Anantara Hotels and Resorts, Abu Dhabi is aiming to tackle staff illness and productivity by encouraging employees to live healthier lifestyles and lose excess weight.
Creating its own version of hit TV show, The Biggest Loser, area GM Wael Soueid said the initiative has been implemented I a bid to improve morale, lower stress, increase self esteem and drive productivity.
Area GM Wael Soueid, said: “In the current economic climate all businesses need to look at their human capital and place greater emphasis on wellbeing and ensuring each team member is as productive as possible. We want our Anantara team in Abu Dhabi to turn up to work and switch on their brains and move into overdrive. Not just show up and turn off.
“Extended hours and sometimes stressful roles delivering luxury for guests with high expectations takes its toll and can be on occasion at the expense of good eating habits, exercise and the pursuit of active hobbies beyond work. Many people are not aware of the links between health and productivity.
“Through implementing the Biggest Loser challenge we are expecting positive business impacts such as reduced absenteeism from sick days, increased concentration, work focus and performance.”
A study conducted some years ago by Australian health care insurance provider Medibank Private revealed that healthy employees are nearly three times more productive than unhealthy team members, and that unhealthy staff are taking up to nine times more sick leave days and costing Australian business A$7 billion annually.
The Centre for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) confirms that workplace health programmes can increase productivity citing, ‘healthier employees are more productive’. According to the CDC normal weight men miss an average of 3 days each year due to illness or injury, in comparison an overweight or obese man will miss an additional 2 days per year. Normal weight women miss an average of 3.4 days a year, while their overweight counterparts miss 3.9 days and obese women miss 5.2 days a year. Morbidly obese women with a BMI of 40 or higher miss 8.2 days which more than double a normal-weight woman.
