Who has time to take care of their own health? In addition to work, everyday life and family, many people neglect their health. What if health promotion and prevention measures were already integrated into everyday work? Don't we all spend a lot of our time at work? This is exactly what workplace health management is all about. The desire for health-promoting improvements in the team came with the new year, and thus Cybertrading's first Health Day was born. The aim is to create a space to promote the health and well-being of all employees.
What is workplace health promotion?
A company's workplace health management (WHM) deals with all the areas that can have an impact on employee health. This includes topics such as a healthy corporate culture, personnel development, diversity and work-life balance. WHM consists of three basic components: occupational health and safety, integration management and workplace health promotion. Occupational health and safety includes measures for a safe workplace, such as the right work clothing or certain lifting techniques for carrying heavy loads. Integration management ensures that employees are able to return to work after long periods of illness and to prevent them from being unable to work again. While occupational health and safety and integration management are prescribed by law, workplace health promotion is a voluntary service provided by the employer. Even if the implementation is not mandatory, the opportunities offered by workplace health promotion should not be ignored. Employers can therefore expand their services and measures for better health at the workplace and adapt them to the needs of their employees. These include sports programs or the promotion of individual skills for coping with stress. The company can also provide nutritional advice, addiction prevention or examinations such as vision tests.
Benefits of workplace health promotion
Workplace health promotion offers various benefits for both employers and employees. When planning and implementing relevant offers, it is therefore crucial to consider and address the needs of the company and its employees. This can result in various health and preventive benefits, for example to avoid accidents at work and illnesses among employees, but also to maintain or even increase the well-being of everyone.
Benefits for employers | Benefits for employees |
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Advantages for employers
Healthy and productive employees are less likely to have sick days. From an employer's perspective, workplace health promotion can thus help to reduce sickness rates and the resulting absence costs. A better working atmosphere, however, can increase the motivation and productivity of each individual and contribute to a stronger identification with the company. By promoting health in practice, a company can become more attractive and at the same time enhance its image and increase its competitiveness.
Advantages for employees
Improving one's own state of health and reducing stress in the workplace, for example, has a positive impact on each employee's personal quality of life. An improved quality of life in turn contributes to a better work-life balance. In addition, personal performance can be maintained or even increased through workplace health promotion. However, incorporating the needs of employees also promotes the experience of self-efficacy. If employees' own actions in the company lead to positive results, it also increases job satisfaction.
Our first health day
The well-being and health of every single person at Cybertrading is our top priority. We believe that a healthy and happy team leads to a more productive and successful working environment. That's why we are willing to invest in the well-being of our employees - which is why our HR department decided to hold a health day as part of our workplace health promotion program. However, this required a lot of planning in advance, good cooperation and a varied program.
How exactly did that work? We take you through the organization and implementation of our first Health Day.
Planning is everything
Every planning process starts with the question of purpose. Why do we want to organize a health day? The new year has ushered in a desire for a fresh breeze and health-promoting optimizations at Cybertrading. The aim was to create more space for the advancement of health and well-being. The good ideas at the beginning of the year were aimed at making the workforce more aware of the issue and providing both tools and resources to promote the health of all employees.
Preparations began months in advance in close collaboration with our cooperation partner, BARMER. They offer broad expertise and years of experience in the field of workplace health promotion. They supported us in determining requirements, analysis, planning, realization and evaluation. In addition to specialist knowledge and information material, the cooperation also provided us with valuable sparring partners. BARMER also has a broad network of experts such as nutritionists, physiotherapy practices and health consultants. We were also able to benefit from the expertise of the "Aktivaria" physiotherapy practice, the "Gesundheitsakademie Magdeburg" and the "Studio für Ernährungsberatung Haldensleben".
The advantage of cooperations? It is not always easy to determine exactly where to start, especially when workplace health promotion is newly introduced in a company. The offer is versatile and the measures are wide-ranging. The necessary support and expertise can be acquired quickly through cooperation.
Activities of our Health Day
Together with BARMER, our HR department chose a selection of activities tailored to the needs of our employees. From health checks to information booths, we offered something for everyone.
A foot and gait analysis was completed by Aktivaria. This examination was primarily used to prevent and detect: Postural defects, scoliosis, leg length differences, crooked pelvis, gait disorders and poor posture of the back. As part of a professional 20-minute analysis, any misalignments of the feet and legs were examined. This completely radiation-free and contactless procedure revealed connections between postural deficits and pain.
At the Brainfood Station, on the other hand, there were not only delicious, healthy snacks, but above all valuable information and advice on the topic of nutrition. This offer focused on the connections between brain food and brain activity. Together with the "Studio für Ernährungsberatung Haldensleben", we analyzed our own eating habits and gathered valuable tips to ensure that our brains can continue performing well in the future. Small snack bags with tasty nuts, seeds, fruit chips and dried fruit were put together. Our Feel Good Manager also created delicious low-carb Raffaelos and smoothies to match our Health Day. By the way ☝🏼 Smoothies and a variety of healthy snacks are available every week on Immune Boost Thursday 😉
All employees also had the opportunity to measure their heart rate variability as part of the balance check perfomed by a BARMER employee. Heart rate variability is one of the most important risk parameters for assessing potential health risks. This involves measuring the variability in the time intervals between heartbeats. This makes it possible to determine the heart's ability to adapt to different physical and mental stresses. In simple terms, the balance check measured the individual stress level and the employee's current regulatory and regeneration capabilities. In addition to the measured data, factors such as sporting activity, weight, height and personal stress perception were also queried.
Last but not least, the day was topped off with a presentation on the topic of "Strong under stress" by the "Gesundheitsakademie Magdeburg". With a fresh and healthier perspective, basic topics such as "What is stress?", "What forms of stress are there?" and "How does my body react to stress?" were addressed here. In addition, the relevant approaches that can be used to reduce stress were presented and some relaxation exercises were performed. Nothing prevents our employees from enjoying a safer lifestyle and better protection of their health in the event of changes or crises in the future.
Our first Health Day was characterized by a colorful mix of advice, check-ups, lectures and healthy snacks for the various needs of our employees. Aware that a single day does not create lasting balance, it nevertheless shows appreciation and can provide new impetus. For us, the Health Day was a valuable addition to the existing measures such as the ergonomic workstations including individual advice and equipment, the weekly Immune Boost Thursday or the trial course on fascia. As a company, we not only believe that investing in the health of all employees is a duty, but that it has become a matter close to our hearts.
“Great things are never done by one person. They’re done by a team.” ― Steve Jobs
And what do the colleagues say?
The team saw the Health Day as an opportunity to do something good for themselves, to consciously take time for their health and to focus on it. All offers were accepted and attended in large numbers. In order to obtain further suggestions for needs-oriented health offerings, the event was subsequently evaluated by our HR department via an anonymous survey. We were pleased to receive consistently positive feedback. For the future, topics such as annual health days, more healthy snack options and regular health checks are already on our to-do list. The next step will be a visual and hearing test.
5 tips for your health day
We have already gained a lot from the planning and implementation of our first Health Day. For all of you who are at the beginning of your plans, we have 5 tips for you from our personal learnings:
- Take into account the needs of the colleagues, but also those of the company. Both sides are important and have a right to be heard.
- Get feedback from the team in advance. What health issues are the team members currently dealing with? What issues have you dealt with in the past?
- Try to offer a selection of activities. That way, there is certainly something for everyone.
- Get experts on board to guarantee a high-quality offer and minimize the initial overload due to the complexity of the topics.
- Plan enough time and, above all, space for the activities.
Summary
Workplace health promotion as part of occupational health management offers numerous benefits for both employees and the company. As such, the Health Day was the perfect addition to our existing occupational health management program, as it not only met various needs but also provided fresh impetus. What did we learn from this day? A good working atmosphere and a strong sense of unity are essential pillars for the success of a company. Healthy and motivated employees help to strengthen precisely these pillars. Such activities not only bring fresh air into everyday working life and strengthen the health awareness of colleagues, they also express appreciation for the employees. So, it's worth investing in the health of all employees! We are already looking forward to the next Health Day and whatever else is to come!