Workplace health promotion. Occupational health management is the future of prevention. The effort is worthwhile for nutrition experts, companies, the state and society.
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Prevention Act
Workplace health promotion (WHP) has been given a new boost by the Prevention Act. Or should it be called workplace health management (WHM)?? What is the difference? An important question for nutrition professionals who want to enter or specialize here.
One thing in advance: even experts do not always correctly distinguish between the two. In addition, the subject is enormously complex. Those who see their professional future or an important mainstay here should not be deterred by it. Because nutrition, along with exercise, stress and addiction, is one of four fields of action for which health insurers must spend money.
And more and more companies are also looking for competent help and are happy to invest in the health of their employees. From it they hope a good. Productive working atmosphere as well as competitive advantages in their industry.
How must dieticians, nutritionists and nutritionists position themselves so that other professional groups do not occupy their core topics?? What helps them to decide to what extent they want to use BGF or BGF-assistants?. want to offer BGM services? The answers are inform, qualify, professionalize and network.
Inform: Legal basics and funding
The Prevention Act has been in force since 2015. The "Prevention Guide. Fields of action. Criteria according to § 20 Abs. Fields of action. Criteria according to § 20 para. 2 SGB V" regulates the details for implementation. In the process, workplace health promotion has been significantly strengthened. Companies are ideally suited to offering prevention and health promotion services to men and women. the woman. More than 35 pages are devoted to workplace health promotion and its anchoring in workplace health management. They describe the concrete requirements for target groups, goals, measures and provider qualifications within the four fields of action.
Prevention guidelines
The guide also explains the six phases of the health promotion process: preparation phase, benefits and development of structures, analysis, action planning, implementation and evaluation.
§ Section 20 of the German Social Code (SGB V) regulates the financing of health promotion by the statutory health insurance funds (SHI funds): These funds must spend at least 2.15 euros per insured person on health promotion. Add to this at least 1 euro per insured person for BGF in care facilities. At the same time, companies can make per-employee. invest up to 500 euros per year in health promotion measures, free of wage tax.
For many companies, the GKV is the first port of call when they want to take advantage of financial support for BGF and get started in this complex field. In most cases, they turn to the health insurance company with which part of their workforce is insured. The insurers are now very professional, offer comprehensive advice and accompany companies throughout the process. The AOK alone, for example, provides support to several hundred companies each year through its BGF Institute, which has around 75 permanent employees and a pool of 200 freelancers.
But also all other GKV occupy this field of activity. For certified nourishing specialists, who would like to offer their achievement as fee forces, they can be interesting clients. Especially newcomers gain their first experience. The concepts of occupational health management (OHM). Operational health promotion (BGF) are often equated. However, BGF is only one pillar of BGM. The offers are for employees. Employers voluntarily. The two other pillars of BGM are called work and health-. Health protection and company integration management. BGM means the big picture, while BGF is more about the content. This includes concepts. Measures in the field of nutrition.
Qualify and think big: nutrition experts in BGM
In terms of sustainable prevention, experts demand a holistic BGM that takes all areas and stakeholders into account. These are for example works council, company doctor, health insurance companies and accident insurance companies. For example, anonymized data from integration management can provide important information for the needs analysis of a BGF concept.
Today, large companies generally pursue an overall occupational health management strategy. For this purpose, they create in-house positions. Supplement this with external support. Small and medium-sized enterprises – abbreviated to SMEs – are often overwhelmed by this at first. They rely on specialized service providers. Who would like to position itself here completely at the top and gladly conceptional work, must know itself very well and proceed highly professionally.
Nutritionists in particular have a good starting position due to their interdisciplinary studies. You have content-related. Methodical skills. However, in order to accompany a company from the analysis through the implementation of measures to the evaluation, a deeper understanding of company structures is needed. This can be gained through practical experience or further training to become a company health manager. The designation "company health manager" is not protected by law. There are numerous training institutes. Interested parties should, before booking, consider the contents. Compare prices of the offers exactly.
Professionalize: Acting self-confidently and entrepreneurially
Understanding and using social media
If you want to be successful with BGM/BGF, you need a professional external image. This includes a website that contains more than just the reference "I also offer measures for companies". Once the potential customer has landed on the site, he wants to know at first glance whether he is in the right place: Is the provider well acquainted with the framework and financing conditions?? Which concrete consulting services. Packages of measures are available? Are the needs of different target groups known, for example shift workers, field workers, managers?
Many companies feel better off if there seems to be a whole team behind the offer. Even if someone works as a sole proprietor or freelancer, they will bring colleagues on board if necessary. This can be emphasized by formulations such as "We support you".
At the same time, the rules of search engine optimization must be taken to heart. This increases the likelihood of being "found" when a potential client Googles for "workplace health promotion city XY". Activities on suitable social media channels promote visibility on the web.
And a self-confident attitude is also decisive in direct customer contact. Nutritionists in particular, who tend to be reluctant to offer advice, should be aware of this. As a BGF service provider, I would like to convince the customer that the investment is not only worthwhile for the health of each individual, but also virtually contributes to a healthy and successful company.
At the same time, it is important to find out how open the decision-makers are to change in the company and what budget is available. All this leads to the clear formulation and budgeting of the work assignment and volume.
Also nourishing specialists, who offer only individual BGF measures, should think and act entrepreneurially as well as submit detailed calculated offers. This is not only common business practice in the free economy. Thus it becomes transparent and comparable, which achievements the customer receives for which money. And only in such a way fees can be realized, which correspond to the achievement and expertise of the offerer.
Seminars and training BGF / BGM
Special seminars for nourishing specialists make a further training for BGF or BGM possible; so for example with the association for independent health consultation (UGB) .
The Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW) is developing an online course in occupational health management for ecotrophologists under the direction of Professor Annegret Flothow. In the first part, this free course provides an overview of the topics of nutrition and health in the workplace. The planned second part will contain BGM basics, practical examples and a toolbox.
The Federal Center for Nutrition offers webinars for nutritionists on the use of the nutrition pyramid in BGMan.
Networking: Successful and secure networking
Even, who masters its handicraft, gets as Einzelkampfer often only with difficulty ?a leg in the door ?. Specialties. This is how large tenders can be won. Exploit synergies in the acquisition of new customers. How to win big tenders. Exploiting synergies in the acquisition of new customers. There are special networks for nutrition professionals at the respective professional associations.
Networks for nutrition professionals
The Professional Association of Oecotrophology (VDOE) offers its members the opportunity to exchange opinions and experiences in the newly founded BGF network. It promises an information advantage for its members and the concrete switching of job offers and projects for Freiberufler.
The Association of Dietitians (VDD), together with Hanna-Kathrin Kraaibeek, who specializes in BGF, has developed the umbrella brand Save Nutrition Network. BGF measures are also jointly implemented under this brand, as well as information. Placing orders with network members.
Helpful is a good cross-linking on local level: With group practices or medical supplying centers. Through contacts with chambers of trade, authorities and health insurance companies. Through contacts in sports clubs and the local media. Some municipalities already employ a coordinator. The sees exactly, in which quarters there are which needs and co-operates closely with the health insurance companies.
As the overall demand for BGM/BGF support grows, more and more service providers are entering the market. Many are looking for qualified nutrition professionals. A good place to start is with specialist networks that operate under their own umbrella brand and with tested modules.
And on the level of the enterprises measures can be realized by unions of small and smallest enterprises, for which each individual alone does not have the resources. The magic word is company neighborhoods. In this way, several companies in a municipality or in a business park tackle the topic of health promotion at the same time – with the support of health insurance companies and external service providers. In this way, measures such as health days or training courses can be implemented jointly.
BGF as a mainstay for certified nutritionists
Companies do not always want comprehensive advice right from the start. SMEs in particular more frequently request individual measures such as health days or nutrition lectures, which the health insurance funds easily support.
Many nutritionists are happy to fulfill these requests: they are a welcome change and enrichment to the counseling and therapy in their own practice. And often there is a pleasant side effect: employees find their way to individual counseling when they want to solve individual problems.
Sometimes you can't get around smoothie or wrap workshops as door openers. At first glance, such measures may not seem very demanding, but they are extremely popular with many companies. Who arranges it skillfully, supplies deepening information to a balanced nutrition. Thus nutrition specialists show that they have more to offer than less well-trained competitors.
On the other hand, presentations on topics such as "Brainfood" or "Eating during shift work" should not only fit the target group perfectly in terms of content. Only presented in an entertaining and modern way, they achieve the optimal effect.
If everyone enjoyed it, the basis was laid for a longer cooperation. This is something everyone should keep in mind, even when negotiating prices for private services. Because if you sell your services too cheaply, it's hard to renegotiate later on.
Nutrition experts as BGF/BGM experts
is a network of professionals operating throughout Germany. It offers under its roof Betriebliche Gesundheitsforderung (BGF) from the analysis to the evaluation for business customers.
offers with its team BGF concepts and measures for enterprises and further training for nourishing specialists. Together with the VDD, it works under the joint umbrella brand “Save Nutrition Network.
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