Du and LinkedIn Latest Members to Join the Council

Dubai, 22 June, 2020:

The Business for Wellbeing Council, a government-private initiative by the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing that aims to enhance workplace wellbeing in the private sector, held a virtual meeting to go over the gradual return of employees to work and post COVID-19 preparations, and the steps necessary to ensure employee mental and physical wellbeing.

Her excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing and Director General of the Prime Minister’s Office, attended parts of the meeting which hosted senior representatives of all council members, who on their part,  discussed current and future wellbeing trends, means to propagate the council’s role in instilling the mindset of wellbeing in the private sector workplace environment to achieve the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, on enhancing wellbeing at the workplace in the UAE.  

Her excellency also welcomed Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du) and LinkedIn, as the newest organizations to join the Business for Wellbeing Council, highlighting the importance of partnership between government and the private sector to support the national efforts to implement the National Wellbeing Strategy 2031.

The Business for Wellbeing Council serves as an interactive hub for both government and private sector, and works to shape the future of workplaces in the UAE to strengthen the country’s position as a knowledge hub for wellbeing best practices.

Through the council’s engagement platform, members will work on identifying and sharing best practices and innovative approaches to promote wellbeing. The council will also build a showcase that demonstrates their respective organizations experiences and case studies, designed to inspire other companies and businesses to follow suit. The council will also serve as a testing lab for wellbeing programs, practices and policies, that can advance discussions and accelerate wellbeing practices. 

LinkedIn and du Join Council

With the addition of the two new members, the Business for Wellbeing Council expands its circle of exposure by adding more sectors, and contributing efforts to achieve its objectives of being a ideas platform and a hub to enhance workplace environment. This expansion will benefit more employees in the UAE, support their abilities to adapt to the current changes, boost performance and productivity and play and active role in supporting economic growth in the country.

A Workplace Environment that Embraces Wellbeing

Alyaa AlMulla Director of Wellbeing at National Program for Wellbeing and Happiness said that one of the program’s objectives is to develop tools and systems that support the adoption of wellbeing in the workplace environment. Today, with employees heading back to their offices, enhancing wellbeing is a top priority for a lot of business organizations, supporting employees’ return with confidence and contributes to their productivity and efficiency.

Global experiences and best practices on enhancing wellbeing for 72000 Cisco employees were also presented to the meeting attendees by Cisco Systems, one the council members. Global wellbeing experts engaged in an interactive discussion with the participants addressing best global practices and how these global practices can be localized for the UAE private sector.

Participants assured joint collaboration to support the national efforts against the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, and prepare for the post-COVID phase via innovative programs and initiatives that enhances wellbeing in the workplace and supports the National Wellbeing Strategy 2031.

 “Cisco was pleased to host the UAE's Business for Wellbeing Council through a virtual meeting,” said Shukri Eid, Managing Director, Cisco Gulf Region. “As a founding member of the Council, Cisco led the discussions to share our experience of creating a ‘conscious culture’ for employee wellbeing. Cisco has developed a diverse and inclusive culture within the company, which reflects our unique principles and beliefs, and translates those principles into how we interact with each other every day. Our EMEAR and Global leadership were very happy to share our best practices and experiences in these exceptional times. We were delighted to have Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of Happiness & Wellbeing, and leading organizations from the UAE’s public and private sector attend the session.”

Ali Matar, Head of LinkedIn MENA and EMEA Emerging Markets, said “LinkedIn is proud to join the Business for Wellbeing Council under the leadership of Her Excellency Ohood Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing. The UAE is a champion of human welfare and it is only natural that we see these efforts extend to the workplace in this diverse and vibrant country.”

“At LinkedIn, we have a repository of unique insights into evolving workplace practices around the world, which we hope will help reap the goals of this public-private partnership. We also consider employee safety and wellbeing an utmost priority, and this has never been more obvious than in this pandemic crisis. We look forward to contributing and exchanging knowledge with the Council’s members and leadership in order to enhance workplace wellbeing,” added Matar.

On his part, Dr. Mansoor Habib, Head of Sustainability and Wellbeing Department, du, said: “At du, we are proud of being the first telecom operator in the UAE to be a member of the Business for Wellbeing Council, where we will continue building on the progress and success of the National Agenda and enhancing employee wellbeing at the workplace. In line with the UAE Vision 2021, we look forward to the opportunity to share our best practices in employee welfare and wellbeing with other reputable organizations within the Council. This in itself, will also support our own implementation of work practices that will further augment the productivity, performance, and happiness of everyone under the du umbrella.”