Around 6 out of 10 adults in Germany complain of burnout syndrome1, and more than 16% suffer from depression on average2. These are illnesses that are increasingly prevalent in today's society and yet receive little attention in the workplace. We all know that healthy employees are happier and perform better. But what can employers do to promote the health of their employees, counteract mental illness and sustainably increase intrinsic motivation?
Workplace health promotion - what's behind it?
Work-life balance has become one of THE buzzwords in today's working world. With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, flexible working time models, mobile working and the well-being of employees are coming even more into focus.
"Unternehmen unternehmen Gesundheit", an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Health, is committed to making health promotion a management task in companies. This is obvious, as we spend a large part of our time at work.
To date, it has mainly been larger companies that have focused on workplace health promotion, which benefits around 58% of employees subject to social insurance contributions in Germany. Smaller and medium-sized companies are less concerned with the topic, whether due to a lack of financial means and resources or a lack of expertise or interest3.
Always online - always available
Employees today are faced with a wide range of challenges: Employees should be flexible and productive, have a high level of adaptability and ideally also be constantly available4. These, sometimes very high, demands from employers are not without consequences: In the EU, an estimated 50 million people are affected by depression, exhaustion and addiction. Around 15% of all employee absences are due to mental illness. At an average of 36 days, mental and emotional illnesses take almost three times as long as other illnesses5.
Communication as a key competence
Personal contact with colleagues can be preventative: in this way, problems can be communicated and addressed at an early stage. If employees feel understood and the employer shows an honest interest in their employees' well-being, this not only has a lasting positive effect on cooperation, but also on health.
Health begins in the workplace
In addition to various sports activities or relaxation courses before, after or during working hours, it is also important to make the workplace as healthy as possible. The following applies to office jobs: desk chairs that are easy on the back and joints, the correct viewing angle to the monitor and the correct desk height are decisive factors for a healthy workplace. An occupational safety specialist in the company can help to implement the appropriate measures.
It's no secret, but it's still important in this context: a healthy and balanced diet is an essential part of our health. Employers can also provide support here: whether it's through fresh fruit and water at the workplace or through partnerships that provide a healthy lunch. The (healthy) icing on the cake: eating together strengthens team spirit and promotes a sense of togetherness.
Flexible working hours & home office
Flexible working hours help employees to be freer in organizing their daily routine and thus automatically have a better work-life balance. The option to work from home increases local flexibility. In Germany, around 56% of all jobs can be moved at least partially to a home office6. In March 2020, almost 30% of all employees were predominantly or completely working from home7. The trend is now falling slightly again, but the basic option of working remotely is still available at many companies.
Sporty and fiscally attractive
While some companies already offer their own fitness programs or have their own fitness studio, there is also the alternative option of offering corresponding subsidies for employees and deducting these from tax. These can include back pain courses, exercise programs, massages or nutrition courses. Worth considering: Although memberships in sports clubs or general offers from gyms are not supported for tax purposes, they can still be offered as a gesture of goodwill by companies. The benefits are provided in addition to the employee's salary.
Health as part of the corporate culture
To summarize: in order to establish health measures in a company, they should definitely be an integral part of the corporate culture. A low sickness rate not only means high cost savings for companies, but also a more relaxed working atmosphere for their employees. Employee satisfaction and productivity are promoted - resulting in less fluctuation and improved process and work quality. A positive corporate image and convincing employer branding round off the benefits package of a healthy workplace.
Sources:
1: Theodor-Wenzel-Werk e.V.: Burnout as a clinical picture.
2: Bundesverband AOK, Stiftung Deutsche Depressionshilfe: Facts and figures about depression.
3: Federal Ministry of Health: Opportunities and barriers to workplace health promotion
4, 5: Federal Ministry of Health: Promoting mental health and well-being in the workplace
6, 7: Corona data platform themed report, July 2021 edition, p. 4, 6.
