Health promotion: prevention instead of aftercare
Healthy and motivated employees are the be-all and end-all of a well-functioning company. That’s why it’s a good idea to identify their needs and address them – especially in SMEs, which can afford absenteeism even less than large corporations.
Drivers for core business
“Awareness of the importance of healthy and motivated employees is much higher today than it was ten years ago,” says Martin Rüthemann, Head of Corporate Health Management at AXA. A rethink is under way to see Corporate Health Management (CHM) not as a voluntary nice-to-have feature, but as an essential driver for the core business. “If we improve the motivation and health of employees, we also increase their performance. This has a direct impact on the company’s success,” says the expert. “On the other hand, if employees are absent due to illness or accident, other employees are under more pressure, resulting in waiting times for customers. This also has a direct impact on profitability.”
Roland Hegnauer, Head of the Competence Center for Work CA Bern, also thinks that SMEs can no longer afford to neglect corporate health management. This is also borne out by the figures from a current, representative survey of 300 SMEs carried out by AXA: around 75 percent of respondents said that their own company faced special challenges in terms of the health of their employees, rising to as high as 97 percent for large SMEs with 50 to 250 staff. Occupational benefits are also worthwhile from an economic point of view – it is much cheaper than aftercare. Absence and presenteeism – working despite sickness – cost companies CHF 600 to 1,000 a day.
CHM does not mean providing a fruit basket.
According to Martin Rüthemann, comprehensive CHM also encompasses substantial issues such as reducing work interruptions or excessive strain: “Measures such as the familiar fruit basket or free water have nothing to do with CHM.” If you take a professional approach to CHM, you start with an analysis phase to find out where the bottlenecks are: How’s everybody doing? Can everyone perform their duties?
Studies such as the Job Stress Index of Health Promotion Switzerland show that even before the pandemic, three out of ten employees felt stressed – with serious consequences such as sleep disorders, heart problems, burnout or depression. Team colleagues are clearly aware of absences. This is one of the reasons why it is important to take preventive action.
According to Martin Rüthemann, CHM normally consists of analysis, implementation and evaluation to ensure that it achieves its objectives. “However, these phases don’t always have to be large,” says the expert. Employees’ interests and needs could also be identified in a way other than through a comprehensive survey, and sore points could be identified. Specific measures could then be implemented on individual themes, which then need to be evaluated. “If an executive board notices that conflict management is a concern for employees, it can, for example, hold a workshop on the subject and then gather feedback.”
The Working Atmosphere Compass
The Working Atmosphere Compass developed by DearEmployee is a tool that uses an employee survey to provide an insight into the health, motivation, and company loyalty of employees. Based on individually collected data, it formulates specific recommendations for action tailored to the company in order to improve the working atmosphere and reduce health risks. The tool is free for companies with personal insurance from AXA.
Lack of time and know-how
Health management is in the operational interest of every company – quite apart from the fact that the well-being of employees is usually a personal concern too. Large companies often have internal corporate health management that provides preventive offers to protect the health of employees, deal professionally with employees who are sick or have had an accident, and support them with reintegration.
SMEs, on the other hand, often do not have their own CHM. “Corporate health management is often still in its infancy at SMEs, there’s a lack of time and know-how,” says Dr. Mirjana Tschudi, a lecturer in health promotion at the Swiss University of Applied Sciences. This is problematic because the absence of an employee is much more significant in smaller companies than in larger ones, where the workload can be distributed among more shoulders. SMEs in particular therefore have a major interest in maintaining their employees’ health as a preventive measure.
“For smaller companies with around 25 employees and a good corporate culture, health management often still works well through personal relationships.” As a company grows in size, however, the overview is quickly lost, which is why SMEs should also have a strong interest in establishing preventive measures for corporate health management.
More innovation, less disruption
When analyzing the survey results of Farb AG, three areas of action emerged: clarify vision and corporate strategy, increase innovation skills and reduce work interruptions. “The first point comes as no surprise to us, as our company is currently undergoing change. But we can deduce from this that it’s important to provide transparent information about it,” concludes Roland Hegnauer. For the second and third points, possible measures include overhauling the suggestion system, introducing “do not disturb” signs at desks, or workshops on organizing work and dealing with stress. Management then work out the actual measures of their analysis in a workshop. Until then, it’s about managing expectations, because the survey has created expectations on the part of employees that something will change immediately. That’s why it’s up to them to explain that long-term measures can take longer to become apparent, and that measures will also be implemented that can be seen more readily, says Roland Hegnauer. “This is our first step towards CHM. We still have a lot to do and we’ll be challenged once again. But I’m confident, because every step brings us closer to our goal.”
Tips and tricks for a health-promoting workplace
Be alert
Many line managers and employees notice when a colleague is in a state of stress. Changes in behavior and appearance may be signs of stress. For example, if an employee works slower over several weeks than before, makes more mistakes, does not concentrate, is irritable, seems sad, lethargic or different, often arrives late, is absent, or works a lot of overtime without having to work more. Carry out employee surveys if necessary to take suitable CHM measures at an early stage. You can also compare key figures on absences and staff turnover with those of other SMEs in the same sector – the Swiss Federal Statistical Office keeps relevant statistics.
React quickly and plan long-term measures
The sooner you take steps to relieve the pressure, the greater the chance of avoiding illness. If action is needed, clarify the resource requirements and draw up a CHM concept that is approved by your executive board. Plan CHM measures in the short, medium, and long term to have a lasting effect. Don’t forget the recurring communication; you should incorporate information about the offer into as many processes as possible – for example, during initial interviews, employee reviews, etc.
Preventing stress
Stress- and burnout-related absences cause immense costs for Swiss companies every year. Organizational measures are the best way to reduce stress. For example, by redistributing tasks, avoiding over-ambitious targets, critically questioning performance indicators or digitizing standard processes to relieve employees. Sometimes, however, company stressors cannot be changed because they are part of the work task. In this case, measures to deal with stress and strengthen resilience and mindfulness are essential.
Ergonomics in the workplace
Whether in the office or working from home, furniture that is poorly set up or simply unsuitable results in an unnatural posture. This is particularly unhealthy if employees have to sit or stand a lot. Furniture should always meet ergonomic standards and be set up correctly. Training on healthy use can partly compensate for situations where optimal furniture is not readily available.
Exercise, relaxation and diet
Exercise, relaxation and a healthy diet are all key factors in employees’ performance. Whether it’s an in-house gym, joint sports activities or a walk-and-talk meeting culture, extra exercise helps you concentrate and get creative. At the same time, however, relaxation should not be neglected. Relaxing background music, workspaces without distractions or beds for power naps can help. Healthy eating can be supported by a weekly team lunch or a water-drinking reminder in the calendar.
Encouraging personal interaction
Joint activities provide variety and promote team cohesion. They are also an important resource against stress. Not only because it’s relaxing to talk briefly about the weekend in the break room, but also because it strengthens the willingness to help, the flow of information and the sense of community. There are many options to encourage personal interaction: physical or virtual, spontaneous or planned, such as a short coffee break, a longer lunch break or a team outing.
Acquire know-how
Get professional external support on board if there is a lack of internal know-how.
To the study
According to AXA’s survey, three quarters of SMEs have today taken targeted measures to improve the health of their employees: almost half of those surveyed are committed to creating a good working atmosphere. 39 percent pay attention to workplace design. They promote a healthy work-life balance (26 percent), exercise and exercise (19 percent) or nutrition (16 percent) slightly less often. They have rarely taken measures aimed at reducing the pressure to perform. And fewer than one in ten SMEs coach their employees on how to live healthier lives.
Three questions for Martin Rüthemann, Head of CHM at AXA Switzerland
Mr Rüthemann, corporate health management is rarely an option for small businesses. Isn’t it enough to listen to employees’ concerns?
A good corporate culture is certainly important. It also gives room to talk about personal matters, so the question “How are you?” shouldn’t be an empty phrase. But if someone has serious problems, such as burnout or depression, employees are often reluctant to discuss this with their boss. These are very personal things. And for some, the fear of losing their job may also play a role if they talk openly about it.
What else can small businesses do?
It’s important that they support their employees in balancing their personal resources and giving them the means to do so. Depending on employees’ needs, these can be various offers in the areas of exercise, nutrition or relaxation. What’s more important than the actual offer is that employees should be able to respond to the fact that you want to help, that it’s OK for your company to take care of its own resources. In the next few years, more and more digital CHM offerings will be launched on the market that support such a process.
What might such digital offerings look like?
Health apps for personal use are already becoming very popular. Such digital helpers are very interesting for CHM at SMEs because they are cost-effective and can still help maintain the health of employees. It’ll be important for such offers to be perceived by employees as a help, that anonymity is maintained and that the transition to physical offers is ensured. Because when I’m approaching burnout, the app is no longer of much use to me, so I need more and, above all, personal support.
Written by:
Sara Amati
Sara Amati is a Content Manager at AXA and researches interesting content for you on the subjects of insurance and pensions.
