The Development of a Comprehensive Corporate Health Management System for Well-Being

Overview

This case study describes the process of introducing and sustaining a comprehensive corporate health management system in a company in the chemical industry.

The company, Evonik Degussa GmbH, is an international industrial group operating within the Chemical, Energy and Real Estate sectors. The starting point for the intervention was the setting up of an interdisciplinary steering group for the management, the implementation of measures and for the evaluation of the whole process. Besides the top management of the company, representatives of HR (human resources), OSH (occupational safety and health), OD (organizational development), the works council and different production departments were all involved in the steering group. The Chairperson of the steering group was a representative of occupational medicine (medical service). The steering group was supported permanently by external representatives of two different statutory health insurers. During the past 15 years, this steering group initiated a great many projects promoting and enabling the health, engagement and well-being of employees. The activities focused on the prevention of musculo-keletal disorders, lifestyle changes and the promotion of strategies for coping with an ageing workforce. This case study deals with the problem of how all the implemented measures can be sustained, and how the activities can be implemented within the structures and processes of the enterprise. The case study could be used as a blueprint for other companies on how well-being initiatives can be integrated in continuous action-orientated projects.

According to the German Social Code V §20 health promotion activities are an obligation for health insurance funds in Germany. They have the opportunity to invest in, and influence, health promotion activities. In 2000, the Associations of Health Insurance Funds developed quality guidelines for workplace health promotion, which were modified and enlarged during the following years. These guidelines assure quality management of health promotion activities, documentation of all activities in this field and proper and systematic evaluation. There are clear guidelines for the qualification of providers of health promotion activities. There is a difference between individual approaches to change behavior (physical activity, nutrition, stress reduction, drug abuse, etc.) and building organizational change in a variety of settings (i.e. for schools, municipalities/local activities, companies and workplaces). The AOK Rhinland, a regional health insurance in Northshine-Westfalia, has its own institute (BGF Institut) for workplace health promotion, with experts in various fields to support enterprises in undertaking health promotion activities. This Institute was actively involved in the case study described below.