At Unic, Andrina Michel ensures that the focus is not only on work, but also on the well-being of employees. To achieve this, she develops programmes that strengthen health and personal responsibility. From mindfulness to stress management - small steps make a big difference here too.
Occupational health management
The task of occupational health management is to sustainably promote and maintain the health, well-being and performance of employees. It combines organizational, preventive and health-promoting measures to strengthen both employees and the company in the long term. These include, for example, workshops and offers on the topics of stress management, mindfulness, exercise and nutrition.
Humans – more than a resource
Unic has been developing its occupational health management system since fall 2023. Andrina Michel is the main person responsible for this. She is a human resources manager, yoga teacher and has recently completed her studies in health management.
For Andrina, humans are much more than just a resource. This becomes clear to anyone who has had contact with her. She is empathetic, always has a sympathetic ear and is interested in the lives of her colleagues.
She was already fulfilling the role of health manager before it was officially created. This is demonstrated, for example, by the fact that one of her first official acts at Unic was to introduce an early warning system for overtime. Anyone who works too many overtime hours is approached and their work situation is evaluated. This is to ensure that employees do not become overburdened or, in the worst case, suffer a burnout.
Recognizing and communicating needs
Andrina wants to provide employees with tools and methods that they can easily integrate into their daily work. This is because a sense of care is essential in self-organization. That is why the focus in 2024 was on mental health. In several workshops, for example, the following questions were answered:
What signals do the body and mind send when we are stressed?
How can stress be reduced?
How can mindfulness exercises help?
How can these be integrated into everyday life?
What influence does work have on sleep?
What can employers do to promote good sleep?
However, it is not only important to recognize, name and communicate one's own needs and feelings. Sometimes external input is also needed. What can you do when you notice that a colleague is not doing well? This was the topic of the workshop “How are you?”
Setting and accepting boundaries
Among many other topics, 2025 should also be about clear communication. How do you communicate your own boundaries and how do you accept them from the other person?
Thanks to her close contact with employees, Andrina is also constantly taking on board topics that are currently on their minds. In the workshops, she believes it is important to strike a good balance between theoretical input and personal exchange.
Small steps, big differences
Change takes time. While some colleagues regularly take part in the offers, there are also those who are not yet open to them. Here, too, the “power of small steps” counts.
Even if someone only tries out one technique or changes one habit, that is a success. The positive feedback from employees, the joy on the faces of participants and the open exchange in the sessions motivate them to further expand the company health management program.