Health and Wellbeing at Work

In the last employee questionnaire, there was a request to find out more about “health and wellbeing at work”. Et voilà: we want to address this topic here. If you still have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Adela, Manuela or Christian (e.g. via MS Teams).

First of all: thank you for openly communicating your wish. It made us think more about it. As a result, after several discussions with various health insurance companies, we decided to partner with DAK on the topic of “workplace health promotion”. As our first joint activity, we are pleased to be able to offer you the “Workplace Ergonomics” course from DAK in June:

Workshop “Workplace Ergonomics”

June 24, 2024 (Monday), 11.00 -11.45 a.m.

  • online 
  • 45 minutes
  • max. 30 participants 
  • The course will be held in English.
    The course will be free of charge and will be booked as working time.
    After the course there will be a handout (PDF) in German and English. 

More detailed information will follow. Please let us know by May 05, 2024 at the latest whether you would like to participate (short message via MS Teams to Adela or Manuela).

Until then, we would like to give you some information in advance.

Our tips for a healthier home office: 

Your health and well-being are important to us and we would like to encourage you to make your workplace at home as safe and healthy as possible with the following tips. This includes not only your physical health, but also your mental health.

  1. Ergonomics at the workplace: Make sure that your workplace is ergonomically designed: For this, position the monitor/laptop at eye level, the chair should offer good back support and the keyboard and mouse are in a comfortable position. If you have a height-adjustable desk, great! If not, find ways to work in a standing position from time to time. When sitting, your upper arms should form a straight angle with your forearms. The same applies to your upper and lower legs. Keep changing your sitting position.
  2. Movement and activity: Use the flexibility of working from home to integrate regular movement into your day. Go for a walk or do (short) exercises to prevent tension and promote blood circulation. Yoga is also very good for this. You can start with the following video – but beware: it is German and you may have to laugh at yourself or smile at the cute dog while doing the exercises :- ) Either way: it will do you good!
  1. Time management and breaks: Plan your working hours carefully by always defining work goals with a time frame. Also make sure to schedule regular (short) breaks to recover and recharge your batteries. The law stipulates that you must take a break of at least 30 minutes after 6 hours of work. After 9 hours of work, a break of at least 45 minutes is mandatory. It is important to spend your breaks away from the workplace. In addition, keep an eye on your working hours and be aware of when it is time to end the working day. Once again, please record your working hours correctly using Clockify (soon to be HRlab) and always add the relevant project and a brief description of the activity. This can also be done afterwards, but should be done by Wednesday of the following week at the latest.
  2. Let some fresh air in: Oxygen is important to be able to concentrate well and for a long time. The longer we sit at our desk without ventilating, the lower the oxygen content in the air and therefore our ability to concentrate. It is best to set an alarm clock to remind you every hour to let in fresh air for 2 to 5 minutes.
  3. Workplace organization: Create a pleasant and productive working environment by keeping your workplace neat and tidy. Reduce distractions and create a working atmosphere that allows you to concentrate best. If possible, separate your work area from your living area.
  4. Communication with your employer: Stay in regular contact with your line manager and communicate any concerns and problems at an early stage. Solutions can be found together to further improve your home office workplace.
  5. Self-care: Consciously take time for yourself and for relaxation. Find ways to reduce stress and recover, whether through meditation, sport, hobbies or simply by consciously breathing and relaxing.
Let’s work together to create a healthy working atmosphere! :-)

Adela

Isabell