Simon Götz, group manager at Octapharma’s logistics center in Arlandastad, has over the past two years driven a comprehensive change process to improve the work environment and health of employees. And it has paid off. Simon uses MedHelp’s digital occupational health platform to support them.
Simon Götz is a Group Manager at the pharmaceutical company Octapharma’s logistics center at Arlandastad outside Stockholm. In his role, he is responsible for 13 operators who work with receiving goods at room temperature and frozen goods, sampling, and weighing materials in clean rooms, and order picking of materials used for pharmaceutical production.
Over the last two years, the department has undergone a significant change. There were problems with the working environment, signs of ill health that were not dealt with in time and several employees had work-related problems due to various types of overload. Intensive work to improve the work environment and health in the department was therefore initiated in 2018, and an early measure was to introduce a rotation-based approach, which means that the whole team rotates so that everyone performs all tasks. This has reduced the strain from repetitive movements and has also contributed to a greater understanding of different tasks and increased team spirit.
–We’ve worked hard to prevent injuries and ill-health, improve the overall working environment, and strengthen the sense of community and well-being in the team. And it has paid off, says Simon.
A noticeably better working environment
The various measures and the efforts of the entire team have together contributed to a noticeably better work environment, which is reflected in annual surveys, but also in terms of sick leave and the need for rehabilitation. Sick leave linked to the work environment and work-related health problems is now down to zero. To support the work with employee health and work environment, Octapharma has MedHelp’s absence management and rehabilitation support, through Avonova. This has helped Octapharma to reduce sick leave in recent years.
Absence management is a solution for absence reporting for employees, combined with medical advice during sick leave. The rehabilitation support helps managers follow and support an employee in rehabilitation, including templates for documentation and real-time reminders when the manager needs to take rehabilitation measures, for example, when a rehab interview after repeated short-term absences needs to be arranged.
– It’s very helpful for me to get an overview and status report of the health situation in the team, and Rehab Support provides good support for rehab cases. Sometimes I start a rehab case myself when I see that there is a need. Based on logged causes of sickness absence, I get a good picture of the situation and a basis for an action plan, says Simon.
Documentation provides a clear overview
Simon uses templates for rehabilitation and documents conversations in the platform, as well as documenting problems and risks of ill health. This provides safe and secure documentation that is a great help in the ongoing work environment management.
– The notes mean that I, as a manager, always know when conversations have been held and what has been said, and if necessary, both I and the employee can sign the documentation. It’s all about taking notes so that when we need to have a rehab interview, everything is documented in the system. It is a security both for me as a manager and for the employees, says Simon.
The tool makes it easy to involve other support functions, such as HR, and they can easily follow the progress of a case. Only those who need it have access to the information, which is important for privacy and information security reasons.
– It will be smooth and efficient as everything is gathered in the system, and I do not have to recount everything in different contexts. If we have a rehab meeting, HR can easily prepare by looking at the tool before the meeting,” says Simon.
The simplicity of the tools makes it easier for both managers and employees at Octapharma
Simon uses the platform every week, sometimes more often, to get an overview of sick leave and any rehab cases. It’s easy to see if someone has repeated short-term absences, and if the employee has chosen to report it, also understand what the absence is due to.
– This makes it easier for me and allows me to have a timely conversation with the employee, see if there is anything I and we as an employer can do, and if necessary, make an action plan to avoid unnecessary sick leave and lengthy rehabilitation.
Employees report absences via phone, computer, or app, and after reporting sick, follow-up counseling sessions are held with a nurse, which is also logged in the system with a short note. This makes it easier for Simon as a manager as he can easily get an update on the situation for each employee who is sick.
– The tool helps me to quickly get an overview. We now have fewer rehab processes underway than before, and this is probably because we are using the tool in a way that helps us to get a good overview and address deficiencies in time before the need for rehabilitation arises.
Daily work environment management with a zero vision
Octapharma, and Simon, have a zero vision when it comes to work-related sick leave. Therefore, the daily management of the work environment is very important.
– We have a perfectly reasonable level of short-term absence, so our focus is on the work environment and on working proactively to avoid overload, to avoid anyone getting hurt, and to ensure that employees are happy. We should have a good community in the team.
And the work environment in Simon’s department has improved. Simon says that he tries to be a present manager and that it is important that all employees feel safe at work, but also on the way to and from the workplace.
– Absence management and Rehab support give an overview of the situation and support me as a manager. But the change itself must be worked on constantly, it is not something that happens by itself, Simon concludes.
About Octapharma:
Octapharma is the world’s largest privately owned protein drug manufacturing company. The company produces medicines consisting of high-quality human proteins extracted from blood plasma or using recombinant DNA technology.
Octapharma has offices in 31 countries, seven R&D sites, and six production sites in Europe and North America. Octapharma in Sweden employs more than 900 people in manufacturing, warehousing/logistics, and offices.
Visit www.octapharma.se for more information.
