Dubai education regulator staff encouraged to lead a healthier lifestyle

With facilities including a standing-only meeting room, nutrition workshops and a yoga room to use during lunchtimes, KHDA is trying to set itself apart by giving incentives to its workers to lead healthier lives.

Employees engage in a session of yoga at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai Academic City. Sarah Dea / The National

DUBAI // Whether being given time off to do volunteer work abroad or allowed to leave early to train for local sporting events, staff at Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority are being given all the support they need to lead a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.

With facilities including a standing only meeting room, nutrition workshops and a yoga room to use during lunchtimes, the government department is trying to set itself apart by giving incentives to its 350 workers to lead healthier lives. There is even fresh fruit available for staff who miss meal times due to their busy schedules.

Now bosses are hoping this support will be reflected in staff happiness levels, productivity and lack of sick days off work.

“We spend more hours in this organisation than we do at home so we have to ensure the time spent here caters for healthy habits,” said Hind Al Mualla, head of staff engagement.

“We do surveys to ensure we listen to staff feedback. They say they feel more productive and happy.”

Groups are regularly given time off to carry out voluntary work both at home and abroad all with an educational focus, which is seen as aiding their personal and professional development.

The most recent trip saw a group visit a school in Nepal where they helped take lessons and train teachers.

“For the young Emiratis, this is very important for them to leave here and see how things are abroad,” Ms Al Mualla. “The Emiratis are privileged so we thought yes, they can volunteer here in the UAE but it’s completely different when they go to one of the poorest countries and see how life is there. It was an objective to get them to see how things are elsewhere. They realise they take things for granted.”

Fatima Al Nasr, who works in the KHDA’s partnership and strategy department, was one of those who travelled to Nepal for five days.

“We saw how little these children had, but how much they do with what they have,” said the 28-year-old Emirati. “The school didn’t even have electricity and things like paper and colouring papers were scarce but the children’s passion for learning was exciting to see.

“I realised it was a privilege to have this opportunity as part of our training. These opportunities are one of the best things about working for the KHDA.”

Not only did she learn a great deal from the trip, but personally she felt inspired.

“I came back feeling more motivated in my job. I wanted to do more with the kids.”

Alanood Al Feel, a marketing manager, was recently allowed to leave work early each day to train for the Sheikha Hind Sports Tournament for Women.

The basketball player said being given the time she needed to compete helped to reignite her passion for sports as well as benefiting in other ways.

“For those of us who knew how to play basketball it was good to get that competitive spirit back, but it’s also great for team building and leadership skills, to teach those who aren’t familiar with the game,” said the 29-year-old Saudi-American

“In the one year I’ve been here there’s been a big change,” said Sarah Cowell, a personal trainer and the KHDA’s in-house co-ordinator for sporting and wellness events.

“When I first spoke to people they didn’t really know what exercise was. People want to exercise now, they want to know how to exercise and understand the benefits of exercise, not just weight loss but making them look and feel better, not have as many sick days from work. Looking across the board, there’s been a marked difference.”

Ms Al Feel agrees: “People are happier because we’re eating better, you can see there’s more energy in people. The opportunities we have for things like this gets paid back by people’s appreciation and in the quality of their work.”

Ms Al Feel is now planning to volunteer at a school in Indonesia in June with a group of colleagues. “It makes you happy to be here. This package is very hard to beat.”