UAE employers need to move beyond treating employee wellbeing as a “soft HR” issue and recognise workforce health as a long-term business investment linked to productivity, engagement, innovation and organisational performance, HR and wellbeing leaders said.
Speaking at the Future of the Workforce Summit in Dubai, experts discussed the need for organisations to take a broader approach to workforce health, covering physical and mental wellbeing, workplace policies, leadership practices and the wider working environment.
During a session, Dr Mansoor Habib, Head of Employee Wellbeing at du, said organisations need to view employees as their “true capital” rather than treating wellbeing as an optional initiative.
He cited the example of an employee who suffered a stroke and was fully paralysed but returned to work after seven months. The company modified his job description, reduced his working hours and conducted a return-to-work fitness assessment from an occupational health perspective.
“Fourteen years later, the employee remains with the company,” Habib said, highlighting the potential impact of sustained organisational support on employee retention and recovery.
Presenteeism is an early warning signal
The discussion also highlighted the need to look beyond absenteeism when assessing workforce health.
Ruediger Heim, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Albatha Group, said presenteeism, where employees are physically at work but affected by stress, distress or burnout, can have consequences for productivity, decision-making, innovation and workplace safety.
“People may be present physically at work, but mentally they are not there. They are distressed. They burn out,” Heim said.
He argued that organisations need to identify early warning signals rather than relying solely on traditional attendance measures. Absenteeism, engagement, turnover, grievances and workplace accidents can collectively provide indications of underlying workforce health and presenteeism, he said.
The issue, Heim added, should not be dismissed as a “soft HR topic” because of its links to productivity and performance.
Employee health requires a longer-term approach
Carole Khalife, General Manager at S&G, Willis Towers Watson, said organisations should view their workforce as a long-term investment and make employee health part of that investment.
“It is no longer just a personal issue,” she said, pointing to the potential impact of employee health on productivity, presenteeism and absenteeism.
Khalife also stressed the importance of confidentiality when organisations collect information about employees’ health needs. She recommended using independent third parties, such as brokers or insurers, to conduct such exercises rather than having employers collect sensitive information directly.
This, she said, could help employees feel safer when sharing personal health information.
Rising healthcare costs strengthen case for prevention
The business case for workforce health is also being reinforced by rising healthcare costs across the region. Sandi Coleman, Associate Vice President – Human Resources Gulf at Eli Lilly and Company, said healthcare costs across the Middle East and Africa are expected to increase by around 11 per cent, with obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease among key contributors.
Beyond the direct financial impact, these conditions can contribute to higher sick leave, lower productivity and reduced employee engagement, Coleman said.
She urged HR leaders to look beyond traditional employee benefits and assess whether existing programmes are addressing emerging workforce health needs.
Rather than focusing only on increasing benefits budgets, HR leaders should engage insurers and other partners to understand what additional programmes and preventive interventions can be developed, she said.
The discussion reflects a broader shift in how organisations are approaching workforce health — from isolated wellness initiatives towards a more integrated model that connects employee health with workforce performance, risk management and long-term organisational resilience.