Starlinger intern, 2024/01 - Issue 36

Healthy snacks and a presentation on the progress of the project were provided at the European Championship Live Screening in June 2024 – here is a picture of the project team at the fruit stand during the event.

INSIGHT INTO THE HEALTH WORKING GROUPS AND INITIAL MEASURES

help themselves for free to fruits as snacks from baskets placed at various locations since the end of March 2024. We also want to mention a few of the health measures in place at the company site in Weissenbach that are not related to the project: Provision of hot and cold meals in the canteen, various running events, and regular consultations with the company doctor on site, including a range of vaccination programmes. But now back to the health working groups. In May 2024, the proposed solutions were presented to the project steering group. The high number of suggestions for measures underlined how committed the participants in the health working groups were – we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks for this! The results painted a similar picture to the first employee survey. Prevalent topics included ergonomics in the workplace, as well as interest in nutrition and various types of stress, including heat and cold. Internal communication and teleworking were also frequently addressed. The project team then collated the input from the first survey and the health working groups into a catalogue of measures. At the time this issue of Starlinger Intern went to press (July 2024), the catalogue was in the process of being agreed upon with the management. The coming months will be dedicated to implementing the measures. Relevant information will be provided on site in good time. A second employee survey will then be conducted in December 2024. This serves to evaluate the progress made in “health and well-being at work” in Weissenbach and the surrounding area. Another update on the project will be published in the next issue of Starlinger Intern in December 2024. OUTLOOK

The next phase of the project, namely the health working groups, was dedicated specifically to health-promoting and workplace-improving measures. These internal working groups focused on the experience of the employees which gave them the opportunity to reorganise stressful and entrenched work situations themselves. All the employees in Weissenbach and the surrounding area were able to sign up for this voluntarily. As has been customary in the project to date, the call for this was made by means of an article in Starlinger Intern and by displaying posters. The project management (cg) and members of the works councils (RJO, MT) also went on a tour of the factory premises to provide information. In the end, the number of people who signed up far exceeded expectations. The health working groups met in February and March 2024. The small groups (approx. 10 people in each group) met for three hours each on two days. To facilitate open dialogue, care was taken to ensure a private environment and the meetings were moderated externally by ÖGK (Austrian State Health Insurance). While the health working groups took place in spring 2024, the first minor measures were already being implemented in certain areas. For example, the participants in the health working groups were given what are known as Biodots ® . These are small round stickers that are attached to the back of the hand. They indicate your stress level by changing colour, similar to mood rings (in case you remember them). These little gimmicks provide a low threshold approach to the omnipresent topic of stress. Similarly, and now in relation to the topic of healthy eating, all employees in Weissenbach and the surrounding area have been able to

20