More firms join fitness kick

To boost staff attendance and their performance, companies are offering free exercise classes and healthy food.

Omnicom Media employees work out at their office gym in Dubai Media City. Pawan Singh / The National

DUBAI // A growing number of companies are looking at ways to improve the well-being of their staff to improve attendance and performance.

Serving healthy food in canteens, opening in-house gyms and offering incentive schemes and competitions are among the measures that companies adopt to bolster their employees’ health, reduce sick leave and keep company health insurance premiums down.

Mark Carroll, co-founder of health food company Kcal, said he thought human-resource departments were beginning to give that serious consideration.

“The employees aren’t productive if they’re not healthy and absenteeism will reduce if they are,” he said. “It’s a no-brainer but companies have to make it accessible. So many have vending machines with just junk food in them when they could easily offer healthier snacks like nuts which are still easy to store over a period of time.”

Kcal began its corporate health programme a year ago, but it is only in recent months that it has really taken off.

It now has nutritionists, who speak Arabic and English, delivering presentations to staff.

They will soon offer comprehensive body analysis tests, incorporating goal setting and health management, all free to staff. Guillaume Mariole, founder of Ignite, an exercise specialist, has been offering corporate health schemes to companies including DP World, Daman Insurance and PepsiCo since 2007.

Although some firms are knowledgeable about the health of their staff, others have started offering wellness schemes because of surging insurance costs, according to Mr Mariole.

“Living in an expatriate haven like Dubai, it’s very easy to forget the balance of having an active, healthy life,” he said.

“You then have the additional effect of having a sedentary lifestyle for most people during and outside of work. You need a wellness culture within the organisation … encouraging [lifestyle] shifts and … for people to live balanced lifestyles.”

Mr Mariole’s work includes providing health screenings, incentivisation programmes such as in-house competitions, seminars and clinics to identify people at high risk of developing diseases.

“In today’s competitive corporate landscape, companies are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to reduce employee absenteeism and turnover, improve productivity and reduce workers’ compensation claims,” he said.

“An effective corporate wellness programme addresses all these [concerns].”

Omnicom Media Group, which ranked third on last year’s list of the best companies to work for in the UAE, has been offering a range of health and well-being programmes to its staff for five years.

At its Media City offices, there are in-house gyms and entertainment rooms featuring PlayStation games consoles and pool tables to encourage staff to take regular breaks.

Each evening, fitness instructors offer classes in boxing, circuit training and yoga free of charge.

Omnicom also organises clubs for running and football, and free fruit is available all day.

Rabih El Tair, 28, a digital planning manager at Omnicom for four and a half years, manages the running club.

He said the free exercise classes had improved the work environment.

“We can get so consumed with our daily lives and stressful jobs, so it’s good to have time off to exercise with your colleagues and peers, as it gives you motivation to go to the gym,” he said.

“You’re doing something for your body and for your mental stability. I feel healthier and fitter, as we do fitness tests each year. I haven’t been to the doctor in a long time.”

Omnicom recently received Daman’s Company of the Year award for its corporate healthcare initiatives. “It gives the employees a way to vent the stress from work and it encourages a balance between the work culture,” said Farah Mehdi, 27, a social media manager at Omnicom.

“The camaraderie we have here, the moral support when you need it, it’s great.”

Fadi Chamat, who oversees Omnicom’s wellness programmes, said working at the company had helped him to become “the fittest I’ve been in all my life”.

“That’s personally for me a huge achievement,” said the 37-year-old.