Whether during foreign assignments or when facing professional challenges in Germany: in stressful situations, GIZ staff can find the support they need within the company.
Difficult circumstances and prolonged stress in people’s lives can cause them to experience emotional imbalance. In the area of international cooperation in particular, people are sometimes faced with situations that push them beyond their limits. This can be due to challenging experiences in a work context or high expectations and requirements in their professional life. It is very important to GIZ that its employees are particularly well supported in difficult situations such as these. GIZ’s in-house psychosocial counselling unit COPE has been part of its staff care services for around 25 years.
COPE was established with the aim of providing tailored support for each staff member. The range of counselling services available is geared to specific groups such as managers, national staff or staff departing on or returning from a foreign assignment. ‘In general, you can come to us with any concern,’ explains Dunja Brede, Co-Head of COPE. ‘Psychosocial stress can have different reasons and take various forms. We provide support where we can or offer referrals to other internal or external bodies where necessary.’ Many employees contact COPE on the recommendation of colleagues. For Dunja and her team, this is a good sign: ‘Our support is making a difference.’
COPE’s psychologists, psychotherapists and psychosocial counsellors are available as a point of contact for all national and international GIZ staff and their family members. The team offers support in dealing with workload and stress, as well as professional and personal crises. All advice is provided in the strictest of confidence. In addition to offering individual services, the COPE team supports company-wide crisis management, sections and teams, and provides specific advice for managers.
Besides offering counselling in individual cases, COPE is an active part of GIZ’s company-wide crisis management. Our staff members are often assigned to fragile countries, where the psychological strain is particularly high due to the general conditions and the experiences they are exposed to. COPE is always available to support people in crisis situations and, especially in fragile contexts, is increasingly taking a preventative approach –in the Palestinian territories, for instance.
3,474
counselling sessions in 1,743 cases were held by COPE in 2023.
78 percent
of clients were on assignment outside Germany when they attended counselling.
Psychological first aid: incredibly important in crisis situations
The terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023 and its aftermath were a very challenging time for Kristina Leipoldt. She has been working for GIZ in the region since 2022. ‘The conflict was and is a traumatic experience for each individual; many have lost friends and family. But it was also hard for us as a team,’ she says. As a manager, it is Kristina’s job to keep her team together. She tries to look after and support all staff members to the best of her ability. And, in doing so, she receives support from COPE.
For a number of years now, colleagues from COPE have made regular on-site visits to provide individual counselling and group training and to get to know the people they are working with personally. Dunja Brede and a colleague made such a visit in October 2023. They were able to respond immediately and offer psychosocial crisis counselling. In acute crisis scenarios, psychological first aid is vital. ‘Similar to medical first aid, anyone can provide psychological first aid, which is why we offer training to teams in fragile countries,’ explains Dunja. ‘People who have just experienced a traumatic event may feel vulnerable. Anything we can do to counteract that feeling of losing control helps – even if it is just allowing those affected to make the smallest decisions themselves.’ Psychological first aid therefore also plays a very important part in preventing long-term consequences. There is evidence that those who feel well supported at the beginning of a traumatic experience can also cope better with the long-term effects.
»The COPE team takes people’s psychosocial needs very seriously. It is great to work with such a motivated team. Here on site, I provide counselling for individual GIZ staff members, but also for groups. The services we offer are very well received. At the moment, many of the people coming to me want to know how they can support those affected and how to talk to children about the current situation.«
Dr. Fathy Flefel, external psychosocial counsellor, Ramallah
Besides providing acute support in crisis situations, the issue of prevention is playing an increasingly important role at COPE. ‘We are active on an ongoing basis in many fragile countries to provide preventive counselling, establish support services and, in this way, strengthen the resilience of our workforce on site. We call this staff care,’ says Dunja. In order to create a structure in each partner country that is as tailored as possible, COPE starts by conducting a nationwide risk analysis. In subsequent staff care studies, COPE then makes recommendations on assignment periods for staff in particularly challenging locations or identifies nationwide psychosocial risk potential in order to advise team leaders accordingly.
COPE also works closely with local psychologists who can offer counselling in the local language and are therefore especially important for national staff in our partner countries. Together, COPE and the psychologists develop preventive services and can provide psychosocial support more quickly and directly at the local level, even in difficult situations. COPE helps country offices to identify colleagues with the necessary qualifications and to conclude local framework agreements.
»The COPE team takes people’s psychosocial needs very seriously. It is great to work with such a motivated team. Here on site, I provide counselling for individual GIZ staff members, but also for groups. The services we offer are very well received. At the moment, many of the people coming to me want to know how they can support those affected and how to talk to children about the current situation.«
Dr. Fathy Flefel, external psychosocial counsellor, Ramallah
Managers play an important role in crisis situations. Their leadership can determine whether they are a source of stress or a role model, and they can be the first people that staff turn to whenever a challenging scenario arises. For staff members, having a manager who supports the resilience of their team is crucial. Showing understanding for particular circumstances and being able to put yourself in the team’s position, even if you may not be in the same physical location, can be challenging. ‘Managers are doubly affected in crisis situations. They themselves have to deal with the situation and their emotions while also having to look after the needs of their staff,’ explains Dunja Brede. She and her colleagues therefore provide targeted advice for managers on how to address certain topics and handle emotions within a team.
»A team should be a space where you can open up without being judged or feeling afraid. Managers are instrumental in creating a climate where this is possible. This is important not only for staff health and satisfaction, but ultimately also for good performance. People living in constant fear of making mistakes perform worse than those who feel comfortable in their team.«
Andreas Hermann, member of the COPE team specialising in staff care
In the HR Department, the COPE, Corporate Health Management and HR Development teams are currently working towards the goal of further embedding psychosocial health in the leadership culture. In 2023, GIZ’s annual priority management theme was ‘Promoting health – strengthening resilience.’ The corresponding package of measures included workshops and training courses at the Academy for International Cooperation (AIZ), which are now firmly embedded in its programme.
In our interview, Eva Gierth, a specialist in leadership development elaborates on the priority management theme.
‘Promoting health – strengthening resilience’: how did GIZ decide on the 2023 priority management theme?
Health and resilience were areas of interest at GIZ long before the COVID-19 pandemic made them even more important. We are increasingly having to adapt to fragile, volatile and unpredictable contexts, in ever shorter cycles. Mobile working also poses particular challenges for cooperation.
During the pandemic, we learned to become more resilient and to deal with challenges in a healthy way – both as individuals and teams but also as an organisation as a whole. With the priority management theme, we wanted the focus in 2023 to remain firmly on the lessons learned from this. Promoting the health of all staff and therefore strengthening the resilience of GIZ as a whole is a key prerequisite for retaining our ability to perform and deliver, and it is a reflection of the company’s duty of care to its workforce.
The mental health of staff was an important topic within the priority management theme. Why?
Mental stress and illness are pressing challenges for society as a whole in Germany. GIZ recognised this many years ago and, in addition to the company medical care it provides, established and expanded an internal psychosocial counselling centre. Because the tasks and conditions in our countries of assignment demand a lot from our staff members. But effective prevention is only possible if it is also embedded in daily management and if managers actively monitor the health of their teams. By selecting this priority management theme, it was therefore important for us to show that the mental health of our staff is extremely important to us. After all, our staff are our most valuable asset.
Who was the target audience of the priority management theme and what activities were involved?
At GIZ, we understand ‘Promoting health – strengthening resilience’ to be a responsibility that is shared by the company, managers and staff alike. Managers play a special role in this process. On the one hand, they act as role models by being mindful of their own resources, challenges and stress limits. On the other hand, they set the framework for the engagement and health of staff and have a statutory duty of care towards them. The target audience of the priority management theme is therefore all managers inside and outside Germany. The focus was on management training, internal and external motivational talks, and strengthening resilience. In addition, a total of six more countries were integrated into our health management system in country offices, and the system was also expanded in Germany. Moreover, numerous initiatives were planned in GIZ’s country offices and its locations in Germany. We regularly publish good examples, with the aim of sharing lessons learned and fostering better networking.
»The training has taught us that a resilient, healthy team recognises the warning signs of increasing stress levels. It’s important to respect different styles of working, and to trust and support each other.«
Mona Struck, a particpant in the Training 'Healthy and Mindful Teams' organised by GIZ's Academy for International Cooperation
»In resilience training, we learned how to cope with uncertainty in the context of work. It’s not just about avoiding this wherever possible or reducing contributing factors. It’s also important to strengthen those factors that enable us to deal with challenging situations – as a team or as individuals.«
Hauke Maas, a participant in the ‘Resilience Training for Managers’ course organised by COPE in conjunction with Corporate Health Management
The Corporate Health Management (CHM) team is also active outside Germany. It offers training and actively supports country offices that are currently in the process of introducing their own health management systems. In Brazil, Christopher Wolf is jointly responsible for this in conjunction with the local CHM team – and has been met with a lot of openness from colleagues there: ‘Mental health is generally considered a very important topic in Brazil. We know from surveys that stress levels and workload are high among our colleagues, which is why we place great emphasis on incorporating mindfulness and relaxation into our courses.’ For instance, the CHM team in Brazil organised a ‘Good health and wellbeing’ action day in collaboration with an external partner.
Staff took part in yoga and other exercise therapy courses, benefited from express massages and were able to relax during sound therapy. Since then, a framework agreement has been concluded with the external partner that is located in the same office building as GIZ, enabling GIZ staff to easily incorporate a range of relaxation and exercise measures into their daily work routine. The goal is for staff to feel healthier and happier, which in turn helps to prevent physical and mental illness.
‘Mental health is an important and serious matter. Our activities might not solve the underlying problems, like an excessive workload, but they do help colleagues to handle them better and to give themselves the necessary mental and physical breaks,’ says Christopher. The experience in Brazil clearly shows that health and resilience can only be strengthened if the company, managers and staff accept joint responsibility for this. Both are essential for happy and productive teams.
Below you will find information about the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) sustainability standards:
GRI
UNGC
SDG
DNK
3-3
Management approach disclosures
See 403-1 Occupational health and safety management system
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403-1
Occupational health and safety management system
Principles
Our staff should be able to work in a healthy environment, and the work itself should not impact adversely on their wellbeing.
Companies in Germany are required to guarantee occupational health and safety. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG) and the Act on Occupational Physicians, Safety Engineers and Other Occupational Safety Specialists (ASiG) regulate this obligation.
The COVID-19 pandemic also brought potential risks for staff members, for instance resulting from limited medical capacities, a high level of mental stress or fewer contacts with team members.
GIZ’s Medical Services (MED) and the Occupational Health and Safety Team provide advice on ensuring a healthy and safe workplace to all those involved in occupational health and safety.
Field staff with a German employment contract are also covered by the company’s accident insurance policy with Unfallversicherung Bund und Bahn. An individual agreement means that the accident insurance also covers work-related accidents outside Germany.
More information on principles, specific measures and progress is provided in the indicators below.
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403-3
Occupational health services
Health Services is an independent division within GIZ’s Human Relations Department. The division consists of Medical Services (MED), the psychosocial counselling unit (COPE) and Corporate Health Management (CHM). Together, they support the company and help staff maintain and enhance their physical, mental and social wellbeing as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO).
CHM aims to establish a healthy corporate culture that takes account of individual needs. This makes it a key element of GIZ’s policy on maintaining operational capacity. In this way, GIZ creates working structures and conditions that protect the long-term health of employees and also empowers them to take responsibility for their own well-being.
MED helps GIZ implement legislation and regulations pertaining to occupational health and offers advice to all those involved in employee health roles.
MED conducts all occupational health examinations required under the German Ordinance on Preventive Occupational Health Care (ArbMedVV) for staff members and offers these to accompanying family members.
MED provides medical advice with regard to travel abroad, including vaccinations for this purpose; in conjunction with CHM, it also offers annual flu vaccinations for staff members.
Support from the in-house counselling service COPE is available to all staff members who may be looking for advice on issues such as violence, addiction or work-related stress as a result of particular events or circumstances at work or in their personal life. COPE develops preventive mental health services and helps implement them.
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403-4
Worker participation, consultation, and communication on occupational health and safety
In Germany, the German Works Council Constitution Act (BetrVG) ensures that staff can take part in the decision-making process. They are represented in such matters by the local staff councils and, on issues affecting the company as a whole, by the Central Staff Council. The field staff representation, which is a committee of the Central Staff Council, is responsible for field staff.
To foster discussion between the various bodies and GIZ and to create a climate that fosters constructive cooperation, various dialogue formats are in place at GIZ. They range from monthly meetings with local staff councils to annual joint meetings. GIZ thus also complies with the legal provisions of the Works Council Constitution Act.
National staff, too, elect their own representatives at the country level. GIZ encourages the establishment of bodies to represent the interests of national staff and provides organisational support. Where local legislation includes regulations governing the establishment of and cooperation with bodies to represent staff interests, e.g. regarding the frequency of elections, responsibilities or the form participation should take in the agreement of collective regulations, these are taken into account. The elected representatives can be asked for their advice should conflicts arise in the company. They act as a bridge between staff members and the country director, gathering the opinions and suggestions of staff and passing them on.
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403-5
Worker training on occupational health and safety
The capacity development team at the Academy for International Cooperation (AIZ) continued to offer health-improvement courses in 2023 as well as developing new courses.
The self-learning modules on ‘Balancing Stress’ and ‘Occupational Health and Safety’ are now mandatory requirements. In 2023, the ‘Occupational Health and Safety’ module was revised and adapted for the field structure, and has subsequently been made available. The modules are available in German, English, French and Spanish and are proving popular.
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Promotion of worker health
GIZ offers a large number of Corporate Health Management initiatives to help staff stay healthy and achieve a healthy work-life balance, in particular with targeted health and prevention services.
GIZ offers staff members both digital health services and face-to-face services.
Worldwide CHM measures in 2023 included the Health Days, resilience training for managers and online health campaigns on various topics such as eye health, ergonomics and heat protection.
Various additional web-based health services are available to GIZ staff.
The occupational health and safety officers advise and support GIZ as well as staff members and managers on matters including fire protection, accident prevention, ergonomic workplaces and decent working conditions. They are not only available to locations in Germany, but also to staff in the field structure.
Occupational health and safety experts can visit the country office along with representatives of GIZ Medical Services and Corporate Health Management as required. They carry out inspections and draw up hazard assessments. They cooperate closely with the company’s psychological counselling service (COPE), the Corporate Security Unit and the Construction Division. (See also GRI 403-5, 403-6 403-7)
On these trips, MED assesses the medical care options available in the country of assignment. CHM provides advice on the management tool ‘Corporate Health Management in the Field Structure,’ offers individual counselling on ergonomics and hosts selected workshops on various issues aimed at improving health.
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Prevention and mitigation of occupational health and safety impacts directly linked by business relationships
Because of GIZ’s worldwide presence, some employees face particular risks, for instance if they work in crisis-affected regions, or areas affected by natural disasters, terrorist attacks or violent crime.
At GIZ, the Management Board bears overall responsibility for the safety and security of staff. The Corporate Security Unit reports directly to the Management Board. It is responsible for staff worldwide.
Responsibility for the personal safety of staff undertaking assignments in partner countries is vested in the country director.
The company’s psychosocial counselling unit COPE (Cooperation with personnel in stress, conflict and crisis) provides confidential counselling for all staff and their families worldwide in the event of professional or private crises.
To help it devise individual and specially adapted staff care programmes, COPE conducts studies on mental health risks in especially challenging countries.
403-8
Workers covered by an occupational health and safety management system
GIZ’s set of internal regulations (Processes and Rules, or P+R for short) is binding for all staff members (staff in Germany, field staff, development cooperation trainees, national staff), development workers, trainees, interns and visiting interns. It provides the basis for the workplace safety/security briefings. The rule requires managers and their staff based in Germany, field staff, development workers, development cooperation trainees, trainees, BA students, interns and temporary staff to complete annual e-learning modules on occupational health and safety at locations in Germany and in the field structure and on balancing job-related stress. Participation is monitored. The country directors check whether national legislation calls for compliance with any further regulations on occupational health and safety. Where this is the case, the country director ensures that these are implemented for all staff members (including national staff).
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Work-related ill health
GIZ always reports work-related ill health (occupational diseases) where the agent causing the disease is related to the work of the staff member and where, outside the workplace, exposure to the agent would not have occurred or would not have been on the same scale. In the case of GIZ, these are generally infectious diseases contracted abroad (e.g. bilharzia, severe malaria or dengue fever). In 2023, GIZ reported a total of 36 cases of occupational disease. Infectious diseases have resulted in three fatalities since 2019. The insurance company Unfallversicherung Bund und Bahn compiles further data on occupational diseases. These include cases reported not only by GIZ but also by independent doctors.
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