Health & Safety at Work

Occupational Health Management 

Within the Migros Group companies, activities aimed at boosting the ability to work, preventing incapacity and facilitating reintegration into working life are systematically managed and optimised as part of occupational health management (OHM).

Migros aims to ensure that its occupational health management meets the highest standards. To this end, the Migros companies regularly undergo a multi-tier qualification process aimed at acquiring or retaining the national label Friendly Work Space®.

Seventeen companies of the Migros Group have already been awarded the Friendly Work Space® quality seal. Ten of these originate from the Cooperative Retailing strategic business unit, three from Industry & Wholesaling and four from the remaining business units. In 2015, the Migros Cooperatives Neuchâtel-Fribourg, Ticino and Zurich, as well as Mifa, were certified for the first time and four other companies were successfully recertified.

The certifications are proof of the positive advances in the Migros Group’s occupational health management and will facilitate its integration and continuous development within the Group. 

Occupational health & safety

Migros meets its legal responsibility towards employees with a group-wide solution (GWS) for the Migros companies. The GWS ensures the systematic implementation of occupational health and safety. Strengths and potential measures are identified across the companies and mutual solutions are developed. In addition, the companies are continuously informed of the latest health and safety aspects and receive support from specialists as well as subject-specific work and communication tools.

Prevention & health promotion

To maintain and boost working capacity, systematic prevention and health promotion measures are taken within the Migros Group companies. This is reflected in the organisation of work, the working conditions, the infrastructure and corporate culture, as well as in the wide range of health-promoting activities and information.

On the basis of regular staff surveys and discussions, potential measures are identified and developed. Such as in the area of ergonomics, which is concerned with optimum workplace design taking into account the characteristics of the human body in order to prevent adverse health effects.

Prevention and health promotion is also important when it comes to mental health. The companies have access to various jointly developed tools, such as ones to help identify psychological strain at an early stage or reintegrate absentees. Material was also created to raise awareness of the subject.

Absenteeism & case management

A key aspect of the Migros companies’ social responsibility is the support and reintegration of sick or injured employees. Support discussions are held as soon as possible with those affected and reintegration processes are actively promoted. Measures are taken quickly and in accordance with the needs of the employees. Those responsible for care both internally and externally work together closely to activate the resources needed for optimum support.

On this basis, it was possible to improve the collaboration between the different network partners even further thanks to a central IV contact person in French-speaking Switzerland who is very familiar with the circumstances of the IV offices and the affected Migros companies.

Working hours, absence & accidents

At Migros, OHM is integrated in the management systems as a strategic element and is an integral part of responsible business management.

Several companies with little prior experience of occupational health management became part of the Migros Group in the reporting year. The flu pandemic at the start of the year also had an impact on the statistics.

The percentage of hours worked against paid working hours decreased slightly to 80.8% in the reporting year. At 95.1%, the health rate was also slightly down on the previous year. The rate of absence due to accident and illness was 4.3%, a slight improvement on the previous year.

The rise in the absence rate was mainly due to a rise in illness-related absence by 0.27% to 3.65%. On the other hand, the absence rate for occupational accidents remained the same (0.26%) and rose only slightly for non-occupational accidents (0.43%).

The accident rates analysed by SUVA over a period of five years show a trend towards less risk of occupational and non-occupational accidents in the Migros Group In the distribution and service companies, the trend is even clearer.

In line with the company mission, Migros performs a number of activities to offer health-promoting working conditions. Other activities have a direct impact on the conduct of employees at work and make staff more aware of how to behave safely, including in their leisure time.

Reintegration support is also offered to disability pensioners. In 2015, Migros employed around 770 people who receive a disability pension; this corresponds to 0.9% of all staff in Switzerland. In Cooperative Retailing, this figure stands at around 1%