A ‘quality of life’ programme devised by the German chemical company Henkel in Brazil has helped the company to reduce absenteeism at work.
Henkel Loctite in Sao Paulo has been running the programme since 1999, when it decided to use health specialists to develop daily ergonomic exercises for use by staff in the workplace.
All departments, including administration and production, are involved. The company says the number of employees reporting work-related arm and back problems has since fallen by more than 80 per cent.
The figures are revealed in Henkel’s first sustainability report, which says workers in other parts of the world have also shown enthusiasm for company-run health initiatives.
In the German-based Henkel Teroson division, around one in five staff have taken part in a ‘fit for the future’ project that offers help on a number of health issues, including cancer prevention.
The report, which reflects Henkel’s recent moves towards a greater focus on socially responsible policies rather than just those concerned with the environment, also reveals that the company wants to develop more ‘community outreach’ projects around the world.
This follows outreach work by its Henkel SPIC India division in Karaikal, in the south of the subcontinent. The division offered local farmers free soil tests, seeds and training in new farming methods. It claims that as a result the Karaikal plant ‘has become well known throughout the region, which is a significant advantage in attracting suitable employees’.
Five Henkel sites in the US and Canada have also set up community advisory panels of Henkel representatives and interested parties. The panels suggest how the company can foster ‘mutual understanding and good neighbourly relations’.
Last year the group set up a sustainability council on social and environmental policies and launched a code of conduct covering social issues such as diversity and harassment.
Henkel, which makes adhesives, cosmetics and home care products, employs 61,000 people in 77 countries.