Sustainability and health in the workplace

Recently, numerous concepts, approaches and standards have been developed in the corporate context that emphasise the increasing importance of sustainability (beyond the ecological component) in the workplace. The implementation of these is associated with numerous "new" tasks for companies.

Blattner & Mayer (2018) recommend continuously incorporating the topic of health into all efforts and activities relating to sustainability and anchoring it in company organisational structures and processes.

If we take a look at corporate practice, it becomes clear that an initial convergence of BGF/BGM and sustainability has so far mainly taken place in the form of individual initiatives and projects relating to the topics of "climate and health". In the long term, however, there is a need for a systematic and structured link between the topics of sustainability and health.

The aim of the project, which is being carried out on behalf of the Fonds Gesundes Österreich and the BKK umbrella organisation in Germany, is to draw up a set of arguments including quality criteria and recommendations in the form of a step-by-step guide to the long-term linking of sustainability and health in the workplace. The basis for this is provided by findings obtained through a multi-method research design. This consists of a systematic and selective literature research and analysis, a document analysis, guideline-based online interviews and a guideline-based online focus group with company representatives from Austria and Germany.