Dubai-based accountant Risa Marie (name changed upon request) has not taken a single day off in the last three years of her work despite being ill several times, due to fear of salary cuts. The 40-year-old Filipina works sometimes up to 10 hours a day in a company based in Garhoud.
Last month, she attended a free online mental health session and understood that she had several signs of burnout. “I have regular headaches and every time my roommate wants to go out, I am tired,” she said. “Sometimes I struggle to sleep at night even though I am tired. But I don’t know what I can do to overcome this burnout. I am scared my company will fire me if I take time off, and my entire family depends on my salary.”
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On Monday, Dubai launched a Dh105 million mental health framework which will have a range of initiatives for the early detection, intervention, enhancement, and prevention of mental health issues. According to experts, this will give companies the much-needed push to prioritise the mental well-being of their employees. The framework was launched under the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE.
“I have noticed that a shift in culture, especially with mental health, comes only when it is top-down,” said Aakanksha Tangri, CEO of Re:Set, an employee well-being program. “The fact that this directive has come from Sheikh Hamdan is enough to push a lot of companies to prioritise it.”
Nina Pacic, HR Manager at Sovereign PRO Partner Group, agreed with this. “This new initiative will likely encourage companies to improve the well being of their employees, reflecting the overarching plan,” she said. “It could be expected that more companies will look to implement employee well-being programmes as a result of this new initiative in Dubai.”
A mental health expert explained why this was important. “Approximately 62.5 per cent of mental health problems start before the age of 25 (and so the need for early detection and intervention is imperative,” said Dr Gurveen Ranger, Clinical Psychologist at Sage Clinics. “This initiative will be key in raising awareness and creating new narratives – the more we talk about mental health as a community, the more people will feel able to come for help.”
Causes of stress
According to Aakanksha, there are several reasons why many workers in the UAE are stressed. “Firstly, they are away from their families,” she said. “There is also the financial stress because of the high cost of living. Moreover, this is a very competitive market. There is always the fear of being replaced. With all these factors combined, the stress levels are very high among expat populations.”
Earlier this year, a study by Cigna Healthcare showed that 90 per cent of UAE respondents feel stressed, with almost all experiencing at least one burnout symptom.
Aakanksha, who has worked with a wide range of clients including frontline and domestic workers, said that it was important to give them the resources to cope with stress. “We work to give them the necessary tools that will help them during those times of high stress,” she said. “They are able to be more proactive instead of reactive to mental health issues. We are also able to change the company’s mentality towards these issues. It does not happen overnight but you start to see small changes.”
According to some, this move will remove some of the stigma. “Mental health disorders continue to face stigma in the MENA region,” said Harjit Bahia, co-founder and medical director at ZOI-ME, an upcoming longevity clinic in Dubai. “This initiative is significant – not only for the financial backing it brings but also for the state-wide attention and scientific scrutiny it will herald to a field that has often been misunderstood or surrounded by cultural misconceptions.”
Financial benefits
Many don’t realize it but investing in the mental health of their employees can cut costs for companies in the long run, according to Aakanksha. “Common statistics show that replacing an employee will cost up to 60 per cent of their annual salaries,” she said. “If 10 per cent of your employees leave, imagine what that would cost a company in the UAE. So if they invest in employee well-being, companies will be able to attract and retain good talent.”
Nina explained how this can be done. “Offering one-on-one meetings to discuss the employee and their role in the business can be invaluable and validating,” she said. “Working from home arrangements have been experiencing increasing popularity since the pandemic.”
“Enabling employees to use flexible working arrangements significantly improves well-being. Employees’ mental health can be greatly influenced by the encouragement to take their entitled annual leave. Other smaller initiatives such as employee suggestion boxes, satisfaction surveys, or team-building events, can be an easy yet effective tool to get honest feedback from employees on their experiences and overall status,” she added.