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Coroplast Global | Insights | 11 Sep 2024 Corporate health management at the Coroplast Group
When did corporate health management (CHM) begin at the Coroplast Group and why was it started?
Mario Welker: The trigger was the political decision to push back the retirement age. That’s why in 2002, we approached the company management to discuss how we can systematically keep employees’ fit to meet the demands of their work, as well as in their private lives. Our CEO Natalie Mekelburger was immediately on board, and we openly discussed what such a program should look like at the Coroplast Group.
Our joint idea was to enter into a partnership with a gym. This would allow us to quickly make a difference as a company, without having to build our own structures. Today, many companies have partnerships with gyms, but 20 years ago, it was something special. We then approached Sports Up in Schwelm, who actively supported us in crafting a suitable offer – a partnership that has lasted to this day.
In 2003, our plans were complete and we could introduce our fitness program. In addition to the gym, we also organized various campaigns with SPORTS UP over the course of the year, such as badminton tournaments or hiking days for employees and their families. I recall that we had an average turnout of around 200 people.
Irini Rodoviti: That’s right. These initial measures were then gradually developed – into the program that we offer our employees today. When compiling the program, we make sure that everything suits us and the needs of our employees. We want to offer an extensive and varied program that has something to offer for people from all walks of life – whether they are working in the office or in production.
Including our blue-collar employees is particularly important to us. This is not so easy, because their time is less flexible than our white-collar employees. In production, you can’t just leave your workstation whenever you feel like it; it requires a bit more planning. That’s why we offer health days and a vitality week in various locations across the company premises, to give all our employees the opportunity to take part in our measures. Our employees are now increasingly taking up these benefits
The goal of our CHM is to make our operational processes as beneficial to health as possible. This includes framework conditions such as ergonomic workplaces, as well as structures, processes and a broad information and funding program.
What are the highlights of the current CHM program?
Mario Welker: One highlight is undoubtedly our corporate supplementary health insurance at the same level as private health insurance: I know of no other company that offers such a benefit – with fixed costs, a freely available health budget and a series of additional benefits that are not part of statutory health insurances. The feedback from employees has been overwhelmingly positive. Another highlight is that family members can also be covered by this insurance.
Irini Rodoviti: We also offer an extremely varied health program: This includes running training for the Schwebebahn Run in Wuppertal, which we not only sponsor, but which many of us also take part in every year.
Our health services also cover our employees’ private lives, meaning we offer a broad range of advisory services concerning mental health, nutrition, caring for family members, addiction prevention or debt. For mental health support, we offer a hotline, for example, and the opportunity to seek further support. We have also introduced corresponding resilience training for each group of employees: employees learn in small groups how they can handle stress factors in everyday life and are given tools and techniques to help them overcome daily challenges more effectively. Additionally, individual meetings are held with the coach, in which the pre-completed personality test is discussed and ways to improve resilience are identified specifically for each individual. What also helped us, especially during the pandemic, was the offer of vaccinations by our company doctor on site.
Since health is not limited to individual areas of life and private problems can also affect our daily work lives, advisory services for a wide variety of life situations are also part of our CHM.
CHM has developed considerably in the last two years. What are the most significant developments?
Irini Rodoviti: We have added further important building blocks to the program, such as company bicycle leasing or the aforementioned resilience training. We have also broadened our offering when it comes to nutrition: in our company restaurant, we attach great important to a healthy menu and regularly check whether there is room for improvement. With our new vending machines, we have thought of our production employees in particular.
The Corporate Health Award, which we received for the first time in 2024, gives us important feedback. This award includes an audit with valuable tips for the further development of our CHM. At the same time, we have been appointed to the Corporate Health Committee. There, we come together with other reputable companies to discuss trends in corporate health management and further develop the catalog of questions for the audit.
Mario Welker: This exchange with other companies is very useful for us. Together with Bayer AG, we are the founder of the CHM Network in the Wuppertal area, which now has 20 member companies. There, we regularly meet with other CHM experts to share our experiences. Apart from that, we also meet with the other companies who sponsor the Schwebebahn Run and take part with company teams as part of their corporate health management. By the way: Irini Rodoviti has given an interesting interview on this topic for a podcast.
What are your plans for the future development of CHM?
Irini Rodoviti: Firstly, we are already very satisfied with our existing program. However, we won’t stop there, and will continue to seek out improvements with the needs of the workforce in mind.
Mario Welker: One thing we can reveal is: we will continue to expand our health benefits and want to recruit “health ambassadors” to enthuse even more employees for all we have to offer. We also hope to find out more about our employees’ desires first-hand through our contacts in the various departments of the company.
