Start-ups are increasingly concerned with the health of their employees

Lisa Marie Münster Lisa Marie Münster | 08.07.2021

Back pain was yesterday; today, when it comes to health, start-ups are primarily concerned with the work-life balance of their employees. According to a study, the trend has been reinforced by the Corona pandemic.

Young, dynamic and digital - that's the cliché of start-ups. Whether they are really so flexible and digitalized has been shown in the Corona pandemic: A study by the German Startups Association and the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) now provides concrete figures. According to the study, 88 percent of the young companies employ digital natives. They were already working remotely before the pandemic, and in the future, working outside the traditional office will account for 61 percent of their working hours.

Employees and founders of 300 start-ups were asked about their working methods and the importance of the topic of health. "Start-ups are pioneers of the New Work - they have been working remotely for a long time and have also established a different working culture," says Alexander Hirschfeld, one of the authors of the study.

That under the remote working health can suffer, because one is constantly accessible, is obviously aware of the start-ups thereby. "Health is a resource for companies and founders," as Hirschfeld notes. According to the study, 79 percent of startups think that work-life balance will be one of the most important health issues in the next five years, and 59 percent think this about burnout. According to the study, "the high level of motivation and identification of employees in start-ups" play a major role here, promoting a loss of boundaries.

This is also reflected in the importance of values, which play a major role in start-ups and also stabilize mental health: At 56 percent, team spirit is particularly close to employees' hearts. Communication, identification and a shared vision are important to just over 50 percent each, and 45 percent consider corporate culture to be crucial.

"So in addition to New Work, we need New Health in the workplace," concludes Franziska Teubert, managing director of the start-up association, from the study. But the insight is one thing, the implementation is another: Only 29 percent of the start-ups provide human resources for the topic of health. In general, the larger the start-up, the greater the range of health-related services. In companies with more than ten employees, 52 percent name responsible persons; in start-ups with less than ten employees, 80 percent have no special person responsible for the topic of health.

What is remarkable about the study is the different weighting of the topic of health between women and men: 79 percent of female founders attach particular importance to health in their company, but only 64 percent of male founders.


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