Quality of life at work for staff
Fulfilment, well-being at work and work-life balance are at the heart of our concerns.
With this in mind, we are focusing our actions around:
- Stepped-up vigilance on work conditions and quality of life at work, and in particular on health and safety at work
- A strong commitment to diversity, and in particular a strong focus on the 82% of women in our Group
- Individually tailored training pathways
- Individually tailored integration pathways
- Agile working structures, based on tailored work schedules
LISTENING TO STAFF
Productive industrial relations
The inauguration of a European Works Council in June 2020, the agreement on which, signed in April 2019, was hailed as the first in the sector, marks an important step in the development of open, responsible and mature industrial relations at European level. Its aim is to move the contract ahead in Europe, based on strong, local industrial relations at country level.
Two permanent working groups were created, focusing on employment issues (hiring, training, mobility, workplace gender equality, diversity), and on health (safety, occupational risk prevention and quality of work issues).
"The working groups set up within the framework of the European Committee will, I am sure, provide a real opportunity for discussion and for deployment of best practices from one country to another. It is essential that this body stands as a forum for sharing, with transparency as a priority, and promoting respect for everyone, with the sole aim of protecting the interests of the staff, the women and men of the Korian Group in Europe".
"Korian's European Works Council marks a new stage in the construction of open, responsible and mature industrial relations at European level, which advances Korian’s social contract in all countries where the Group operates in Europe and enables us to deliver on our ‘In Caring Hands’ promise in consultation with employee representatives."
Commitment survey conducted among all our staff
Every two years in Europe, we carry out an internal staff satisfaction barometer called "Kommunity", which is conducted digitally among all Group employees.
It evaluates the staff member’s role and pride in their work, their sense of belonging within their facility and the Group, their work environment, collaboration among teams, and skills development.
The results of the latest survey in 2021 show:
- 77% of staff are committed to their role
Mechanisms for listening to and supporting staff
To help improve the well-being of our staff at work, the social assistance department is a vital, neutral and confidential source of information, advice, listening and guidance. It responds to different types of issues related to social, family and professional situations, and housing, health and access to rights.
Social workers provide specific support for caregiver staff who are having to care for a dependent person at home, with solutions including financial support to pay for home care or respite options, and a top-up payment to compensate towards a loss of earnings due to compassionate care leave. The scheme allowing staff to donate days off to a colleague with a sick child can be extended to include partners and elderly parents. A healthcare assistance fund has been set up to help struggling staff meet healthcare costs.
In addition, an anonymous and confidential psychological hotline allows our staff to exchange ideas, receive support and gain perspective on a difficult situation.
An assessment of occupational risks is also carried out in the other countries in the Group. In Italy and Spain, for example, each site has a Health Committee made up of staff and company representatives.
HEALTH, SAFETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE AT WORK: OUR PRIORITY
The health, safety and quality of life at work of our staff are priorities for Korian and represent a true pillar for management. Regular discussion on these issues take place with the social partners.
At the end of 2019, in the belief that collective awareness is the primary condition for any progress in health and safety at work, Korian confirmed this commitment at European level by drafting and signing the Health and Safety at Work Charter.
In October 2017 in France, we were the first company in the sector to sign an agreement on Quality of Life at Work with the majority of the Trade Unions present in the company. This agreement is due to be renewed soon.
We pay particular attention to accident prevention, assessing occupational risk, and managing psychosocial risk. We ensure that our teams are encouraged to adopt the correct movements and postures to reduce the risk of occupational illness and accidents. The Korian Academy offers dedicated training courses to all our staff to improve comfort and safety when handling patients and to reduce musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and psychosocial problems, for example in conflict situations.
In Belgium, the occupational health department has run special programmes at all facilities on stress management (meditation, breathing, yoga, etc.), road safety and respect in the workplace.
The Korian Foundation Germany has developed a training course for caregivers on stress management and self care, based on an interactive model combining breathing exercises, yoga and coaching with a better work-life balance. Similarly, a digital application with the partner "Humanoo" offers German employees a package of services and best practices to improve their occupational health situation.
Throughout Europe, ergonomists are involved in renovation and construction projects, and in acquiring appropriate equipment to reduce physical effort for staff. For example, rooms equipped with motorised ceiling rails enable residents to be moved with less effort, facilitating care, and therefore improving the relationship between caregivers and residents. In Lyon, in France, a fully digitalised "teaching room" equipped with transfer rails enables nursing assistants to be trained remotely in the correct movements and postures.
In homes, caregivers use a tablet with a camera, connected to the care software, to dispense medication, record pain and monitor wounds. The nurse or nursing assistant enters the data directly into the system, which speeds up transmission and avoids the errors usually associated with duplicate data entry.