Firms promote health at work

An employee on a health course at the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation swissinfo.ch

More and more companies in Switzerland are introducing health and fitness programmes in the workplace.

Large companies have been offering incentives to their employees for years. Now, smaller companies are beginning to recognise the benefits of a healthy workforce.

“Workplace health must be integrated more closely into national health policy and given greater emphasis,” Klaus Fellmann, chairman of the board of trustees of Health Promotion Switzerland, told swissinfo.

“If the Swiss health-care system, which is currently going through a difficult period, wants to make progress, we absolutely need a new paradigm: we need to move to an approach based on preventing workers from falling sick.”

Companies that invest in health promotion and preventing illness in the workplace are seeing a quantifiable return in the form of reduced absenteeism and an increase in productivity.

Major Swiss companies have already accepted that factors such as employee satisfaction and the company’s positive image are just as important as economies of scale.

Good investment

The new health promotion measures are designed to alleviate the negative side effects of work, such as stress, backache and fatigue, and thereby reducing the total number of working days lost.

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has been spearheading measures to promote health at the workplace. It has adopted a model based on the results of an analysis conducted by the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine of the University of Zurich.

Since 2000, the 630 staff at the Swiss central bank have been encouraged to actively care for their health.

“At our premises in Bern, where I work, we have a gym, which complements the activities of our staff sports club,” says Magrit Hearn, who sits on the SNB’s health committee.

“My committee encourages employees to take an active interest in their own health.”

“The SNB encourages its employees to look after their health by providing sparkling water and fruit, and by contributing to the costs of active measures such as sport, massage and courses of treatment that help them to stop smoking,” adds Hearn.

Inequalities to be overcome

Switzerland enjoys one of the highest life expectancies in the world. But experts point out that the country has a long way to go in ensuring equal opportunity in the field of health.

“Academics live longer than workmen, and immigrant women do less for their health than Swiss women,” states Health Promotion Switzerland.

The level of equality also varies from one company to another. Whereas large companies have the resources to invest and ensure a positive return, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are not in a position to do so.

This is where the health promotion foundation steps in. It has mandated the Swiss institute for occupational medicine to develop a health promotion programme for SMEs.

Sandra Kündig, who is responsible for organising and developing the programme, says it will take around three years to complete.

“This summer we will set up a website with modules geared to the needs of SMEs, aimed at promoting health in the workplace and at monitoring the results,” explains Kündig.

The modules will enable SMEs to adopt specific programmes aimed at promoting health among their staff. They will highlight simple measures such as improving working conditions.

Eleven companies will take part in the pilot programme, which is receiving public funds to the tune of SFr2.2 million ($1.7 million).

From the summer, Swiss SMEs will be able to take advantage of professional advice to promote good health in the workplace.

swissinfo, Sergio Regazzoni

In brief

Smaller Swiss companies are following the example of bigger firms in offering their employees health and fitness programmes.

Health Promotion Switzerland says workplace health needs to included in national health policy.

Founded in 1984, the institution comprises representatives of insurance companies, the cantons, the government and doctors, and is involved in illness prevention and health promotion.

Companies that invest in promoting health at the workplace report reduced absenteeism and an increase in productivity.

Eleven small and medium-sized enterprises are taking part in a publicly-funded pilot programme to improve employee health.