During Mariano Amor’s workday, his body is usually required a lot. As a colleague working at one of the lines in the Montañana factory, Spain he stands or sits and sometimes he has to move more or less depending on the task given. Knowing this and having the goal to improve the employees’ health BSH opened a fitness room at the site where he can train after his shift. Since very recently his training is supported through a digital app called “EMPRESASANA” (Spanish for ‘Healthy Company’), especially developed by BSH to improve employees’ health. Everything he needs to use it is a smartphone. The app provides three levels of exercises: Beginners, Medium and Advanced which can be chosen by the employee depending on the individual training level.

The App

“This is how we can meet our consumers’ needs based on their individual levels”, says Joaquin Lasheras who is one of the project members for developing the app and Head of Labor Relations & HR Administration for BSH Spain. “Some have to strengthen their muscles, some need stretching exercises. Our overall aim is to improve our employees’ health.” To develop this app, Jose Antonio Villalba, a medical doctor in BSH, and other members of the team, closely cooperated with the University San Jorge and the accidents insurance company “MAZ Mutua de Accidentes de Zaragoza. “Via smartphone, we can give everyone easy access to exercises, no matter if he works out in our training room or at home or in the park.” Lasheras remarks.

Mariano Amor certainly recognizes a first success: “I feel better since I’ve started practicing. I often use the rubber ball to massage the neck or the elastic tape in a sitting position. These exercises really relieve the feeling of being overloaded.”

The Outlook

Lasheras vision is to further extend the exercises in the app. He, therefore, plans to include mindfulness training as well to reduce the stress level of the office workers for example. He also works on special exercises for forklift drivers as they often turn their neck while driving the forklift backward. “Our goal is to support all our employees – regardless if they work in front of a computer, at the line, or drive a forklift. Every workplace has its own needs and demands,” Lasheras says.

In addition, local medical staff and a physiotherapist regularly visit the employees at their workplace. “They closely examine the movement patterns of each employee during the working process and give feedback for improvement. The goal is to reduce job-related problems with the back for example,” Lasheras explains. “Furthermore they talk about possible exercises which can be then found in the app ‘EMPRESASANA’.”

Also, Mariano Amor has a vision for the future: “I wished that more people would use the app and practice regularly. You can catch a habit by practicing regularly – especially when you do it together!”