Healthy invested

Companies that have systematic occupational health management (OHM) have advantages when it comes to the health-promoting management of learners. This also applies to Hörmann Schweiz AG. Following the motto "A healthy company needs healthy employees", the company started to build up a systematic occupational health management system in 2013. Two years later, the company was certified with the "Friendly Work Space" label. After successful reassessments in 2018 and 2021, Hörmann Schweiz AG has now been the proud bearer of the "Friendly Work Space" label from Health Promotion Switzerland for almost 7 years.

Healthy employees and learners - a question of culture

Systematic occupational health management has long been firmly anchored in the culture of Europe's leading supplier of doors and gates. The 160 or so employees of Hörmann Schweiz AG, who include an average of around 10 apprentices in logistics and business administration each year, benefit from a wide range of occupational health management measures. These are aimed at promoting both physical and mental health. The spectrum ranges, for example, from monthly chair massages, a company relaxation room, brain food and bike-to-work campaigns, to a BGM mailbox that employees can use to contact the internal BGM group anonymously. In addition, Hörmann offers its employees the option of anonymously contacting an external cooperation partner for advice and support in the event of mental beresp. overload. To ensure that such cases remain the exception, the company informs and sensitizes its managers in regular training sessions on the early detection of increased mental stress among employees. Special attention is paid to apprentices. The level of psychological stress among them had already increased significantly before the pandemic.

Overcoming challenges together

Background: In the phase of growing up, young people per se go through intensive development steps in almost all areas of life. The start of a career means additional uncharted territory. Both of these factors combine to place increased stress on mental health in this age group. According to Health Promotion Switzerland's Job Stress Index 2020 (see chart), 42% of young workers between the ages of 16 and 24 have too few resources to meet the demands of the workplace, 30% are emotionally exhausted and their risk of occupational accidents is twice as high. The economic consequence is health-related productivity losses in this age group of a good 21% 1).

Nadine Zürcher, HR specialist and BGM and vocational training manager at Hörmann Schweiz AG, has also observed the effects of this development: "For some time now, we have repeatedly noticed significant mood swings, a sudden drop in motivation or performance, and increased absences among our apprentices. Although these are isolated cases, their number has increased overall. Our practical trainers are therefore very attentive in their dealings with learners and regularly conduct personal interviews to identify the first signs of increased psychological stress at an early stage. This is a demanding task, as addressing psychological issues requires a great deal of sensitivity. At the same time, dialogue is one of the most effective preventive measures."
This is also confirmed by Monika Monhart, head of vocational training at the Buechberg retirement center. There, too, great importance is attached to being in continuous contact with the young employees, for example, in order to deal with crises due to stress at an early stage.

Increasing need for support services

This insight into practice as well as the figures mentioned clearly point to the urgency of specifically promoting the mental health of learners. At the same time, this increases the demands on those responsible for vocational training. Targeted support offers for the health-promoting management of young employees are therefore welcome. A good contact point for this are, for example, industry associations, the Association of Vocational Trainers or the Apprentice" offer from Health Promotion Switzerland, which focuses on targeted mental health support for learners.

"Difficult situations with learners are often a challenge for us vocational training managers. Even with a lot of experience, the right solution is not always obvious. The 'Apprentice' service, with its comprehensive information material, high practical relevance through a wide range of good practice examples, and training courses, offers sound support and is actively used by us. It is also available quickly and at any time, not least thanks to the 'Experts App' for vocational educators," explains Nadine Zürcher.

And this is how health-promoting leadership of learners succeeds. Essentially, three dimensions are decisive here2):

1. Self-direction: The vocational trainers promote their own health. They are role models.
2. Contact with learners: Vocational trainers promote the health of learners through direct, communicative exchange (behavioral perspective).
3. Design of working conditions: VET instructors design the learners' tasks, their goals and their working environment in such a way that they have a health-promoting effect on the learners (condition-related or relationship-oriented perspective).

Working Paper 55 "Young workers - working conditions and health" by Health Promotion Switzerland presents, among other things, well-founded basic work as well as concrete cross-industry prevention offers (download with search term "Working Paper 55" at: https://gesundheitsfoerderung.ch/grundlagen/publikationen/alle-publikationen.html).

List of sources:

1) Source: Health Promotion Switzerland - Job Stress Index Monitoring 2018 according to Galliker et al. 2018b

2) Source: Franke, Vincent & Felfe, 2011