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All 7,000 Zain employees to get mental health counseling from psychologists
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Zain expects Rise will increase employee retention, loyalty
Zain Group, a telecom innovator in seven markets across the Middle East and Africa, announces the launch of Rise, a mental health initiative for Zain personnel.
Brainchild of Bader Al-Kharafi, vice-chairman and group CEO, Rise’s introduction coincides with Mental Health Awareness Month 2021, which runs the course of May.
The initiative within Zain is one of the first such programs to be offered across a private organization in the Middle East region. It is aimed at creating a more inclusive organization that considers and supports its employees given rising work pressures in modern commercial environments and at a time when Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on working norms, the company said in a statement.
Zain said it believes that when leaders actively engage in mindfulness practices, the ‘psychological capital’ of an organization rises. It is expected that Rise will increase employee retention, loyalty, morale and engagement as well as reduce medical costs and employee absenteeism.
Two activities that will immediately be available under the new initiative include a Group-wide subscription to Headspace for all Zain’s 7,000 employees, and mental health counseling and therapy from psychologists provided either in-person in Kuwait or virtually across six other operating markets in partnership with Kuwait Counselling Centre (KCC).
Among early initiatives being introduced under Rise, Zain will roll out mandatory 15-minute breaks during working days between 10 am and 3 pm to afford staff the opportunity to access content from Headspace.
Moreover, both Headspace and KCC will provide therapy to Zain personnel to overcome stress and burnout; family problems; substance abuse; eating disorders and depression and anxiety.
Commenting on the Rise initiative Al-Kharafi said, “We consider our people’s mental health as our psychological capital. Throughout our history, Zain has shown time and again that we are not afraid to tackle sensitive or taboo issues.”
Headspace, with more than 70 million members across 190 countries, was one of the first meditation apps in the world.
Kuwait Counselling Centre is one of the region’s leading psychological centers providing psycho-educational, comprehensive assessments, therapy, training services for more than 10 years.