safe & sound - Healthcare Management at DESY

The working conditions of our employees are a central concern of DESY. This is important not only for the assessment of risks deriving from psychological stress but also for future decision-making. For this reason, we need information on your job satisfaction at DESY – your participation is of course voluntary and anonymous. The employee survey which is based on the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) will be carried out simultaneously in all DESY departments in Hamburg and Zeuthen.

1.  Why do we carry out an employee survey? 

According to §5 of the German Occupational Safety and Health Act, DESY as an employer is obliged to assess and document psychological stress at work. The employee survey results will provide the necessary information for assessment to the DESY management. Moreover, with a screening procedure, DESY will measure and record the status quo of working conditions in order to make the effects and changes measurable in the future.

2. Which is the DESY approach?

DESY decided to contract out this project and commissioned the research institute for occupational sciences FFAW (Freiburger Forschungsstelle für Arbeitswissenschaften GmbH) to carry out the survey. FFAW applies the COPSOQ (Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire) screening questionnaire developed in Denmark. This questionnaire is currently used in 15 countries and, within the framework of risks assessment, proved successful in the acquisition of data on mental health dangers. In a general view, the inquiry covers the following areas: job requirements, influence and development possibilities, social relationships and management, life and job satisfaction, and health and wellbeing. The COPSOQ procedure provides both, an internal benchmarking and an external comparison with reference data from comparable institutions or from similar occupational groups. The responsible FFAW institute in Freiburg collected more than 100 000 record sets all over Germany.

3. Who will take part?

All DESY employees in Hamburg and Zeuthen managed by the human resources department V2 and paid by DESY are invited to take part in the survey. This does not include pupils doing an internship, summer students, guest scientists and agency workers.

4. How will the survey be carried out?

At the starting date FFAW will contact you by email with a link to download the questionnaire which can be completed online and anonymously. This takes about 20 minutes. A printed version will be available in Hamburg at the works council or at the DESY medical services and in Zeuthen at the offices of the secretaries Frau John (-7507) or Frau Varschen (-7252). After completing the online questionnaire, you will immediately receive an online feedback including a graphical comparison with a reference group from the COPSOQ database. FFAW provides analyses comparing the external and internal conditions. All employees will be informed about the DESY overall results compared to external conditions. The intragroup results will be supplied to the executives concerned.

5. Do I have to take part in this survey?

Participation in the survey is voluntary.No one can be obliged to answer the questions. The honest and comprehensive answering of the questions is welcome and certainly helpful for the advancement of working conditions at our research centre.

6. Can I be identified through my answers?

The responsible research institute for occupational sciences FFAW and its cooperation partner meet all standards guaranteeing a comprehensive data protection. DESY does not obtain raw but evaluated data. The results of single units will only be made available if more than ten questionnaires were handed in. Smaller groups will be combined to larger groupings.

7. What happens afterwards?

The results of the employee survey are intended to find out what is running smoothly and what needs to be altered or improved. The results will launch discussions in the steering committee and on all other levels and lead to the improvement of working conditions. Adequate measures will be developed by the health management, the occupational safety and the DESY medical service groups. In terms of risk assessment, the ultimate responsibility to eliminate hazards lies with the executives concerned.

 
Central DESY Works Agreement (in German only)