Employee

 

well-being

 

trends

 

every

 

leader

 

must

 

know

In this special edition of ConnectForHealth, we take you inside the Cigna International Health Study (CIHS) 2025 – UAE Edition – the most comprehensive look at the state of wellbeing, vitality, and workplace health across the Emirates.

For the fourth consecutive year, mentl has authored the UAE white paper, tracking the nation’s wellbeing story as it rises year after year – even as global wellbeing softens. And this year’s findings are nothing short of remarkable.

Joining host Scott Armstrong, Founder of mentl, and co-host Maissa Al Khafajy, Head of Government Affairs and Strategic Communications at Cigna Healthcare MEA, are two powerhouse voices:

• Leah Cotterill, CEO, Cigna Healthcare Middle East and Africa (excl. KSA)
• Hana Agil, HR Director, MEA and International Organizations, Cigna Healthcare

Together they unpack:

• Why the UAE is now a global leader in wellbeing and vitality
• What’s driving unprecedented gains in mental health, optimism, and quality of life
• The paradox of progress: rising vitality alongside persistent stress, loneliness, and financial pressure
• Why 67% of employees are actively job-hunting yet 80% say they’d work harder for their employer
• What Gen Z is telling us about unmanageable stress and loneliness
• How company culture – and manager behaviour – directly shapes wellbeing, retention and productivity
• Why healthcare benefits have overtaken flexible working as the number one most valued employee benefit
• How AI and digital health are transforming expectations
• The urgent call for employers: one size no longer fits all

This is essential listening for business leaders, HR professionals, policymakers, and anyone shaping the future of work in the region.

Chapter List

00:00 – Welcome and introductions
01:10 – Why CIHS matters + mentl’s 4-year authorship
02:00 – UAE wellbeing and vitality outperforming global trends
03:20 – What makes the UAE different
05:10 – Stress, financial pressure and loneliness emerging as key tension points
07:00 – The UAE’s unique demographic resilience
09:00 – Government investment in wellbeing and mental health
10:10 – Mental health becomes the UAE’s number one priority
12:00 – Why ambition, mobility and personal development drive wellbeing
13:20 – The surprising rise of job-hunting (67%)
14:40 – Gen Z stress, unmanageable stress and loneliness
17:05 – Hybrid work, disconnection and the loss of workplace community
19:00 – The 53% manager-understanding problem
20:40 – Healthcare benefits become the number one preferred benefit
21:50 – Stress levels, family priorities and emotional load
24:00 – Social media, perfectionism and digital stressors
26:00 – Loneliness as a health risk (as harmful as 15 cigarettes a day)
28:30 – Why employers must take loneliness seriously
30:15 – Productivity, ROI and the business case for wellbeing
31:30 – Menopause, perimenopause and the cost of ignoring women’s health
34:00 – Manager training, empathy and psychological safety
36:00 – Gender wellbeing gaps and workplace realities
40:00 – The tension between ambition, parental guilt and family priorities
42:10 – The economic cost of disengagement in the UAE
43:40 – Why wellbeing is a business fundamental
45:00 – Leadership vulnerability and building trust
47:30 – Digital health, AI, telehealth and EAP adoption
53:00 – Trust as a barrier to digital and mental health support
54:00 – The employer–employee trust equation (now employer-employee trust equation)
56:00 – Final advice: the number one thing employers can do tomorrow
58:10 – Closing remarks and where to find the CIHS 2025 report