According to a study by international health provider Bupa, 54% of respondents don't dedicate enough time to manage their health and wellbeing, although 55% of them said that it is very important to them. Bupa announced the research results in the SMEs Beyond Borders conference in Cairo on Monday. The research surveyed a sample of 1,000 residents in Egypt of different nationalities. It showed that 52% of respondents said that work commitments are the main obstacle to them not being able to attend to their health and wellbeing. The research pointed out that 66% of the respondents spend less than 30 minutes a week managing their wellbeing. Shady Nawar, head of health and benefits of Bupa Global Middle East, said that "employees increasingly expect the employer to play an active role in this area". He added that when the employer invests in the wellbeing and health of his employees, it can directly impact the productivity and engagement levels in the work place.
Nawar stated that 65% of business managers focus on the non-financial rewards as a motivator for employees. The previously mentioned statistics are the reason behind Bupa's belief that small- and medium-sized enterprises in Egypt should focus on the employees' health and wellbeing. Bupa currently operates in 190 countries and has 32 million customers, Nawar said, adding that it owns 34% of the international health insurance market share in Egypt.
