Charming and sporty role model

Companies must recognize dangers

Most companies are aware of the dangers of mental stress and invest in preventive measures. After all, employees who can cope well with strain and stress are more productive. In all areas, often surprisingly simple methods and activities lead to the goal. However, a prerequisite for successful health and exercise management in the company is an appropriate and exemplary company culture - at every level!

One of the companies in the service sector that actively and specifically promotes talent development, sports and preventive health is the CSD Group, headquartered in Liebefeld BE. The engineering and consulting company is active in the fields of environment, construction and energy, has 20 locations in Switzerland and 10 more in Germany, Belgium, Lithuania and Italy. CSD Ingenieure AG, with over 500 employees, is one of the largest engineering firms in the country. With almost 10 percent apprentices and trainees, CSD invests in the education of young people and in the future.

Mr. Gallati, you have held management positions in both the private and public sectors for many years. How important are healthy and fit employees for service and administrative companies?

Franz Gallati: A good corporate culture that focuses on respectful and motivating dealings with all employees and fellow human beings is medicine and motivation for good performance - whether at work, in everyday life or in sports. The same principles apply everywhere, which are ultimately the basis for success. One should come to the office every day happy and upbeat. At CSD, we actively try to promote this and offer a number of things to do so. This not only promotes mental and spiritual balance, fit and healthy employees are better motivated and more agile - in every respect.

Accordingly, the Latin or Roman proverb "Mens sana in corpore sano" (In a healthy body dwells a healthy mind) applies more than ever?

That's exactly how it is! I know and feel that myself with every additional year. A healthy and moderate life in earlier and younger years helps you later. But you should get at least half an hour of concentrated exercise three times a week. In other words, you should do sports intensively. Nice words, because I know myself that with today's professional and everyday stresses and dangers, this requires a lot of discipline and toughness.

As an engineer in the canton of Schwyz, you helped design some infrastructure and transport projects. Quite a large number of your cadre employees at that time were very good athletes (or still are). Could you detect any differences in terms of resilience, health and performance compared to less active employees?

My experience is that sporty employees also have a so-called sporty way of thinking and acting - in other words, they are more resilient, more efficient and capable of exceptional performance. And in addition, they usually have a healthy and necessary capacity for criticism. This was also confirmed to me by Beat Villiger, a long-time Swiss Olympic doctor, on the occasion of a joint bus trip in New York. Those people who do sports regularly have a much larger store of the so-called "positive stress", which is good for health. In addition, there are endorphins, i.e. happiness hormones, which help to reduce stress hormones - with the pleasant side effect that feelings of happiness arise after mastering difficult tasks.

You are the head of the Zurich office of CSD. You have changed fronts, so to speak. What distinguishes CSD in terms of working conditions, development and workplace health promotion, i.e. of work-life balance?

The change of front was not a particular change or difficulty for me as a trained construction tradesman. The second point is an important issue for us, which has been fully integrated into the company and is also accepted by everyone. Active health promotion, good working conditions and a corresponding company culture are fixed components of the CSD daily routine. For example, we have a separate shower in the office so that the necessary infrastructure for personal hygiene is available for employees and athletes who ride their bikes to the office. In addition, we have a running group that gets in some sporty and sometimes intense work every Tuesday at the running meeting. And you wouldn't believe the problems that can sometimes be solved in passing. Finally, it is also crucial that you not only propagate concepts such as work-life balance on paper or on the website, but also set an example as a boss.

Exercise against stress

It is not only preventive physicians who first advise exercise in the case of strong psychological strain and stress. David Fäh from the Institute of Epidemiology, Biostatics and Prevention at the University of Zurich found that regular exercise, such as running or cycling, improves the ability to switch off and deal with stress. In addition Fäh continues: "A main problem of the modern working world is that natural stress can no longer be discharged." The hunters of prehistoric times had it easier in this respect - but probably only in this respect! Although regularly disturbed by wild animals, our ancestors were able to relieve stress during the chases, especially after a successful hunt and especially when eating the prey together afterwards.

So it's no coincidence that many top managers often engage in endurance sports. The intensive exercise is an almost ideal balance to the heavy workloads. Another positive side effect is that ideas and solutions to problems often come surprisingly easily during exercise. Every company must find the right strategy for its corporate culture and health promotion. It all comes down to dose and measure. It is undisputed that health-promoting measures reduce sick leave and other absences - and thus naturally also increase work performance: Healthy and motivated employees identify with their company, show more commitment and thus contribute to the company's success.

Mr. Gallati, you hear the saying everywhere: "As a boss, you can't want to please everyone." What do you think of that?

In principle, that's even true. The staff should and must know that they do not have a boss who wants to and does chum up superficially. The decisive factor is how one deals with problems and questions from employees. The important thing is the style - and how you can turn justified criticism into something positive and constructive and work through mistakes. In other words: "C'est le ton qui fait la Musique!" Of course, a boss must be and remain capable of learning.

Can you switch off well? And how does that happen in concrete terms?

Yes, very well indeed - fortunately! Especially also because of my sports activities. I try to do sports every day, sometimes more and often more. I have arranged it in such a way that in the early morning on the exercise bike I think about upcoming things, read files and study. In this way, I can ideally combine and link health and everyday working life right at the start of the day, so to speak. A healthy diet and sufficient sleep are important here - in other words, in every situation in life and at work: moderate and not excessive!

A few years ago, you ran the New York City Marathon in three hours and took part in the 150-kilometer Inferno Triathlon, with the longest part, the 100-kilometer bike course. So regular sport is important to you, why?

Sporting activity is an important and necessary balance for me to the often strict, hectic everyday life in our industry. Sport and exercise give me strength for everyday life, i.e. not just for professional activities. And it has a nice side effect: You learn to approach problems and open questions in a targeted manner, to analyze them and to find good solutions.

And now you are also president of Swiss Cycling, probably one of the most difficult sports associations to run, where within two years you have restructured the finances of the umbrella organization of Swiss cycling, which was on the brink of the abyss, and have been able to win back a lot of trust with clever personnel renewal of the board. How do you reconcile all this without "stress"?

Quite well, actually. What is and was important for me is that I gave up some other commitments and memberships in clubs and associations in order to concentrate fully on my job and association activities as president of Swiss Cycling. And probably the most decisive thing is that my wife Bettina supports me fully. This is all the easier because she is also an enthusiastic sportswoman and biker. It is important for me to accept and do only those things that I can fully support and enjoy doing. Then there is usually no dangerous stress. It's like hobbies: I don't know anyone who has had a burnout because of it.