Workplace health promotion (WHP)

In addition to occupational health and safety and a workplace integration management program (IMP), workplace health promotion (WHP) is one of the pillars of holistic workplace health management. Company health management encompasses all the health-related activities of a company. This means that everything a company does to maintain and promote the health of its employees is organized, managed and controlled using workplace health management.

Workplace health promotion has proven to be a suitable tool to respond to changed health burdens in the workplace. After all, companies cannot be successful without healthy, efficient employees. Measures for workplace health promotion can achieve a range of things, including improving motivation and performance and the working environment, preventing absences due to illness and avoiding illness-related costs. Companies can also increase their attractiveness as an employer.

The aim of workplace health promotion is to promote the health, performance and well-being of employees.

Workplace health promotion is based on the following principles:

• Participation: all employees and workplace experts, e.g. company doctors, are included in planning and carrying out the measures for workplace health promotion.
• Integration: health promotion is important in all areas of the company and in important decisions.
• Project management: all measures and programs must be carried out systematically. Each step includes a needs analysis, setting priorities, planning, execution, continuous monitoring and evaluation of results.
• Comprehensiveness: WHP includes both individual-directed measures and environment-directed measures. It combines the approach of risk reduction with that of developing protection factors and health potentials.

The measures for workplace health promotion are broad in scope. They are aimed equally at the company as an organization and at the individual employees, taking into account the diversity of the employees. WHP measures include the following areas, among others:

• work equipment
• working environment
• working hours
• organization of work
• social relationships
• individual adjustments

The specific living situation of the employees is also often considered to improve work/life balance.

Companies that want to get started with workplace health promotion have lots of options: they can for example improve workplaces and processes, take into account social issues such as collaboration and leadership and or become active outside the company. Measures that help employees to do more exercise are also possible, as are initiatives such as nutrition advice and addiction prevention.

Companies can set up project management, moderate working groups or perform internal public relations work on health topics under the umbrella of workplace health promotion. It can also be useful to network with other companies and institutions or share experiences across the company.

Companies that start workplace health promotion usually focus on the following first of all:

• work-related physical stress, back health
• nutrition and company catering
• psychosocial hazards such as stress
• skills for managing stress at the workplace
• healthy staff management
• having a smoke-free company
• addictive substance use and substance abuse

An important area of workplace health promotion is prevention, i.e. everything that is done with the intention of preventing health problems. Preventive measures can either aim to change the behavior of employees – these are referred to as individual-directed measures, or they have the aim of changing the environment and general conditions in the company - these are referred to as environment-directed measures.

An example: nutrition courses for employees are an individual-directed measure, healthier options in the company canteen is an environment-directed measure.

Other possible preventive measures include:

• back school
• ergonomic workplace design
• courses on relaxation
• healthy staff management
• smoking cessation programs
• measures to improve the working environment
• setting up “health circles”
• introducing new working models (for example flexible working hours)
• transparent communication

Companies that implement measures for workplace health promotion strengthen an important pillar of health management as a whole. This is because they support their employees in staying healthy for the long term. What’s more, they promote well-being in the workplace, a good working environment – and with it improve the motivation and performance of the employees. This also helps the employees to identify better with the company. These measures ultimately contribute to decreasing absenteeism, increased productivity and quality and a good image. So employees and employers alike end up benefiting equally.

Possible benefits of workplace health promotion for the employers:

• The performance of the employees is maintained.
• The motivation to work increases.
• Identification increases. Employees remain committed to the company.
• The decrease in sickness and production losses reduces costs.
• Better health and more happiness leads to greater productivity and quality.
• The company’s image is enhanced.
• Competitiveness and attractiveness as an employer increases.

Possible benefits for the employees:

• more enjoyment of work
• better working environment
• less risk of illness
• greater quality of life, also in leisure time
• greater safety
• less stress from illnesses
• better performance
• greater participation

So far workplace health promotion is especially present in large companies. Although most of the social security contributors are employed in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small and microbusinesses (SMBs), it is still comparatively rare for these organizations to take advantage of the opportunities.

Small and medium-sized companies in particular can often benefit from the advantages of workplace health promotion more quickly: decisions in these companies can often be made with less bureaucracy, the direct contact to employees helps to take the right measures from the outset.

WHP – Health insurance company coordination centers offer free advice from experts.

They help all companies, regardless of size and industry, with their questions about workplace health promotion.

If you also want to find out more about workplace health promotion, you can find independent information on the following websites:

Federal Ministry of Health: “Betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung” (Workplace health promotion) webpage

Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs: “Initiative Neue Qualität der Arbeit (INQA)” (Initiative New Quality of Work)