Swedish companies have access to Occupational Health Services – an independent expert resource that can be engaged to safeguard health in the workplace. At the same time, ill-health figures are rising. Are you aware of how you can make use of Occupational Health Services – and how you can work proactively to improve the work environment before your employees become ill?
The employer’s responsibility is extensive when it comes to health and the work environment. But there is help in the form of Occupational Health Services – an independent expert resource that can be engaged to create and secure health-promoting, developmental and productive working conditions. Within Occupational Health Services, people work with expertise in various areas, such as work organization, behavioral science, ergonomics, medicine, rehabilitation and technology. This means that as a business leader you do not need to turn to several different places to get help with work environment and health.
At the same time, ill-health figures are rising among Swedish companies. In 2016, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency was commissioned by the government to analyze the development of sickness absence in Sweden. The results showed an increase of 8.5 percent in the past year, and Sweden had about 8 percent higher sickness absence than other European countries. Sick leave due to stress has increased by as much as 359 percent in just the last seven years. One reason for this negative trend may be that many companies have focused solely on reactive measures when it comes to health. To reverse the trend, long-term, systematic and preventive health efforts are required. Follow the points below to get started!
1. Evaluate employees’ health and work environment To be able to prevent ill health, you must first evaluate the situation of both the individual and the company. What risk areas exist and what measures can be implemented at an early stage?
2. Measures at individual level A problem many companies struggle with is that “at-risk individuals” do not take responsibility for their own health. These employees can be difficult to reach and are often skeptical of the company’s health initiatives – getting them to change their behavior and lifestyle is a challenge. The first step is to create awareness of the situation, and then offer accessible and simple measures. By providing continuous reminders and follow-ups over a period of time, it is possible to achieve positive changes even for this target group.
3. Physical activity Getting the level of physical activity up in the company is an excellent way to prevent ill health. Increased physical activity reduces the risk of a wide range of diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, various forms of cancer, as well as depression and anxiety. But it also brings benefits such as increased productivity, efficiency and a better ability to handle stress. Inspiring employees to be physically active also contributes to a positive corporate culture. Here are some concrete tips on how you can proceed.
– Use the knowledge that already exists within the organization. Employees who are interested in exercise can, for example, lead different types of training sessions. – Reward employees who walk or cycle to work. – Start walking groups or running groups. – Take part in various races and events together. – Give employees the opportunity to exercise during working hours.
4. Communication and openness Encouraging employees to communicate openly is a key factor in preventing sickness absence. In workplaces with a high degree of openness, where there is no taboo around talking about problems, it is possible to detect ill health more quickly. Through good and clear communication, managers also gain a better picture of what is happening in the organization and thus better conditions for their leadership.
Companies in Sweden need to dare to invest more in preventive measures, not only to have healthy and efficient staff but also to become more profitable. At Wellr, we have succeeded in achieving major health-promoting improvements at the companies we work with. The level of physical activity at the companies we have helped has increased by an average of 10.5 percent, and 8 percent of employees moved from being in a risk group for sick leave to an approved group. This shows that in a simple and cost-effective way you can make a big difference.
