For the third time after 2015 and 2018, the University of Stuttgart was honored with the Corporate Health Award (CHA) on December 9, 2020. The results of an audit proved once again that the university shows an exemplary commitment to the health and operational capability of its employees.
In workplace health management (BGM), the University of Stuttgart impressed with its professional management structures and a variety of measures and actions aimed at promoting health. The expert jury was particularly impressed with the wide range of advisory services, but also with the so-called power breaks as well as a mindfulness concept at the workplace. Close links with top-level management structures at the University also underline the value of health management. As the winner of the “Healthy University” special honor, the University of Stuttgart is sending out an important message to the whole higher education sector in Germany.
Jan Gerken, Chancellor of the University of Stuttgart, commented on winning the “Healthy University” special honor once again: “Being able to contribute towards encouraging our employees to live a healthy lifestyle has been an important part of our corporate culture for a number of years. So we’re very happy to have this commitment recognized by winning this award again.”
BGM Leader Pauline Vogel added: “The corona pandemic has turned everything upside down this year and also posed enormous challenges to our university. Keeping our employees healthy in these challenging times has become much more important.”
Scientific expertise and the evaluation process
The award is the most prestigious prize in Germany for excellent workplace health management. The main aim of the comprehensive evaluation, auditing and expert process is to increase awareness among those in management positions in particular of the necessity of investing in operational health systems and to ensure that the university remains competitive in the face of demographic change. The number of applicants for the award, who underwent a rigorous scientific selection process by way of comparison with others in the industry, rose again this year to a total of 352 organizations. When evaluating the study data, it became clear that occupational health promotion initiatives are a tried and tested tool, though organizations are focusing more on corporate health “strategies” and “structures”. Likewise, they recognize the importance of having the right corporate culture for the future well-being of their organization at management level.
About the CHA
The Corporate Health Award, which was set up by EUPD and the Handelsblatt Media Group in 2009, is awarded every year to employers who go the extra mile to ensure the good health of their employees and which pursue a pro-active, sustainable personnel strategy. The special honor “Healthy University” for excellent workplace health management was awarded this year by the health insurance provider Techniker Krankenkasse. The award entitles the company to use the CHA logo in job advertisements and on letter templates.