The health of employees is of central importance in today's working world - including at Eawag. Occupational health management ensures that employees can do their work in a healthy and sustainable environment. This includes topics such as ergonomics, mental health, nutrition, exercise, and the atmosphere. Only 90 companies in Switzerland are officially recognised as ‘Friendly Workspaces’. Eawag is now one of them.

The assessment for certification with the label took place in autumn and it became clear that Eawag is already doing a lot to be a Friendly Workspace. Among other things, the committee particularly emphasised Eawag's commitment to work-life balance, development opportunities for employees, environmental protection, and commitment to the common good. ‘The health of our employees is of central importance to us. The label shows us that we are on the right track and helps us to further optimise our services,’ says Lenny Winkel, member of the Eawag Directorate, who attended the award ceremony as a representative of the Directorate.

An ongoing process

Of course, there is still room for improvement. The structurisation is an area where Eawag can still improve. ‘The framework structure and the assessment ensure that we can tackle certain issues more efficiently in future and regularly check whether the measures are still sufficient,’ says Jadranka Vögelin, Head of Corporate Health Management at Eawag. Because Eawag cannot rest on its laurels. The Health Promotion Switzerland assessment procedure is repeated every three years.

However, Eawag is making very good progress and will continue to expand its range of services for employees and improve its internal processes step by step.