Our Occupational Health Management
Bionorica SE provides employees in Germany and Austria with access to non-occupational health services as part of our occupational health management (BGM – Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement) in several ways, both analogue and digital. Interested parties can consult the contact persons of the “Health Working Group” directly and work with them to initiate the necessary occupational health management measures.
All the necessary information is freely accessible 24/7 on the employee intranet. In the manufacturing and production areas at the main business location in Neumarkt, Germany, where employees do not have regular access to the intranet due to the nature of their work, the contact options and health promotion services can be found, for example, on notice boards and posters, or on the information monitors in the cafeteria. To date, a number of services have also been made available to colleagues at the international Bionorica sites. The establishment of a global occupational health management platform is envisioned for the future.
Voluntary services and programmes for the promotion of health
The Health Working Group was established in 2018 (as per the works agreement on health management). The Health Working Group is composed of employee representatives, employer representatives, the company physician, the representative of the severely disabled, the occupational safety specialist and the occupational health officer.
The working group is responsible for initiating occupational health management measures and for monitoring their implementation and effectiveness. In addition, the Health Working Group is tasked with the formation of focus groups to prepare proposals for solutions to specific problem situations and with the development a two-year programme. Suggestions from the workforce, findings from health insurance reports and results from internal analyses and inspections are all used to select focus topics.
For its work, the Health Working Group makes use of the findings from occupational integration management (BEM – Betriebliches Eingliederungsmanagement) in the form of anonymised information collected by the company physician for measures for all employees. Accordingly, the working group also publishes a “health report” in accordance with the works agreement on health management every two years and makes it available to every employee via the employee intranet. The applicable data protection regulations are complied with in every respect, and health information is never used against employees. The Health Working Group communicates with the internal data protection officer and the Chief Compliance Officer whenever necessary.
In order to reach all employees, the measures are communicated via a number of different communication channels, including the intranet news, e-mail, information screens/monitors in the cafeteria, regular health days, or notices and posters.
The following is a select list of voluntary services and programmes for the promotion of employee health:
Focus topic 2019/20: Musculoskeletal system/back
- Musculoskeletal analysis offered by the company physician, including evaluation and exercises (anonymous evaluation by the company physician, discussion in the Health Working Group and subsequent definition of measures) – participation during working hours
- Further information on the subject of ergonomics on the intranet
- Creation of an Ergonomics Guideline and publication on the intranet
- Ergonomics consulting offered at the workplace (individually or as a team)
- Compensatory exercises in the employee magazine on the back, veins and eyes
- Cooperation with the employees in the packaging department to work out the most organisationally favourable positions with regard to work organisation (last process steps in the production of medicines / packaging)
- Compensatory exercises for strengthening and stretching and the prevention of tennis elbow demonstrated on posters in the packaging department
- Services offered with health insurance companies: online programme “Zeigen Sie Haltung” (Take up a stance) with exercises for the home office – outside working hours
- Analysis of health insurance reports: absenteeism at Bionorica due to musculoskeletal complaints has gone down since the introduction of the prevention programme
The programme launched in 2019/20 at Bionorica SE for the German and Austrian sites to prevent complaints or illnesses of the musculoskeletal system was continued in the 2021 reporting year – keyword: implementation of the “Ergonomics Guideline” (see above).
Focus topic 2021/2022: Psyche and addiction
- Offer of a resilience check – on site and via Microsoft Teams – by the company physician, including evaluation and recommendations for the employees (anonymous evaluation by the company physician, discussion in the Health Working Group and subsequent definition of measures) – participation counts as working time
- Offer of free resilience e-learnings via Bionorica Academy for all employees: these e-learnings can be completed regardless of time and place, i.e. also in the home office, at other locations or also during field service
- Provision of further information on the topic of resilience on the employee intranet
- Posters with hints and information on the topic of shift work (when employees return to 3-shift operation)
- Yoga (offered as an online course due to the coronavirus pandemic) – outside working hours; a compact course with the most important basics was also recorded on video for beginners
- Publication of the works agreement on addiction as part of the company’s health management system
- Efforts to raise awareness of the issue by providing further information on the topic of addiction on the intranet
- Training of managers on how to deal with the issue of addiction and affected employees
Furthermore, there is an overview of offerings independent of the focus topic:
- Provision of information on the topic of ergonomics at the workplace on the employee intranet (e.g. guideline on the ergonomic adjustment of the office workplace)
- Provision of online offerings on mental fitness and relaxation techniques in the form of audio and video material
- Monthly health hint: brief information on various health topics (e.g. “intermittent fasting”, “happiness boosters”...) in the monthly HR information, on the employee intranet and on the information screens/monitors in the cafeteria
- Employer contribution for gym membership fees – training outside working hours
- Special consultations with the company physician on various current topics (e.g. during the coronavirus pandemic) count as working time
- Healthy food in the cafeteria (labelling of healthy food)