Want to earn $500,000+ per minute?
Sound too good to be true?
Well, according to the latest research it’s not, at least not for the UAE business sector.
Imagine watching the clock tick up as value is created – $566,000 every minute. Actually, you don’t have to imagine, we’ve made it for you.
This is the potential economic uplift the UAE could experience by investing in employee well-being, according to the latest research from the McKinsey Health Institute and the World Economic Forum.
While Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2025 report highlights the staggering potential cost of disengagement – $42 billion annually in the UAE alone (or $24 million per hour) – the real story is the untapped potential.
The latest Thriving Workplaces report, by McKinsey Health Institute and the WEF, shows that by adopting a holistic approach to well-being globally could unlock $11.7 trillion in economic value.
The $60 billion opportunity
At mentl, we’ve crunched the numbers and found that this means the UAE could unlock $60 billion in additional economic value every year, or $34 million per hour, and delivered our findings at the recent Workspace Summit in Dubai.
For leaders focused on productivity, retention, and ROI, the case is crystal clear: wellbeing is no longer a soft benefit – it’s a business strategy.
The WEF and McKinsey research said: “Organisations that invest in employee health and wellbeing see up to a 21 percent increase in productivity, a 24 percent reduction in turnover, and stronger financial performance over time.”
(psst – mentl can model how much your organisation could win or lose based on employee numbers, click the link below to explore our unique workplace well-being solutions)
A shift in leadership mindset
According to the Thriving Workplaces study:
- Only 38 percent of organizations currently view health and well-being as a strategic priority.
- Yet those that do are four times more likely to see higher employee engagement and five times more likely to report lower absenteeism.
- In thriving companies, leaders model healthy behaviors -increasing employee confidence in using well-being resources by 2.7x.
The struggle is real
Again, the Thriving Workplaces study found:
Value breakdown: Up to 77 percent of ROI stems from enhanced productivity and reduced presenteeism; lower absenteeism and turnover account for the rest .
Industry panorama: Over 30 percent of workers in many sectors report burnout; no industry exceeds 75 percent “faring well” .
Demographic disparities: Women, neurodivergent, low‑income, and younger employees consistently report lower resilience and higher burnout .
The mentl mathematics
The $60 billion figure is based on global estimates from the McKinsey Health Institute and World Economic Forum, which project that investing in holistic workplace well-being could unlock up to $11.7 trillion in global economic value. To localize this for the UAE, we calculated the country’s share of global GDP -approximately 0.51% – and applied that ratio to the global estimate:
$11.7 trillion × 0.51% = $59.7 billion, rounded to $60 billion annually
To calculate the $34 million per hour value, we divided the annual figure by the estimated number of productive working hours in the UAE – factoring in standard working hours, public holidays, and average vacation time. This approach focuses on actual time worked, not just calendar hours, providing a realistic, per-hour economic value generated when well-being is prioritized.
That breaks down to $566,000 per minute
