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Health and appreciation through workplace health promotion
Workplace health promotion (WHP) focuses on the health and well-being of employees and thus lays the foundation for a successful company. Whether it’s a yoga class, nutrition training or a charity run – workplace health promotion is actually always a win-win situation: for the employee, for the employer and ultimately also for society. Because the saying goes: healthy employees cost money, sick employees cost a fortune.
BGF fits in every company
Every company, whether a multinational corporation or a small family business, benefits from health-promoting measures in the workplace. Ergonomic workplace design and short relaxation sessions to reduce stress at work can be easily implemented even in small companies. It is important that the targeted measures are individually tailored to the company. For example, in a company with 25 employees, two of whom are smokers, a prevention day dealing with the harmful effects of smoking on health is certainly not very useful. In a company with many smokers, on the other hand, prevention measures may make sense. It always depends on the individual case.
What are the benefits of workplace health promotion?
Healthy employees
Workplace health promotion has been proven to have an impact on sick leave in a company. Studies show that the number of sick leaves can be reduced by 25 percent through clever health promotion measures. But not only sickness rates increase, but also the performance and willingness to perform of the workforce.
Identification with the company
Who doesn’t like to work in a company that looks for ways to support its employees in matters of health? With the right measures, employees identify with their company. This motivates them at work, prevents the brain drain and strengthens the brand’s external perception. In this way, companies can also make themselves attractive to new applicants. (1)
Financial savings
Workplace health promotion measures are financially worthwhile. Various studies come to a return of investment (ROI) of 2.7 to 16 for every euro invested. Workplace health promotion is therefore no mere nicety on the part of the employer, but an important investment in a company. (1)
The big companies show the way
Whether Facebook, VW, Apple, SAP or Google – almost all large companies have recognised the importance of workplace health promotion and spend a lot of money and effort on the health of their employees.
This can be illustrated using Facebook as an example. Facebook provides a budget of 720 euros per employee and year for wellness and sports activities. In addition, the company has launched the comprehensive mental health programme Lyra. Employees can take advantage of up to 25 hours of psychotherapy or nutritional counselling per year in this programme. The company also offers employees the opportunity to have their workplace optimally adjusted by a company doctor. (2)
BGM or BGF – What is the difference?
Workplace health promotion is only one part of the extensive field of workplace health management (WHM). In addition to workplace health promotion, occupational health management also includes the areas of occupational medicine and workplace integration management (BEM). The task of occupational health management is to take care of these different sub-areas and to link structures in an overall concept. As the name suggests, BGM is a management task.
What does workplace health promotion (WHP) entail?
Workplace health promotion (WHP) as a sub-area of workplace health management (WHM) is composed of measures from the behavioural and relationship levels. (3)
The relationship level
Measures at the relationship level concern, for example, working hours, the ergonomic design of the workplace, as well as all work procedures and processes in the company.
The behavioural level
At the behavioural level, targeted measures are implemented that actively influence the behaviour of employees. These include, for example, sports activities or relaxation courses.
Digital stress prevention in the workplace
The Corona pandemic in particular showed how important stress management and resilience measures are in the work environment. During this time, many workers had to switch to a home office, take care of their children on the side or cope with inadequate work equipment at their desk at home. It is to be expected that even after the pandemic, work in many areas will increasingly shift to the home office. In such a situation, conventional workplace health promotion measures are difficult to implement.
Therefore, new concepts for health-promoting measures and stress reduction at the workplace are needed that do justice to the modern agile working environment. Digital offers in the form of online courses or apps that can also be used by workers from the comfort of their own homes have proven particularly effective in this respect.
sonamedic – The WHP measure for relaxation, focus and resilience
With the sonamedic app, we offer the ideal solution for stress prevention and creative enjoyment in a dynamic and agile working world. Whether in the office, in the home office or as part of leisure activities. The atmospheric sound sessions from sonamedic help you relax, focus and fall asleep. On the For Companies page you will find more information on how you can integrate sonamedic as a health promotion measure in your health concept.
Qualified managers
The ability of managers in a company is an important factor for stress levels and the working atmosphere. A good leader is crucial for how motivated the employees are, what kind of cooperation prevails in the company and how problems are dealt with. A manager should deal with employees in an appreciative and appreciative manner, communicate criticism and suggestions for improvement in the right way and set clear requirements.
In an average company, a clerk slowly works his way up to become a manager. He or she does less and less clerical work and gradually takes on more and more personnel responsibility. The problem is that being a manager is not in everyone’s blood. That is why managers should not simply be given personnel responsibility from one day to the next, but should be specifically trained for their role. In small companies, at least a sensitisation of the management level is necessary; in larger companies, for example, a mentoring programme can be installed. Experienced managers give new managers a helping hand.
Four steps to a successful WHM concept
Step 1: Analyse your business
It is of utmost importance to analyse your company carefully. Where are the problems? Do you need to make fundamental changes to the structure of your company instead of just fighting the symptoms? What do your employees want and which target group do you want to promote in your company?
For this step, you can also get support from health insurance funds. Health insurance companies are happy to help with their expertise in the practical implementation of an evaluation of your company. Sometimes you just need an external view to identify problems.
Step 2: Plan your WHM measures carefully
In order to transform your analysis into a coherent concept, you should set goals that you want to achieve through the workplace health promotion measures. A distinction is made between soft and hard targets.
Soft goals could be, for example, an improved corporate climate or more exercise in the company’s daily routine. Hard goals, on the other hand, are fewer back problems and lower absenteeism. Remember that implementing a health and safety management concept is an ongoing process in which a company must continuously adapt to new circumstances.
Step 3: Implement your WHM concept
Finally, you should have selected and implemented a good mix of behavioural and relationship measures in your organisation. Create incentives so that the measures are adopted.
Step 4: Evaluate your WHM concept
Once all measures have been successfully implemented, you should evaluate your WHM concept. Which measures have been well received, where do your employees see a need for improvement, where can your concept perhaps be optimised? This way you can draw on a wealth of experience for future WHM measures. (1)
Stumbling blocks in workplace health promotion
In workplace health promotion measures, the focus should be on fun. Nobody wants to attend a dry theoretical seminar just before work. Therefore, choose the right trainers and offers so that your workplace health promotion measure leads to success.
Make sure that the workplace health management programme is varied. Experience shows that interest in a programme decreases over time. If this happens, offer alternatives! (4)
Sources:
[11]Corpus Modum: You Tube Video: Betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung Basics | In fünf Schritten zu gesunden Mitarbeitern , 03.07.2018, online.
[2] Corpus Modum: You Tube Video: 5 außergewöhnliche Best Practice Beispiele in der betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung, 04.10.2018, online.
[3] Gesundheitsmanagement24.de: Praxisleitfaden betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement, online.
[4] Corpus, Modum Der Gesundheitstag | 27 Dinge, die du wissen solltest | Betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung, 11.12.2018, online.
