The majority of women employees in the UAE feel their workplace mental wellbeing is being catered to following a particularly stress-inducing year with coronavirus, as per the findings of a survey conducted by Oman Insurance Company and Bupa Global in partnership with Arabian Business.
The comprehensive survey of women in the UAE, aimed at assessing how they can be at their best – both physically and mentally – in the workplace, found that 56 percent of women felt their company supports and encourages positive employee wellbeing.
This is important following a year where 42 percent of women surveyed indicated that their mental wellbeing was negatively impacted as lines between work and home life blurred during the pandemic.
While the most-reported concern was job security, working mothers also reported higher fears of getting infected with the virus, as compared to women with no children.
These and other survey findings were shared during a webinar How Can Organisations’ Help Women Bring Their Best Selves to Work which took place Monday noon and also explored the results’ implications on employers and employees.
The webinar also highlighted why this conversation around women’s mental and physical health is more critical now than ever in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s always a good time to talk about women’s health in the workplace but now it is absolutely critical. The effect of Covid-19 has made a difference: on the negative side, the pandemic has exposed some of the biggest challenges that we face as a society and exacerbated some of the issues that women already face, particularly the blurring of work and home life which continues to be a struggle, as the survey indicates,” said Anna Russell, Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Director | Bupa Global & UK and Director | Bupa Foundation.
“On the positive side, employers are really open to having those conversations nowadays, so that is why right now is absolutely the right time to be having these conversations,” she continued.
Anna Russell, Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Director | Bupa Global & UK and Director | Bupa Foundation
The pandemic has brought more awareness to mental health in the workplace and 42 percent of the women surveyed indicated their employers have shared information about mental health insurance benefits available and 44 percent have used those services.
However, the majority of women (35 percent) fear talking about such issues would affect their career progression, the survey results show.
During lockdowns introduced to curb the spread of coronavirus last year, 39 percent indicated their employers proactively shared health tips on how to manage stress and overall wellbeing, and 28 percent reported their employers shared information about already available insurance benefits, such as virtual consultations with primary physicians and psychiatrists.
“For a lot of companies, the pandemic was the catalyst they needed to really focus on employee wellbeing and to let go of a lot of antiquated ways of doing things,” said Sara Boueri, HR director at Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.
“From an HR perspective, the pandemic was one of the best things to happen to us because it really took away from that 9-5 old-school way we used to do work and it also gave us a common goal. We were all fighting for one common purpose which is our safety and wellbeing at this time,” she continued.
Sara Boueri, HR director at Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority
When asked how they would like their employers to support their physical and mental wellbeing going forward, 78 percent of the women surveyed indicated they would like to have flexible working hours while working remotely so that family life can be attended to.
Meanwhile, 48 percent of the women surveyed reported that their employers have provided the option to continue working remotely, even as offices have re-opened. Meanwhile, 31 percent indicated that this support was not made available to them; and 21 percent indicated they would have liked to receive this support).
“There is no doubt about it – and this is global, not just UAE-based – that coming out of the pandemic, we are seeing, even more so than last March, that women are feeling the after-effects of all the pressure they were subjected to last year from homeschooling their children to worrying about running their business and retaining their jobs,” said Kellie Whitehead, founder of The Female Fusion Network.
Kellie Whitehead, founder of The Female Fusion Network
“We neglect our health during times like this and power through and so we are going to see some after-effects of that as well in terms of all the doctors’ appointments and health concerns we ignored during the pandemic,” she continued.
When it comes to physical wellbeing, women surveyed repeatedly indicated that for menstrual cramps, common colds, and body pains they would self-medicate and come to work instead of taking a day off or requesting to work from home.
The survey findings and insights shared by the speakers during the webinar lean towards the same conclusion – leaders across all organisations need to have more open conversations about the support individual employees require.
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