Introduction: The work in a call center makes
special demands on employees and involves
particular stress. Because of above average
absenteeism, a call center unit of an
insurance company started implementing
health workshops for groups of workers.
The results were unambiguous. The employees
wanted more social support in form of
operational health promotion. Therefore
a six-month model project tailored to the
specific requirements of the company was
set up.
Methods: The project started with a status
analysis based on medical examinations.
The main components of the intervention
program were breaks for gymnastics and
relaxation, ergonomic coaching to optimize
the work place, nutrition advice as well as
courses for the top management. Evaluation
and controlling of the program involved a
variety of tools. Interviews and standardized
questionnaires were used to evaluate subjective
parameters, the so-called soft factors. The
medical controlling included a stress analysis,
while the economic controlling was based on
absenteeism analysis.
Results: Besides an improvement in the subjective
well-being of the participants, the
medical data revealed a high reduction of
stress situations. The number of staff away
sick was reduced by 31 per cent.
Discussion: Both employees and employer
benefited from the project. There was an improvement
in the health and well-being of the
employees and an economic advantage for the
employer. It seems that company health programs
are an effective tool for the prevention
of health risks caused by growing work strain
and the future problems of an aging staff.
