ABB wins award in Germany for exemplary health management

The jury praised the way ABB’s program is tailored to help the company cope with demographic change by addressing human resources development and knowledge management as well as the health of employees.

Winners were selected in eight industries according to criteria that include having a sustainable human resources management program and providing exemplary care for the health and performance of employees in ways that can be verified. ABB beat 18 competitors to take the prize in the electrotechnology/consumer goods category.

Maintaining and improving health is the basis for employee productivity and an important company value at ABB in Germany, according to Volker Barzyk, human resources manager at ABB in Germany. In 2007 ABB launched Fit for Life at most of its locations in Germany, including regular medical checkups and support for a range of preventive measures.

“Today’s award for our health management shows that we not only have a good concept but are also successfully implementing the related procedures,” said Barzyk.

Fit for Life is part of an integrated employee development program called Generations that aims to help employees deal with the demands of a changing work environment. The Generations program won an award from the German economics ministry in 2007.

A total of 160 companies entered the Corporate Health Award 2009 competition, which is jointly organized by a German newspaper, a research institute, and a medical and safety consultancy, under the patronage of the German labor ministry. A panel of experts selects the winners based on an analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from an annual health management survey of companies in Germany.“