News – Arbeitgeber aktuell

BDA AGENDA 23/23 | TOPIC OF THE WEEK | November 2, 2023

Healthy and motivated employees are the be-all and end-all for successful companies. With voluntary workplace health promotion (WHP) measures, companies can help to improve the health situation of their employees and strengthen their health resources and skills. Our new BDA website "Active in the company" helps companies to enter the world of workplace health promotion.

More than 72% of companies offer their employees measures in the area of workplace health promotion ( source: Works and Staff Council Survey of the Trade Union Institute for Economic and Social Sciences (WSI), 2021). This shows that WHP has long since arrived in companies and is firmly established. However, almost 60% of people in Germany have poor health literacy (study on health literacy "HLS-Ger 2", 2021). This can lead to behaviors that are bad for health, such as too little exercise and an unhealthy diet. The aim of OHF is therefore to improve the health situation of employees and to strengthen their health resources and skills.

OHF is increasingly being incorporated into employee management and thus into company personnel policy. In view of the shortage of skilled workers, companies are competing for suitable employees and trainees and can also attract and retain them by offering suitable health programs. The range of measures implemented by the companies is broad and extends from exercise, relaxation and nutrition programs to the preparation of health reports and seminars on healthy employee management. The companies are supported by inter-company players, mainly the statutory health insurance funds. There is a wide range of different support offers for companies, because in addition to the health insurance funds, the statutory pension insurance or the statutory accident insurance also provide support. Companies can even claim tax benefits when promoting employee health. To this end, the Federal Ministry of Finance provides companies with an implementation aid for the tax recognition of employer benefits in accordance with the Income Tax Act. So there is already a lot of support for companies! However, it can be difficult for companies to maintain an overview. That is why the new BDA website now provides an online information service that bundles the various support offers on one website. This gives companies a quick introduction to the BGF world. They also receive information on examples of good practice. The site will gradually be filled with new examples of how companies and employers' associations are committed to spreading BGF further. The BDA website also provides companies and interested parties with an overview of BGF measures that have proven successful in practice.

The BDA recently successfully presented the new information offering at the world's largest occupational health and safety trade fair, A+A 2023, in Düsseldorf. We received a lot of positive feedback from occupational health and safety and BGF experts.

You can access the BDA information portal at www.aktiv-im-unternehmen.de.