How Savills connected wellbeing support with everyday belonging
2025 WINNER STORY · SAVILLS MIDDLE EAST · REAL ESTATE
What makes wellbeing support feel close enough to use? For Savills Middle East, the answer included a trained colleague in every office, confidential professional help and everyday opportunities to build a sense of belonging.
Its 2025 Award Force entry describes Thrive, a programme connecting mental health, physical wellbeing, community and work-life balance. Savills was recognised in the real-estate category at the mentl awards 2025.
Listening before designing the programme
Savills used its annual wellbeing survey and informal employee feedback to shape the programme. Input from its medical insurance provider, regional wellbeing research and comparisons with its UK offices helped identify the need for support spanning mental, physical, financial and cultural wellbeing.
The submission identified stress, burnout, social isolation and financial pressures as concerns. The resulting objectives focused on making help visible, reducing stigma, supporting early intervention and strengthening belonging.
A trained colleague in every office
According to the entry, mental health first aiders trained by Lighthouse Arabia were available in every office. Their role was to provide initial support, guidance and signposting to professional help.
This peer support sat alongside psychiatric benefits within medical insurance and a confidential 24/7 Employee Assistance Program helpline. Leadership conversations about wellbeing and mental health awareness activities helped make those routes more visible.
Making belonging part of everyday work
Savills reported a workforce spanning 55 nationalities. Cultural celebrations, volunteering, recognition of life events and team activities were designed to strengthen connection across that community.
The detail began at onboarding: new employees received a branded welcome box and a handwritten note from their manager. Sports activities included a football team and company-funded padel access, while a Ramadan fridge initiative brought colleagues together around food distribution.
Supporting time, health and financial pressures
The programme included an additional annual mental health day for all employees and flexible working arrangements. Subsidised parking, support for professional qualifications and memberships, and an employee discount application addressed practical costs.
Health fairs offered screenings, while subsidised healthy meal plans and wellbeing learning resources widened the support available. A mentoring programme and the My Learning platform connected wellbeing with ongoing development.
What the entry reported
Savills cited an 83% Great Place to Work result in 2024 alongside positive feedback from its own surveys. The submission did not define that score further, so it is presented here as the organisation reported it, rather than as a measure of clinical wellbeing.
It also described strong participation in health fairs, cultural activities, sports and mental health sessions. No participation totals or quantified retention changes were supplied in the two-page entry. The clearest practical evidence is the range of support implemented, including first aiders in every office and the additional leave provision.
What other employers can learn
Thrive connected formal support with the daily experience of work. A confidential helpline matters, but so does knowing a colleague to approach, feeling welcomed into a team and having time available to recover.
For another employer, the starting point is to map those routes together: where people seek help, how managers make support visible and what practical policies give employees room to use it. Consistent participation and experience measures can then help show what is working over time.
Based on “Mentl Awards Submission 2025 – Savills Real Estate LLC”, pages 1–2. Programme details and results are reported by the entrant.
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