Employee health is a matter for the boss

Occupational health management is a management task. The Labour Code alone stipulates a duty of care for the employer. The main objective of occupational health management is to ensure that employees have an environment in which they can perform at their best without health problems. After all, only high-performing employees bring the greatest benefit to an employer.

Short-term absences as a problem

So much for the theory. According to Roland Reilly, head of the BGM department at the health and accident insurance company Swica, one of the main problems in many companies is frequent short-term absences. "The most common reason for these short-term absences is temporary dissatisfaction with superiors. People are quick to blame a headache for being absent from work for a day. "In other words, the boss's behavior has a direct impact on employee motivation. Roland Reilly sees this as the main reason why employee health is a matter for the boss. The boss has the greatest influence on the psyche of the employees. This is all the more worthy of consideration when statistically around one third of all registered cases of illness are of a psychological nature. And the trend is rising.

Management leads by example

Where does occupational health management have to start? "A break apple action is not yet a company health management", says Roland Reilly. A lot starts with consistent absence management. From this, patterns can be derived as to when and how often employees are absent and in which departments the greatest absences exist. "But the bosses have to really set an example. Occupational health management only works with a clear commitment from management," says Reilly. Comprehensive occupational health management encompasses all measures for the company, the organization and the employees that serve prevention, case support (care management) and reintegration into the work process. It is obvious that this cannot be achieved by the company alone. Many health insurers can provide the necessary specialist support; Swica also has a wide range of expertise in occupational health management.

Higher job satisfaction with BGM

The implementation of OHM can be done in many ways. First of all, it is about clarifying the need for action. "It's like when you go to the doctor: The doctor measures your blood pressure. If it is too high or too low, he prescribes a medication. But that alone is not enough. It takes a complete medical history to be able to combat the cause of the high blood pressure," Roland Reilly draws a comparison. In a company, this could look like this: Through absence management, it is determined that employees in production are frequently absent due to back pain. Now, together with the occupational health management partner, the causes are sought. If this is due to a lack of ergonomics, for example, appropriate measures can be taken to improve the situation. If the number of short-term absences then falls, the measures have taken effect. And not only that: Job satisfaction increases, and with it the motivation of the employees.

A health day as a "kick-off

But it all starts with making managers aware of the health of their employees. The implementation of a health day can be an ideal starting point. This event includes not only medical health checks, but also practical instructions for a healthy lifestyle, provided by medical experts. Health days for managers, such as those held by the health insurance company Swica in companies, are primarily aimed at raising awareness of health issues. This is therefore the first step towards the introduction of effective occupational health management. If members of management decide to adopt a healthy lifestyle and start with themselves, they can act as role models for other employees, which is necessary for the successful implementation of occupational health management.

Self-management as the basis for leadership

Roland Reilly uses the following numerical example to show that occupational health management also pays off economically: "A company with around 3,000 employees, for example, has an absence rate of around 5 percent. If we succeed in reducing the rate to just 4.3 percent, this will result in cost savings of CHF 2 million (full absence costs, i.e. costs for additional personnel if someone is absent for a longer period). From our experience, this requires investments in the BGM of around 65,000 francs." Needless to say, in relation to the return, this is actually a piece of cake. "But it's always surprising how many companies don't even know their absenteeism rate," notes Reilly. HR departments still seem to be too busy to deal with questions about workplace health promotion. Many companies are still a long way from seeing workplace health promotion as an integral part of management systems, leadership models or company strategies. Swica itself is setting a good example here. "We can't preach water and drink wine," says Roland Reilly. "For us, occupational health management is an integral part of corporate management and our management training. Prevention and absence management are an integral part of our management systems, leadership models and company strategies. Swica itself sets a good example here. "We can't preach water and drink wine," says Roland Reilly. "For us, occupational health management is an integral part of corporate management and our management training. For us, prevention and absence management are part of management.