Good working conditions and exemplary health and safety policies form part of NRW.BANK’s corporate responsibility. For many years, the Bank has implemented this in the context of its occupational health management system, which is continuously being expanded and adapted to its needs. Services range from company medical care – which goes far beyond the requirements of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) – to a social worker providing confidential assistance and a variety of offerings revolving around such topics as preventive medicine, nutrition and sports.
Occupational health promotion activities aim to encourage healthy behaviour and reduce avoidable strains in the workplace. NRW.BANK regularly conducts a hazard analysis focusing on mental strains, during which all employees are successively consulted about potentially hazardous circumstances and stress factors at work. Thanks to the collaboration between the responsible persons – especially the Occupational Safety Officer, the Occupational Medical Service, the staff council, the Social Officer, HR management, building management and the IT Department as well as the managers and executives – any strains identified by the survey are usually eliminated in an unbureaucratic way.
Basically, NRW.BANK has two working groups which are responsible for all health protection issues for the benefit of all employees:
- The Occupational Safety Committee advises the Bank on all matters of occupational safety as well as accident prevention. Its members comprise representatives of the Bank, the staff council, the Occupational Medical Service, the representatives of the severely disabled, a Safety Officer and the Occupational Safety Officer.
- The Health Working Circle further develops NRW.BANK’s health management and decides on concrete measures. In addition to the Human Resources staff responsible for health management, the regular meetings are attended by the Occupational Medical Service, the social counsellor, the Occupational Safety Officer, the representatives of the severely disabled as well as a representative of the staff council. To ensure that the services provided by the staff restaurant can also be reasonably integrated, the catering services unit is also invited to the Health Working Circle depending on the occasion.
The Bank’s diverse health management offerings, which are usually free, are available to all employees. All internal health promotion measures have been pooled on a central, digital health platform. Besides comprehensive information, the platform offered employees the opportunity to easily and flexibly book external health and fitness courses in the reporting year. NRW.BANK subsidised participation in certified prevention programmes with up to € 150 per employee per year and covered 75% of the costs of such programmes. More than 90% of the employees have registered on this platform to take advantage of the opportunity to find information about health topics including nutrition or to book courses.
In 2024, NRW.BANK’s Equal Opportunities Officer again organised “MOVEMBER” – the month of men’s health – which included digital presentations, texts and stimulating impulses on various health-related topics.
As a bicycle-friendly company, NRW.BANK offers its employees the perfect infrastructure for cycling to and from work. To promote this activity and the physical well-being resulting from it, NRW.BANK offers its employees the opportunity to lease a bicycle by providing financial support for the payment of the monthly lease instalment. The Bank also reimburses the costs of bicycle safety training to its employees.
Under the motto “Wir für andere” (We for others), employees of NRW.BANK also make health-related contributions to society, such as:
- an annual blood donation campaign, which the Bank organises at both locations in cooperation with the German Red Cross and in which many employees participate,
- an ongoing bone marrow typing opportunity via the Occupational Medical Service in cooperation with the Bone Marrow Donation Centre in Düsseldorf,
- short training courses to refresh first-aid skills in cooperation with Die Johanniter.
All current occupational health and safety measures as well as NRW.BANK’s future plans are detailed in the annual health report, which the Bank publishes on the intranet.
But preventive check-ups, no matter how expertly planned and performed, cannot entirely prevent illnesses. NRW.BANK’s post-illness reintegration management system helps employees restart work after long illness and stabilise their health in the long term. This is a service aimed at defining individualised measures matched to the working environment through personal talks with employees affected by illness. The Bank is acutely aware of the sensitive personal issues involved in this process and places the highest importance on respecting the discretion of those affected to accept or reject this option as well as ensuring complete confidentiality and data protection.
