AMAALA – the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s ultra-luxury tourism destination – has joined forces with leading professional services consultancy, WSP Middle East on the occasion of the 10th annual Global Wellness Day (GWD) to promote the need for a renewed focus in the way organizations approach mental health, with an emphasis on bettering workplace wellness and empowering greater conversation around holistic wellbeing.
Uniting for a podcast episode entitled ‘Wellness Matters: Weaving wellbeing into our workplace cultures’, AMAALA and WSP Middle East question and critique the role organizations have to play in empowering people to thrive both physically and mentally. Hosted by Caroline Parsons, HR Director & Director – Shared Services at WSP Middle East and featuring esteemed guest Victoria Sharpe, Global Wellness Day Ambassador of Saudi Arabia and Wellness Manager at AMAALA, this episode also unpacks the link between organizations’ core principles and how these can evolve to generate real, sustainable change for people, as well as backing GWD’s universal ambition to support the building blocks for a healthier society.
Saudi Arabia’s Global Wellness Day Ambassador, Victoria Sharpe, joins WSP for exclusive podcast dedicated to Global Wellness Day
Victoria Sharpe, Global Wellness Day Ambassador of Saudi Arabia and Wellness Manager at AMAALA, said: “Spearheading the initiative Global Wellness Day as the Saudi ambassador is both an honour and an important responsibility. The importance of wellness – physical, mental and emotional – has been recognized as a key pillar for Saudi’s Vision 2030, which is vital for the future growth and health of the nation. The Saudi National Mental Health Survey published in 2019 found that 34% of Saudis meet the criteria for a mental health condition at some point in their lives; however, cultural norms render this taboo. This is a new topic, and in my work at AMAALA, we will help people find their path to wellness. In the meantime, we have started with our employees with several initiatives designed to educate and enlighten them to start their own personal journeys. Just start by asking, ‘How can I live a healthier and better life?'”
AMAALA and WSP urge organizations to adopt top-down approaches to wellness and weave ‘cultures of wellbeing’ into everything they do
Caroline Parsons, HR Director & Director – Shared Services, WSP Middle East, said: “More often than not, organizations take steps that indirectly push against wellness and drive the opposite of wellness. In the post-pandemic setting, it’s imperative that we have the awareness to really challenge ourselves by placing wellness at the front of our agenda, but also ensuring that the foundational pillars of our organizations are reset to ensure legacy systems or outdated behaviours and cultures don’t impact positive future outcomes. Ultimately, it’s up to us all to create a culture of wellness by design, thus ensuring our people are more engaged, motivated, creative, and empowered to thrive.”
AMAALA and WSP also discuss breaking mental health stigma and highlight consequences of burnout and stress in the post-pandemic future
WSP’s Anticipate Podcast is an insights series that explores unique perspectives to future trends and existing challenges by engaging experts and thought leaders from across the engineering and construction industry.