100th company receives "Friendly Work Space" label
More and more companies and organizations are realizing that a systematic commitment to good working conditions and healthy employees pays off, also financially. Health Promotion Switzerland has already awarded the "Friendly Work Space" label to the Civil Engineering Office of the Canton of Graubünden, the hundredth organization to do so.
Today, the 100 label companies and organizations in Switzerland and Liechtenstein include well-known names such as SBB, Swisscom, Migros, Lidl, V-Zug, the Zurich and Bern cantonal banks, and the insurers Suva, Visana, Helsana, and Swica. As of this week, the Graubünden Civil Engineering Office is also one of them. "We are proud of this milestone. It shows that investing in workplace health management is worthwhile," says Thomas Mattig, director of Health Promotion Switzerland. The shortage of skilled workers in certain industries and the realization that occupational health management also pays off financially are among the important drivers for a steady increase in the number of label companies. "In terms of systematic occupational health management, the 100 Label "Friendly Work Space" companies and organizations are the flagship companies in Switzerland and are thus fully in line with the trend," Thomas Mattig continues. According to the representative BGM Monitoring 2020, the proportion of companies with 50 or more employees that systematically implement BGM rose from 22.7% (2016) to 26.3% in 2020, with a further almost 50% implementing BGM for the majority. This means that the proportion of companies that are implementing OHM measures today is likely to be over 75%.
Those who are a "Friendly Work Space" showcase company meet six BGM quality criteria that can be easily integrated into existing quality processes. "Thanks to the assessment, we were able to clearly identify where there is still potential for improvement. That's where we are now targeting our efforts," says Reto Knuchel, Cantonal Engineer at the Civil Engineering Office of the Canton of Graubünden. Certification is not only a reward for successfully implemented OHM, but also an obligation to continuously invest in good working conditions and healthy employees. After passing the assessment, the companies and organizations can use the label for their internal and external communication for three years. After that, they are each recertified at a reassessment for a further three years. "Our goal is not only to use the label to appeal to potential employees in the long term, but also to be and remain attractive to our employees," Reto Knuchel continues.
The online tool FWS Check shows interested companies and organizations within a few minutes where strengths lie and, if necessary, improvements can be made. After that, the certification process can be tackled alone or, if necessary, by an external, independent and certified consultant or a consultant accompanied. Independent, certified assessors then check the quality criteria on the assessment day.
Notice:
All 100 companies and organizations awarded the "Friendly Work Space" label can be found at here. Companies and organizations will receive the latest developments in occupational health management and especially in the area of New Work at this year's National Conference for Occupational Health Management 2023 on the topic "Healthy new world of work?" on September 20, 2023 in the Kursaal Bern. Around 900 participants have already registered. www.bgm-tagung.ch
