Reducing stress at the workplace
Innovative programmes, flexible working time models, preventive measures: mental health at the workplace is becoming an increasingly important issue in Germany.
A lot companies are aware of how important it is to look after the mental health of their employees. We give you three examples:
German outdoor company Vaude works with “Redezeit für Dich” – an independent platform with professional coaches and mental health experts who volunteer their time for free conversation sessions. Callers can remain anonymous if they wish. Internally, Vaude has been promoting mental health among its employees since the end of 2023 with courses on autogenic training and strengthening resilience. Mobile work is also an option for them, so they can work from home so as to be able to attend to their health needs more individually, for example.
Mental health as the key to corporate success
People can only maintain their physical and mental health if they are aware of how to deal with stress effectively. At the same time, it’s up tocompanies to create the right framework for this to happen. After all: “Mental health is an indispensable foundation for the well-being and motivation of employees – so it’s vital to the success of a company, too,” writes the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs on the website of its initiative “New Quality of Work” (INQA).
This is something that is acknowledged by SAP based in Walldorf near Frankfurt: the global IT company has established programmes to prevent mental illness. For years, managers have been doing the Are you ok? programme, which sensitises them to detecting changes in the behaviour of their team members that could potentially indicate mental stress or illness. The subject of mental health should also be addressed regularly at one-to-one meetings. Employees can use simple question-and-answer tools to check for themselves whether they still feel mentally fit or perhaps need to make changes.
Mindfulness and tried-and-tested habits
Mindfulness, resilience and “self-management” programmes are also part of Deutsche Telekom’s in-house initiative “My Health Journey”. The Bonn-based company firmly believes that multitasking has proven to be a failure because it leads to mental stress and errors. For this reason, the recently adopted aim is introduce new so-called “tiny habits”: if employees are finding it difficult to concentrate or embark on a new task, short videos encourage them to consciously breathe in and out – so as to get back to the here and now. And reconnect with their inner self.
