Special Edition: Shaping the Future of Health, Work and Vitality

In this special edition of ConnectForHealth, we take you inside the Cigna International Health Study (CIHS) 2025 - UAE Edition - the most comprehensive look at the state of well-being, vitality, and workplace health across the Emirates.

For the fourth consecutive year, mentl has authored the UAE white paper, tracking the nation’s wellbeing story as it rises year after year - even as global well-being softens. And this year’s findings are nothing short of remarkable.

Joining host Scott Armstrong, founder of mentl, and co-host Maissa Al Khafajy, Head of Government Affairs and Strategic Communications at Cigna Healthcare MEA, are two powerhouse voices:

• Leah Cotterill, CEO, Cigna Healthcare Middle East and Africa (excl. KSA)
• Hana Agil, HR Director, MEA, International Organizations, Strategy, International Health, Cigna Healthcare)

Together they unpack:

• Why the UAE is now a global leader in well-being and vitality
• What’s driving unprecedented gains in mental health, optimism, and quality of life
• The paradox of progress: rising vitality alongside persistent stress, loneliness, and financial pressure
• Why 67% of employees are actively job-hunting yet 80% say they’d work harder for their employer
• What Gen Z is telling us about unmanageable stress and loneliness
• How company culture - and manager behaviour - directly shapes well-being, retention and productivity
• Why healthcare benefits have overtaken flexible working as the number one most valued employee benefit
• How AI and digital health are transforming expectations
• The urgent call for employers: one size no longer fits all

This is essential listening for business leaders, HR professionals, policymakers, and anyone shaping the future of work in the region.

Chapter List 

 01:10 - Why CIHS matters 
 02:00 - UAE well-being and vitality outperforming global trends
 03:20 - What makes the UAE different
 05:10 - Stress, financial pressure and loneliness emerging as key tension points
 07:00 - The UAE’s unique demographic resilience
 09:00 - Government investment in well-being and mental health
 10:10 - Mental health becomes the UAE’s number one priority
 12:00 - Why ambition, mobility and personal development drive wellbeing
 13:20 - The surprising rise of job-hunting (67%)
 14:40 - Gen Z stress, unmanageable stress and loneliness
 17:05 - Hybrid work, disconnection and the loss of workplace community
 19:00 - The 53% manager-understanding problem
 20:40 - Healthcare benefits become the number one preferred benefit
 21:50 - Stress levels, family priorities and emotional load
 24:00 - Social media, perfectionism and digital stressors
 26:00 - Loneliness as a health risk (as harmful as 15 cigarettes a day)
 28:30 - Why employers must take loneliness seriously
 30:15 - Productivity, ROI and the business case for well-being
 31:30 - Menopause, perimenopause and the cost of ignoring women’s health
 34:00 - Manager training, empathy and psychological safety
 36:00 - Gender wellbeing gaps and workplace realities
 40:00 - The tension between ambition, parental guilt and family priorities
 42:10 - The economic cost of disengagement in the UAE
 43:40 - Why well-being is a business fundamental
 45:00 - Leadership vulnerability and building trust
 47:30 - Digital health, AI, telehealth and EAP adoption
 53:00 - Trust as a barrier to digital and mental health support
 54:00 - The employer–employee trust equation 
 56:00 - Final advice: the number one thing employers can do tomorrow
 58:10 - Closing remarks and where to find the CIHS 2025 report