Health screening of workers has saved lives
KÉSZ Group has always paid particular attention to the health well-being of its employees, which in 2024 will be supported by a company-wide health programme. The initiative was backed by several of the Group's campaigns: the Kecskemét screening was financed by the Group's foundation, while the Szeged screenings were funded by the sustainability campaign. As a result of this initiative, in 2024 all KÉSZ Group employees in Hungary had the opportunity to monitor their health and participate in health screenings. We spoke to István Árvai, Head of the Group's Health Promotion Foundation, and Zoltán Légrády, Head of the Quality Business Unit of KÉSZ Group, about this.
What can a company do for its workers?
While KÉSZ Group's office staff can benefit from a complex package of services with a private healthcare provider, which is renewed year on year, similar screening tests will be available for the rest of the company's employees in 2024. Last year was a year of screenings for the Group, as all physical workers had the opportunity to undergo a health check-up.
"Many of our sites offered the opportunity to participate, so coordinating times and locations was an important aspect in scheduling and organising screenings. We wanted everyone to have the opportunity to participate." - István Árvai, head of the health promotion organisation of KÉSZ Group, pointed out.
In the first half of the year, KÉSZ Next! sustainability programme funded a screening bus service to two sites in Szeged and Kecskemét to assess the health of physical staff. Zoltán Légrády, Head of the Quality Business Unit of KÉSZ Group, stressed the importance of screening colleagues:
"Achieving zero occupational accidents is not only our sustainability goal, but also a well-understood business interest. As a responsible employer, we have already organised EHS days with a practical training focus to prevent workplace accidents, well-being lectures and a series of workshops on healthy lifestyles, nutrition and stress management, and in spring 2024 we will organise a wide-ranging e-learning programme on physical and mental health.
Focus on health promotion
For construction-focused companies, medical screening of employees is of particular importance, as a number of risk variables play a key role in these professions. In addition to accident prevention, health prevention can make a major contribution to the physical and mental performance of workers, which also determines workplace atmosphere and morale. Regular screenings allow the detection of early diseases, such as respiratory problems or the prevention of work-related accidents. In 2006, KÉSZ Group Foundation was created to help people in need with health and social issues.
"It is a board of nine trustees, made up of engineers, lawyers, labour experts and former factory managers. We are not doctors or social workers. Our board of trustees are helpful people who want to do good. We are guided by goodwill and we participate in the management of the programme on a voluntary basis. We are not the professional side, but we can give financial support to those in need." - the manager underlined.
Recently, the foundation organised a large-scale health check-up for workers in Kecskemét, where nearly 100 people had their health assessed at the mobile screening point. "MÁÉSZ (Hungary's Comprehensive Health Screening Programme) is a team of doctors that has been operating for 15 years and its work is open to applications. There is a long waiting list, so we were very lucky to be able to organise this big event." - recalled István Árvai, adding, "In the spring, they indicated that they would have a free time in the autumn, so we got the word out to all our employees by involving managers and using corporate communication channels."
It can save lives
At the autumn screening, the first thing the medical team of the screening van did was to take a blood sample, which of course can then be used to go in many directions. Participants also had the opportunity to request additional, special tests at cost price.
"Our organisation took on the funding of 52 tests, which included a wide range of analyses from cardiological tests, pulmonary and dental screenings to blood cancer screening. We have tried to request as complex a package as possible for our employees."
Previously, they had also organised a special PSA screening for men, in which more than eighty of their colleagues took part, and unfortunately some of them tested positive. They were referred to a specialist urologist for a more detailed evaluation.
"We've had to support someone's treatment abroad because that was the only place to go, or we've had to take a colleague to a specialist in the country privately. This is when our network of professional contacts can be really useful. The reason we organise these screenings is to save lives: if our staff can catch illnesses early, they have a good chance of recovery, even in the case of serious problems. Our main aim with screenings is to give you a head start. If our colleagues are not in good health, the whole company cannot function well."
In addition to health screenings, the Group also provides a number of opportunities, such as sports and recreation programmes to strengthen employer branding.
"We have many of these activities, all of which are organised to make it fun to be a SNE," said the chairman of the board of trustees, who added: "It is important to have a pleasant working environment. And if we have that, maybe we will feel better in our own skin and take better care of our health - after all, a healthy person can really work effectively."