee productivity to cost-saving.
A systemic review of 56 health studies found that corporate wellness programs can lead to a twenty-five percent reduction in healthcare costs, absenteeism, disability management claim cost, and worker’s compensation.
Research conducted by Rand showed the more significant the company, the more likely it’ll be to establish a corporate wellness program. Surveys from the Employee Benefit Advisor found that the total cost of a wellness program is between $150 to $1200 per employee per year.
The price difference is the number of wellness program options the employer wants to include. A survey from United Healthcare found that the lowest ROI was $1 for every dollar spent, and another survey states $4 for every dollar spent on the corporate wellness program. So a successful wellness program improves employee performance and increases the corporate’s financial bottom line.
Take away
At Corporate Sports, we offer sports events, team building, wellbeing, corporate social responsibility, brand activation, and sustainability solutions. Several companies, including Dubai Police, Emirates, and Du, to name a few, have entrusted the wellbeing of their employees to our hands.
We cater to all sizes of businesses, be they small or huge. Our motto remains the same we bring wellbeing to your workplace. If you’re interested, please get in touch with us. Our wellness experts will guide you every step of the way.