At Hilti, employee well-being and occupational health management are a priority. Does this have to do with the corporate culture or is it simply worth investing in the well-being of your employees?
We do not ask ourselves whether it pays off. The culture journey, the Sherpas and the internal processes are in place. We do this because we are convinced that we are doing the right thing. However, when I look at the increasing number of lost working hours, the costs are certainly relevant – at the latest when our insurance company complains about the rise in absences during the insurance contract negotiations, which are held every four years. This raises the question of what we can do about this together within the scope of the selected elipsLife prevention package. Although Hilti invests heavily in the well-being of its employees, we also have issues we wish to continue focusing on.

What led Hilti to invest in occupational health management?
It is not an investment in occupational health management per se, but in cultural work. We are strengthening our sense of togetherness. This will make us more sustainable in the long term. There is a direct correlation between cultural work and health because the psychological component is very important. Even company founder Martin Hilti described the employees as his greatest asset, which must be taken care of. Hilti’s fundamental approach of “care and perform” therefore goes back to the company founder himself. His son Michael Hilti maintained this attitude and started the culture journey to ensure there was a balance between caring and performance. Hilti today is an incredibly fast-moving and complex company. We would barely be able to cope with the challenges we face without cultural work.

Corporate culture – a term often quoted and yet the meaning of the word is difficult to grasp. What do you think is a “good corporate culture”?
A good corporate culture is characterised by listening to your people and taking their needs into account. Firstly, this requires managers who work with people and not just tell them what to do. Secondly, employees’ views must be sought. And thirdly – at least at Hilti – we need around 60 Great Place-to-Work Ambassadors. They help make Hilti an attractive employer. Our ambassadors are enthusiastic about their work. They have realised that they can make a difference with cultural work.

Are corporate culture, fringe benefits and occupational health management already issues that are discussed in job interviews?
Fringe benefits are always a topic discussed in job interviews, although Hilti does not offer a wide range of benefits. Nevertheless, we are able to be an attractive employer because we do well in terms of other benefits. For example, in collaboration with Kyan Health, an ETH start-up, we have launched an app that employees can use to reflect on themselves, meditate, consult a coach or even seek psychological support. The app offers various modules, but also allows employees to call a psychologist at any time for immediate support by telephone. We offer this support not only to our employees, but also to their relatives living in the same household. And about a year after its launch, we can see that the app is being actively used.

Which health issues are most important to employees?
Not mental health per se, but stress and coping with pressure. This has increased sharply since the coronavirus pandemic. I have the impression that people today are less resilient. Whether this is due to isolation during the pandemic, a consequence of rapid technological developments, other aspects or a mix of different causes, I cannot say. At any rate, growing personal pressure and pressure in the workplace have made life more intense and are pushing more and more people to their limits.

Since when have you noticed this development?
This has been increasing since the transition to the post-pandemic phase. While we had an average of one burnout case per year at Hilti before the pandemic, today the figure is significantly higher. An increasing number of people are finding it difficult to keep pace mentally. It is also striking that prior to the pandemic, employees aged 50 and over were more likely to be affected. Today I have 22- and 26-year-olds who tell me that everything is too much for them.

Does Hilti Switzerland employ its own case manager to assist employees with their reintegration?
The Sherpas are full-time cultural managers, but we don’t employ our own case manager. Hilti has concluded a prevention package with elipsLife enabling us to activate a case manager at any time. The case manager is a professional whose job is to support people affected by listening to them and assessing what they hear. This enables them to act as a professional advisor to those affected who can make recommendations on administrative matters and refer them to doctors and psychologists.

Do SMEs receive sufficient support from insurers?
Each SME has to ask itself what it is willing to invest in order to get the support it needs. I have experience of different insurers with which supplementary packages can be taken out. It goes without saying that these cost money. These costs are not questioned at Hilti because prevention is something we value. However, whether it is still appropriate to have to take out additional packages for prevention is another question. In my view, these services should be part of every basic package.