Corporate health promotion: A digital and sensitive solution

Corporate health promotion (CHP) is more important today than ever. Increasing absenteeism, particularly due to psychological stress, poses a serious challenge for companies. The WHO estimates that around "12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity" (WHO, 2024). This highlights the urgency of establishing targeted and effective health promotion in organizations.

This blog article explores the challenges of modern health management and shows how a digital, data-driven, yet sensitive solution can look. Additionally, it examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in corporate health promotion.

##Increasing## stress levels in the workplace

Various factors such as poor financial performance, job cuts, innovation and competitive pressure, and a shortage of skilled workers are contributing to increasing stress levels in the workplace. These developments are not new phenomena, but their accumulation in recent times has led to rising absenteeism and declining productivity.

The main reason for this is the growing psychological strain on employees. Companies and their HR departments face the challenge of developing effective health promotion measures to reduce absenteeism.

##Challenges## in corporate health promotion

Understanding individual perception

Corporate health promotion must take into account the individuality of stress perception. Each employee experiences stress differently, which makes it difficult to find universal solutions. An effective health management system must acknowledge and accommodate these differences.

Often, companies rely on general measures such as seminars, which are often based on generic assumptions. However, corporate health promotion must be tailored to the specific needs of the employees and the company in order to be truly effective.

Lack of data-driven processes

Another key issue is the lack of data-driven processes. Many companies fail in implementing health programs because they lack a solid data foundation. Often, data is fragmented or of poor quality, and there is a lack of ability to translate this data into meaningful actions.

In the area of psychological stress in particular, it is essential to accurately capture the current state of work-related stress.

The ##solution:## Data-driven health management

To meet the individual and company-specific needs, organizations should implement a structured, data-driven process for corporate health promotion. Such a process includes the following steps: capturing stress factors, deriving action fields, implementing measures, and reviewing effectiveness.

Capturing stress factors

At the beginning of the process, stress sources must be captured and assessed. Surveys are a simple and resource-saving method to identify stressors. However, many employees are often frustrated because there are so many surveys, yet no visible changes occur. This leads to a lack of participation and diminishes the effectiveness of corporate health promotion.

A transparent corporate health monitoring system, where results can be viewed in real-time, is crucial. Both individual and team results should be immediately visible to enable health-oriented discussions and initiate motivating changes.

Deriving action fields and implementing measures

Based on the analysis results, targeted action fields can be identified. These measures should not only address short-term problems but also develop long-term strategies to promote a healthy work culture.

Both employees and teams should have the opportunity to create individual health profiles and track their progress. At the collective level, companies should develop an organizational health profile to systematically address challenges.

Ensuring effectiveness

A significant advantage of data-driven health management is the ability to review the effectiveness of measures. It would be fatal to invest a lot of time and money in expensive health programs that show no positive effects.

Continuous monitoring of stress factors enables organizations to react quickly and set new priorities. This ensures that the issue of health remains a constant focus, rather than fading as a one-off initiative. Corporate health promotion is backed by data and facts, making its effectiveness measurable.

##AI## in corporate health promotion

Artificial intelligence (AI) also offers significant advantages in corporate health promotion. Through AI, companies can analyze large amounts of health data and gain precise insights. AI can interpret health data from various sources, highlight the strongest stress factors, and identify individual and collective health risks.

Thanks to AI, companies can identify trends early and shift from a reactive to a proactive health strategy. This allows potential risks to be minimized early, promoting the long-term health and well-being of employees.

##Conclusion##

A data-driven, AI-supported health management system offers companies an effective way to create a healthy work environment and promote employee health in the long term. Regular analyses and the identification of stress factors allow companies to derive targeted actions and review their effectiveness.

With data-driven corporate health promotion and the support of AI, companies can ensure that their health measures yield not only short-term but also long-term positive effects, sustainably enhancing the performance and well-being of their employees.

References
WHO (2024). Mental health at work, available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work