Zain launches ‘RISE’, a Middle East first for organizational mental wellness support

Zain launches ‘RISE’, a Middle East first for organizational mental wellness support

KUWAIT: Zain Group, a leading telecom innovator in seven markets across the Middle East and Africa, announces the launch of RISE, a groundbreaking mental health initiative for Zain personnel, and the brainchild of Vice-Chairman and Group CEO, Bader Al-Kharafi. The timely introduction of RISE coincides with Mental Health Awareness Month 2021, which runs the course of May.

The pioneering initiative within Zain is one of the first such programs to be offered across a private organization in the Middle East region and 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.

Zain firmly 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 Counseling