Rheinfelden Rehab relies on the “Friendly Workplace” label: This means healthcare staff stay healthy despite stress

class = “sc-cffd1e67-0 fmXrkB”>

The healthcare industry is not only in focus since the pandemic when it comes to stress issues and a shortage of skilled workers. Shift work, irregular working hours, stress, overtime, concerns about the fate of patients or their relatives are part of daily working life. Therefore, it is especially important that the health of healthcare workers is not neglected. “As a clinic, we also want to help healthy people understand the body better and convey the knowledge of how important health is,” says Tobias Wehrle.

Rehab Rheinfelden’s head of health promotion and sport looks after the health of around 700 employees. With over 100 therapists, doctors, psychologists and many people in the care industry, there is plenty of information on home health. Not only 2,400 inpatients and 7,000 outpatients every year, but all employees can benefit from this. These include medical staff as well as employees in the hospitality industry, management, logistics or technical services.

However, the clinic does not just transfer its expert knowledge of health promotion internally. Other companies may also benefit from offers related to health and prevention in the workplace, such as ergonomics, exercise, fitness or relaxation.

One label, many advantages

Occupational health management (OGM) has long been an issue at Rehab Rheinfelden. The first employee survey was conducted in 2005. However, health management was only formulated as a goal in 2015. Tobias Wehrle has been with Rheinfelden for eight years and has been responsible for this area for six years as head of the WHM management group. In his master’s thesis, he developed the certification project as “Friendly Workspace” and accompanied the certification process as the project group leader.

Wehrle emphasizes that the Health Promotion Switzerland label shows that “the issue of health for our employees is also important to us and that we use resources in this area as well.” This is also an important factor when looking for personnel.

After all, there are four healthcare companies competing for staff in Aargau, Rheinfelden. The location is marketed as part of the “Rheinfelden Medical” marketing collaboration. Standing out as an employer is, of course, an advantage, says Wehrle.

Rehab Rheinfelden relies, among other things, on the “Friendly Workspace” label. The clinic calls its commitment “GsundsTeam” and offers courses in sports, fitness and ergonomics, as well as endurance and awareness. This includes points of contact for employees as well as psychological advice. The aim is always to ensure the well-being of 700 employees. “Of course, in daily life in the inpatient setting, patients are the focus. But the health of the employees is just as important,” emphasizes Tobias Wehrle.

“About employees”

Company health management is already discussed in the job interview and touted as a benefit in the job posting. It is important for employees to realize that “this is about me.” Wehrle also says that in a company with diverse professions, many part-time employees, and shift work, it is difficult to reach everyone with WHM offerings. That’s why BGM is presented on the launch day.

The Head of Health Promotion and Sports himself visits various departments regularly. «Offers are not always accepted spontaneously and after a short period of time. Most of the time, just opening the door and asking how things are going is enough. Then comes this: ‘Oh, I’ve wanted to write to you for a long time.'”

Generally, BGM is connected to teams through superiors. This is always a topic talked about in management workshops. Health management is a fixed point of annual development discussions and goal agreement. “What am I doing for myself, for my health, and what do I bring to the team when it comes to health?”

Thanks to regular, short surveys, the WHM management group knows the needs of employees. «We use this to ask: Did this resonate with you? What was good? Wehrle “What do you want?” says. A survey showed that in the nursing industry, assistants are now taking over the administrative work of medical staff so that nursing staff can focus on working with patients.

Graduates establish start-ups

Reha Rheinfelden launched the start-up department in nursing to offer ambitious nursing graduates the opportunity to try new concepts in a participatory environment.

Start-up department employees implement their own ventures in an entrepreneurial manner and are supported by interdisciplinary experts. Proven methods and process improvements should be transferred to other nursing departments in the medium term. “Employee engagement and innovation through participation” is the slogan.

“If we have good experience with this, we can extend it to other departments,” says Wehrle. For the expert, all measures are always related to the involvement and participation of employees. This way, this job is not perceived as a burden.

WHM believes its measures are effective. On the one hand, success can be measured by absenteeism numbers, but on the other hand, they have a large number of long-term employees. To ensure it remains this way, the clinic has adopted competence, humanity and well-being as central values ​​in its mission statement, alongside corporate health management. “This is true for each other as well as for the patients,” Wehrle emphasizes.

Source : Blick