Embedding care and wellbeing into our culture
At Deloitte Middle East, wellbeing is at the heart of how we lead, grow, and thrive together. Our wellbeing strategy was designed to go beyond offering resources: it aims to create psychologically safe environments where people feel supported, valued, and empowered to thrive. Anchored on three pillars: Engaged Mind, Energized Body, and Sense of Purpose, the strategy is fully aligned with Deloitte’s broader People and Inclusion agenda.
Over the past fiscal year, we introduced a refreshed wellbeing strategy that has delivered meaningful outcomes, both in how our people engage with wellbeing services and in how they perceive our culture.
As part of this refresh, Deloitte Middle East introduced new tools and expanded leadership resources to deepen the daily integration of mental health dialogue. Key initiatives included the launch of Wellbeing Bites, a deck of conversation cards designed to help team leaders initiate wellbeing conversations with their teams, as well as the expansion of accessible and inclusive support offerings. These include financial and legal counseling through the existing Employee Assistance Program DEAP, monthly wellbeing awareness webinars, and the training of additional Mental Health Champions to recognize poor mental health and guide colleagues to support resources.
In my first year at Deloitte, I’ve already seen how much the firm values our wellbeing. Having access to DEAP and flexible working options has helped me find balance and feel supported, even during stressful moments. This culture of care makes a real difference, and it reminds me that speaking up about mental health is encouraged here.
Klaithem Alneyadi | External Audit, Deloitte Middle East
The enhanced strategy achieved various meaningful outcomes:
- Employees expressed greater confidence in Deloitte’s support for their mental and physical health, and an increased sense of safety when discussing these needs with team leaders, showing improvement from previous survey cycles.
- The Deloitte Employee Assistance Program (DEAP) saw touchpoints from counseling sessions to webinars that nearly doubled compared to previous years. With over 60 trained Mental Health Champions across the region, colleagues now have trusted peers to turn to for informal support.
- Wellbeing Bites cards were printed and adopted by multiple offices encouraging mental health conversations at the start of team meetings.
Wellbeing efforts were recognized in the 2024 Mentl Awards, winning the “Best Mental Health Care in Professional Services” Award, as well as the wellbeing programs and initiatives contributing to the win of the “HR Team of the Year” by the Employee Happiness Awards 2025.
Today, wellbeing is not a standalone initiative. It is part of how leadership takes decisions and leads, how people are supported and empowered, and how success is defined. This momentum lays the foundation for our future wellbeing agendas: embedded in leadership behaviors, systems, and the full talent experience.
