Healthy workplaces in 5 steps

Healthy workplaces in 5 steps

Every HRM professional will immediately agree: a healthy work environment is important. Because healthy employees feel more comfortable, enjoy their work more and therefore perform better.

Moreover, as an employer you have an important responsibility. NOf course, as an employer, you can’t control everything. Toch you can do a lot.

TNO ontrolled the Physical Load Guide. This will take you to a healthy work environment in 5 steps. A useful tool, we think. In this blog we will tell you more about it.

Five steps to a healthy work environment

1. Is there a reason?

High absenteeism, grumbling among employees, high staff turnover. All kinds of situations can indicate a lack of a healthy working environment. It may also be that the RI&E indicates that it is necessary to take action.

1. What are the bottlenecks?

Make an inventory of all the bottlenecks within your organisation. It may involve physical underload or physical overload. Physical underload occurs in employees who sit a lot. Think of office workers and drivers. They have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancers and depression. In case of physical overbeYou can think of heavy lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling. But also think about repetitive work. This can lead to complaints of muscles, joints and tendons. It is important to be aware of this, because musculoskeletal complaints account for a third of all sick leave!

1. What can you do?

Have insight into the bottlenecks? Then determine the possible solutions. TNO distinguishes three types of solution: technical, organisational and individual. Technical solutions are about for example ergonomic improvements and tools that make work easier. Organizational solutions include improving work processes, variety of work and breaks. At the individual level, this may involve, for example, providing information about safe working practices and training in the correct use of work equipment and aids.

Is there any physical underload? Then you have to think of encouraging cycling to work, lunch walks and a sit-stand. And, in the case of physical overloading, solutions such as information and training on unfavourable working postures, good aids and sufficient variety of tasks. Other solutions are more breaks and an optimal indoor climate (temperature, good ventilation, sufficient oxygen, etc.). In short, there’s usually a lot of opportunity.

It is important to make the right choice. De Wegwijzer Fysitax provides guidance. Start with solutions that address the most important bottlenecks. Also ask yourself which solutions are expected to be most effective. In doing so, look at the cost/benefit. Moreover, the chosen solution must fit in with the company culture.

1. How do you enter the solutions?

You know what bottlenecks exist and what solutions are needed. The next step is to convince the decision makers – the management or the board – that the approach is necessary and delivers results. You will identify the risks and find a solution.splan with the desired result and the expected saving. Support is of course essential, also among employees. So inform them well.

Then is the question: how do you implement these solutions? That depends on the nature of the solution and of the processes within your organization. It is important that the solution is given a place in the day-to-day affairs of the organisation. Make sure that physical load becomes a fixed topic in team meetings and performance interviews. Make appointments with the occupational health physician. And have an eye for possible opponents of the solution.

1. Evaluate the approach

Does the chosen solution indeed have the desired effect? Evaluate the approach regularly. For example by means of the employeessatisfactionssurvey. And ask managers and employees about it. Does the physical load increase again? Then go back to step 2 of the signpost. This is how you work on continuous improvement.

Involve employees

In our opinion, the Fysieke Belastingwijzer (Physical Load Guide) is a good tool to work on a sustainable personnel policy. A tip: Involve employees in formulating and implementing the solutions. Because they often know best what can be done more efficiently and effectively. Moreover, in this way you keep your employees involved and you realize your goals better. And then this: find the solutions close by. You don’t have to set up a complete gym right away. Small improvements will help. Such as: not sitting too long and enough variety in the work.

Physical Tax Checklist

TNO also developed a Physical load checklist. This will give you a quick indication of the potential risks associated with a task. This concerns risks for all aspects of physical load. If there is a particular risk, you click through to a follow-up tool that allows you to do a detailed risk assessment. You will then know better how this risk arises and how you can remedy or reduce it. You can find the Physical Tax Checklist here.

Read more about sustainable personnel policy

Physical load is one of the points of attention in an sustainable personnel policy. Would you like to know how you can contribute to the continuity of your organisation with the sustainable deployment of (older) employees? You can read it in our free e-book ‘Wise with grey’.

Are there older employees in your organization who will be retiring soon? Or are you curious what else Essenburgh can do for you? Then take a look at our retirement in sight training.