UAE health index higher than global average during pandemic

Imran Mojib, Special Correspondent

The UAE health index has registered higher ranking against global average on overall well-being and managing stress levels during the situation caused by Covid-10 pandemic. Employees in the UAE have experienced greater flexibility and communication with colleagues, as well as longer working hours and less stress during Covid-19 work from home period, revealed a global survey.

The Cigna Covid-19 Global Impact Study, a new series of studies from Cigna and part of the annual Cigna 360 Well-Being Survey, also revealed that residents experienced lower levels of loneliness as technology helps people check in on one another, stay connected.

In a bid to better understand the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s health and well-being, the study engaged 10,204 people from eight key markets including the UAE, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Spain and the USA. The first round of the study was conducted in two phases between Jan.10 and Feb.24 while the second took place from April 22-27, 2020.

The UAE registered a strong performance compared to other markets during the lockdown with an overall score of 67.9 points, up by 2.1 points from January to April. The survey showed improvements in the physical, family, social, and work health of residents in the UAE, while financial health witnessed a decline.

The improved scores across sectors emphasized the country’s resilience during the work from home period. Work registered 70.8 points in April, up from 69.2 in January, social climbed to 68.9, up from 66.9 points, family stood at 72.9 points, up from 70.0 in early 2020, and physical notched up 65.9 points, up from 62.6 in January. Most notably, people reported having enough time for themselves and feeling part of a community during this phase, with this perception surging from 40 percent to 50 percent, and from 34 percent to 46 percent respectively between January and April.

However, despite an improved quality of work life, the survey noted a prevailing always-on culture as employees continued to struggle to switch off and put in longer hours even when working from home. From a financial perspective, well-being declined globally with a drop from 55.8 to 54.8 points, while the UAE noted a minimal decline of 0.2 dropping from 56.4 to 56.2 points, echoing worldwide job security concerns.

Jerome Droesch, CEO of Cigna MEA, said, “The results of our survey testify to the sustained and efficient management of this global health crisis by the UAE in securing the welfare of its residents during this critical period.”

According to the study, UAE residents admitted to experiencing lower levels of loneliness as they continued to remain connected via technology even while working from home. Friends, colleagues and family members checked in on each other more often than usual and led to people feeling less isolated. In fact, only 50 percent admitted to feeling less isolated from others in April, compared to 53 percent in January 2020.

While 79 per cent of respondents claimed to have more flexible workdays and improved communications with colleagues, these enhancements came at the expense of longer working hours in the UAE. Once again, technology came to the rescue and enabled people to stay connected and work remotely.

These figures indicate that working routines are likely to change permanently once people head back to offices, as more employees now consider convenience, improved communications and flexibility to be key priorities.

The UAE ranked second highest after Thailand when it came to longer workdays with 65 per cent of the respondents admitting to working longer hours. With schools closed and children at home, 75 per cent also noted that they had to sacrifice their personal time or work time to support children, making their workday even longer.

“What was heartening to see is that the survey identified a significant drop, down from 11 per cent to 3 per cent among employees that reported unmanageable levels of stress - making the UAE the only country on the list to report lower stress levels,” Jerome said.