Mercedes Sanchis Almenara, Raquel Marzo Roselló, Marta Valero Martínez, Silvia San Jerónimo Romero, Arizona Dylan Vitoria González, Laura Martinez Gómez, Raquel Ruiz Folgado

Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia
Universitat Politècnica de València. Edificio 9C.
Camino de Vera s/n (46022) Valencia. Spain

SUMMAT (summa-t.com) diagnoses the well-being of workers and compares it to that of the Spanish average or to that of the industry in which the company operates. This makes it possible to identify the indicators on which to focus a health promotion plan and to know how effective these plans are with respect to the different indicators.

In addition, each worker is aware of his or her state of well-being and can know how that state evolves as they take part in activities carried out by the company or as they acquire healthy lifestyle habits.

INTRODUCTION

According to the definition by the WHO, health is a “state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” (2011).

Conscious of the fact that only healthy workers can be efficient workers, companies are increasingly investing in the Promotion of Health at Work. To this end, the European Network of Workplace Health Promotion (ENWHP) defends the integration of health promotion in occupational risk prevention interventions, endeavours to establish a conceptual framework that will help to organise and launch health programmes in companies, and seeks the participation of all important players (the competent authorities, experts, employers and workers).

This network advocates that the management of good health in the workplace should take into account, among others, the following aspects:

♦ A systematic design of programmes that improve the health of the workforce.

♦ A methodology that uses different strategies to improve workers' and other relevant players' knowledge of health.

In this sense, the Biomechanics Institute (IBV) has developed the SUMMAT platform (www.summa-t.com) (Figure 1) which allows companies to carry out a diagnostic of the well-being of their staff which in turn will allow them to design and implement health promotion programmes to achieve an improvement in their health and well-being. This platform also makes it possible to prioritise the programmes that need to be implemented and to monitor their impact on the well-being of the workforce.

Figure 1 Diagnostic or monitorg survey. Including the issues selected by the company or by the worinker. 

The easy-to-use software provides graphic information that both companies and workers, who have different dashboards, can easily interpret.

The company dashboard allows health and safety managers to:

♦ Diagnose the well-being of the workforce and compare it with that of the Spanish population in general and with people who work in businesses in the same sector.

♦ Identify priority action areas in the implementation of health promotion plans (risk factors and priority action groups).

♦ Evaluate the impact of ongoing programmes.

♦ Obtain a repository of the health promotion programmes that have been implemented.

 On the other hand, it allows workers:

♦ To know their state of well-being and compare it with that of the Spanish population of the same gender and age bracket.

♦ To know how their well-being has progressed after they have taken part in health promotion programmes or they have modified their lifestyle.

DIAGNOSTIC AND MONITORING PROCEDURE

In order to identify which health promotion programs should be implemented, companies should carry out an initial diagnostic. Once the actions designed to improve well-being have been implemented, it is advisable to monitor whether the expected impact has been achieved. The SUMMAT platform can be used to carry out both the diagnostic and the monitoring, by following the procedure shown below:

♦ Definition of the diagnostic or monitoring study. The categories on which the well-being diagnostic is to be carried out are selected; these may include questions on lifestyles and the working environment (Figure 2).

♦ Diagnostic or monitoring survey. Once the study has been defined, the entire workforce is given a questionnaire that includes questions related to the issues that the company has selected. In addition, if the company wishes, the survey may include questions about workers’ participation in the health promotion programmes that have been implemented, thereby making it possible to compare the evolution of the well-being of those who participate and finish the programmes against those who do not.

Figure 2. Definition of indicators to be included in the diagnostic study.

RESULTS

After carrying out the diagnostic or monitoring study, the SUMMAT platform provides results both for the company and for the workers who have completed the surveys:

Figure 3. Graph of one of the well-being indicators.

♦ THE COMPANY: Results of the well-being diagnostic (Figure 3). The company can filter the results according to the social-demographic characteristics of the workers, the job they occupy and/or their participation in a health promotion programme, guaranteeing the total confidentiality of the participants in the study at all times. In addition, it will be able to track the evolution of the well-being of the workforce over time, and to know what effect the implemented programmes are having on the health of the workforce.

♦THE WORKFORCE: Personalised diagnostic report (Figure 4). The workers receive a report showing the results of the different well-being indicators, comparing their results with the Spanish average for their age and gender. This report is generated automatically once the questionnaire designed by the company has been completed.

Figure 4. Summary of the report provided to the worker.

CONCLUSIONS

Why is it in our interest to promote healthy people and businesses?

♦ It improves the workers' health

♦ It encourages talent retention

♦ It promotes a good working environment

♦ It increases productivity

♦ It increases the sense of belonging and the corporate image

In short, the key to a strong company is a healthy human team, and SUMMAT is the platform that can help companies to define and implement the actions required to achieve healthy companies.