Bem Perto Programme
24th June 2014

A healthy workplace has always been one of the top priorities of the Telefônica Brasil S/A. From the fusion of the two telecommunications companies in 2011, our main challenge was to assure that we would keep the best practices both companies already had.

The Health Promotion area in Telefônica is composed of a multidisciplinary team of more than one hundred professionals from the Occupational Safety and Health field. The company has 15 day-clinics in the main cities of Brazil and provides integrated medical and nursery services for all employees at their workplace. Safety technicians and engineers perform the management of risks and the prevention of accidents and occupational disease. This department exists to integrate occupational health, labor safety and health care. It’s a system of three pillars.

The company has also developed a national self-managed health insurance as well as a program that helps manage chronic diseases and monitor health supervision.

The integrated program is named “Bem Perto”, in English “so close”, is based on the Five Keys to Healthy Workplaces, established by the WHO (World Health Organization). The Bem Perto Program was born after Telefônica incorporated Vivo. They selected the best health actions from both companies and created a new program, which has four pillars:

1. Cuidar (take care) is the pillar in which action plans focus on health promotion and illness prevention such as: day clinics, support for pregnancy, nutrition programs, vaccination programs and our EAP (Employee Assistance Professionals) in which employees receive psychological, social and legal counseling, as well as assistance with personal finance management, family planning, among other emergency issues.

Company doctors supervise hospitalized patients. This is highly appreciated by employees and brings many positive results, reducing the cost of the health insurance.

2. Proteger (protect) is the basis of the “Bem Perto” program because it involves the management of the internal occupational risks. Using the WHO methodology, our safety technicians and engineers evaluate the physical environment and then issue technical reports, in order to assure a safe and healthy workplace.

3. Acolher (shelter) is the pillar designed to support the community. It develops actions to integrate families and communities. It promotes wellness and a human approach. The tools for this are: internal and external campaigns, for example for blood donation, winter clothing donation, social SMS for health prevention and critical awareness, and others. These actions have achieved massive participation.

4. Nosso Clube (Our Club) is the pillar that promotes health, culture and leisure for the whole family. There are several sports activities and entertainment.

Sporting activities such as street racing and weekly workouts, soccer, tennis, karting, bowling, swimming, fishing, card games and squash are part of Nosso Clube (Our Club), which already has 4,200 employees’ members. In addition to sports activities, employees and their families can also take part of other activities such as coral, theater group and dance.

The company also offers over 400 partnerships across the country, with discounts and special conditions in classes, restaurants, movie theaters, health and beauty salons, fitness centers, travel packages, photo printing and many others.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy condition is not only defined by the absence of illness, it is also about social and mental wellness.

In Brazil, the management of health and safety at work has gradually advanced. A significant number of companies still focus on the compliance with legal requirements.

Telefonica Brasil S/A, however, has adopted WHO guidelines. That means that the company considers a safe and healthy workplace is not a matter of choice but a value, properly integrated into the strategic management process.

We have formal committees composed of people who represent the company and the employees. There are 25 committees nationally spread and there must be at least one committee in each of the company´s main administrative buildings. Buildings in which we have potential risks we have more than one committee. We also have a Steering Committee that reports the most sensitive issues to the company´s board.

In 2013, the company was awarded by Você S/A 150 Best Companies Guide (As 150 Melhores Empresas para Você Trabalhar) promoted by FIA (Administration Institute Foundation / Fundação Instituto de Administração), one of the most respected surveys institute in the country.

The Health Promotion area was recognized for “Best Practices in Health”, in which 94.4% of the sample endorsed our health services.

The continuous evaluation is another essential point to the program sustainability. Through the annual satisfaction employee survey we can understand how our practices are received by our employees.

In 2013, the general (ICC) was 82%, a significant result, which documents organizational wellness within a level of excellence.

The policies, procedures and instructions of the Bem Perto Program are based on the World Health Organizational model. Our main concern is about constructing a healthy and productive environment for our employees. Therefore, we strive for solid results and high performance.

Visit Telefonica do Brasil website: http://www.telefonica.com.br/