Published: 2018-12-05

Umeå University named healthiest organisation in the county

NEWS Umeå University has been appointed the healthiest organisation in Västerbotten County and is hence a finalists in the battle for the national title Sweden's Healthiest Company 2018. The University is seen as a good example, a company that fights vigorously hard to create a healthy and flourishing workplace.

PhotoMattias Pettersson

"It's a great honour and it means a lot to us," says Vice-Chancellor Hans Adolfsson, when he and Ann-Christin Edlund, Deputy Human Resources Director, accepted the diploma from Joachim Morath, CEO of the occupational health care service Feelgood. "The basis in succeeding is to carry out long-term work and to involve both members of staff and students at the University. Over 160 companies and organisations in Sweden participated in the competition that was instigated by Feelgood."

Umeå University provided in-depth answers to a number of questions relating to work environment and health, and the answers were reviewed before the seven finalists were picked out. The national winner will be appointed in March 2019 by the jury consisting of experts in work environment and health.

"For good health and performance, we find it important that employees feel involved and able to influence things," says Ann-Christin Edlund, Deputy Human Resources Director at Umeå University. "Questions of work environment and outreach are complex, but are also an important part of the managerial training programme. It's a huge challenge at the University that managerial positions are limited in time."

Beside managerial training programmes on all levels, the University has also invested in regular event such as Culture on Campus and Health on Campus aimed at the well-being of both faculty, staff and students.

"Work environment is a complex factor in higher education due to its nature of unclear boundaries between work and spare time, financial pressure and rotating leadership. And despite all this, Umeå University has through a long and systematic investment in work environment on several levels showed that they take questions of work environment and employee health seriously," says Joachim Morath, CEO of Feelgood.

The jury's motivation

The fact that Umeå University has created a healthy organisation is no coincidence – it is the result of a long and systematic investment in work environment on several levels and in all areas. The University is continuously working with leadership development and managerial support providing the right conditions for successful and health-promoting leadership.

With their awareness of the importance of acting early and of the challenges in enjoying work but not overworking yourself, they are working with preventative measures and a long-term approach to counteract ill health.

The stabile rules and regulations of the organisation, the comprehensive view on work environment and health, and accessible support for managers and co-workers qualifies Umeå University as the winner in Västerbotten County, resulting in becoming a finalists in the competition for the title of Sweden's Healthiest Company.