UAE: Taking a break from work to hit the gym? How executives can model work-life balance

Healthy work environments begin with what employees see from their leaders — not just what they’re told. 

Culture shifts through example, not just memos. That was the message echoed by HR leaders during the , held at the Address Sky View Hotel in Dubai, where as a critical pillar of modern workplace culture.

At the summit, Anam Irfan, an HR executive and wellness advocate, said, “There’s no such thing as perfect balance,” she said. “But harmony is achievable — if leaders model it. Employees are watching. What we normalise from the top is what becomes culture.”

She recounted an example from her own experience working with a C-suite executive in a major digital firm in the GCC. The executive by blocking time mid-day to visit the gym — a small act that led to a 25 per cent to 30 per cent increase in employees doing the same.

“When the leader made wellness visible and unapologetic, others felt safe to follow,” Irfan added. “That’s how culture shifts — through example, not just memos.”

Anam Irfan and Mirray Fahim at the Future Workforce Summit. KT Photo: Shihab

Irfan also pointed out that in the GCC region, many professionals — especially expatriates — face heightened job insecurity, which makes it even more crucial for leaders to signal that is not just acceptable but expected.

“This isn’t like being in your home country where job transitions feel safe. Here, people hold on tightly to their roles. That’s why leadership’s role in normalising balance is even more vital,” she said.

Culture and accountability go hand-in-hand

The Future Workforce Summit 2025, organised by KT Events and held at the Address Sky View Hotel in Dubai, is designed to spark vital conversations about the workplace and challenge traditional norms in the UAE and beyond.

Mirray Fahim, People & Organisation Director at Novo Nordisk UAE, expanded on this message with concrete examples of how accountability for wellness is embedded at every level of her organisation.

“We don’t just talk about wellness — we measure it,” she said. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”

At Novo Nordisk, an annual engagement survey called Evolve includes dedicated questions about stress, physical well-being, and whether employees feel their company cares about them. These results aren’t just stored in HR files — they’re tied to leadership performance reviews and even bonuses.

“Leaders are held accountable. If their teams show low engagement or high stress, they’re enrolled in targeted support programs with organisational psychologists to unpack the ‘why’ and improve,” Fahim shared.

She emphasised that the data shows a clear link — high engagement correlates strongly with lower stress, and the reverse is also true. For Novo Nordisk, wellness is not a “nice to have” but a business imperative.

Prevention pays off — literally

Fahim also highlighted Novo Nordisk’s global initiative, NovoHealth, which focuses on six pillars of preventive care — including mental health, fitness, and regular health checks.

“We offer every employee gym memberships, yoga classes, even a home treadmill,” she noted. “Some might say that’s a luxury. But our insurance data shows it saves us 2 to 4 times the cost over time, when we prevent chronic conditions.”

This long-term view, she explained, has led the company to design benefits that span life stages — whether it’s 14 weeks of paid parental leave, fully paid caregiver leave for employees with aging parents, or remote work flexibility for those going through personal challenges.

She closed with a deeply human example — when an employee dealing with a high-risk pregnancy asked for extended unpaid leave, the company instead worked with her to redesign her role to be remote-friendly — ensuring her health, income, and peace of mind were all preserved.

“We saw her as a whole person, not just a worker. That’s what wellness really means.”

The session made it clear that the future of healthy workplaces lies not in slogans or superficial benefits, but in the willingness of leaders to model wellness, take accountability for their teams’ emotional climate, and treat employees as humans first.

As Irfan put it, “if we want healthier workspaces, the change has to start with us. We build the blueprint through our behavior. Culture is contagious.”