TEXT: EWA THIBAUD

It is easy to miss, but just before the little town of Örserum, in Småland province in southern Sweden, a modest sign is visible on an equally modest building: Örserums Åkeri. On the second floor, Marica Härold greets her visitors in what looks like a living room. Homey, rural, a bit old-fashioned.

On her table are two trucking magazines and a fitness magazine. The room next door is a gym, with an exercise bike, a rowing machine, dumbbells, a back stretcher and more. In the kitchen stands a large basket of fruit. Not so old-fashioned, after all, but instead very savvy and 21st century.

Promoting occupational health

On the surface it looks like a fairly ordinary haulage company. But appearances can be deceiving. Örserums Åkeri was named the most attractive workplace in Jönköping County two years ago. And Marica Härold was nominated for one of Sweden’s most prestigious national business awards in a category known as “occupational health promotion leadership.”

Of course this is where the bowl of fruit and the gym come in. Örserums Åkeri is a company that has proactively invested in occupational health, with very clear results. 
“The big gain is that our employees are healthier,” Härold says. “We can see that they work more effectively and are sick less often. Absences due to illness are down to 0.5 percent.”

Exercise key to your health

This is a figure other companies cannot even dream of. Getting sick leaves down below 5 percent is considered exceptionally good, at least in Sweden.

Örserums Åkeri also works in an industry not exactly known for healthy lifestyles − with long shifts, lots of sitting still and often lonely work.

Not surprisingly, Härold is invited to lecture all over Sweden. How did she succeed so well? She was the one who started up the company’s fitness programme four years ago.

“I noticed that I personally felt better when I exercised and ate properly,” she says.

Persuading a number of individualistic men to change their behaviour is not easy. When she called the first employee meeting to launch her idea, reactions were lukewarm to cool. “How can we find the time to exercise?” was the common response.

Exercising and healthy food

Obviously it was not enough to tell people how beneficial it is to exercise and to eat a healthy breakfast. Something else was needed, especially since most of the exercising would have to occur during leisure hours (there might be time for short walks at truck stops, but no more). So Härold and Svensson introduced an “account” that employees could fill by exercising during leisure hours. Their hours in the account could then be exchanged for up to 40 hours of extra time off per year, in other words one extra week of paid holiday.

In addition, everyone was given a personal trainer, Tamara Lorentzon, who allowed each employee to set personal goals. One perhaps wanted to lose weight, another wanted to become stronger and a third wanted to stop smoking.

Truck driver challenges

“It’s important not to impose your views on other people,” says Härold. “This is simply a matter of making our daily lives a little better and feeling a little better in the long run.”

One of the company’s truck drivers is Kenneth Palmér. His breakfast used to consist of “a pinch of snuff, a swig of lukewarm cola and a raspberry candy boat.”

“Now I eat yoghurt, muesli and fruit,” he says. “I’ve lost a bit of weight.”

Another truck driver, Sören Andersson, stopped smoking after 40 years.

“To begin with, I didn’t think I needed to exercise, but I did want to stop smoking, so I got help with that,” he says today. “I think it’s a wonderful programme. Being able to build up vacation time is a real carrot.”

Increased health and more vacation

After the first year, the employees took a physical exam. On average, the truck drivers’ physical fitness level had improved by 20 percent. How much each one has improved his condition is not reported. The personal trainer’s meetings with employees are confidential.

A third of the company’s employees collected all 40 extra hours, and half saved at least 30 hours. Reporting of hours is based entirely on the honour system. Each person fills out a monthly report.

“We’re completely sure no one is bluffing,” says Härold. “We would notice it right away. After the first year, the pace slowed a little. You need to provide constant input to keep the ball in the air.

“Meanwhile you sometimes have to take things a little easy,” she says. “Otherwise you get tired of it. But now the time is ripe for a new effort.”

5 best tips from the trainer

A truck driver’s job is a combination of sitting still for long periods and heavy lifting. Climbing out of your truck after many hours in one position and beginning to lift heavy cargo is not especially good for you. Tamara Lorentzon, the personal trainer that has helped the employees of Örserums Åkeri, gives a little good advice:

Proper lifting
Learn proper lifting. With the right technique, you are mainly lifting with your legs and to some extent with your upper body. But don’t lift with your back.

Upper body
Build up your upper body muscles, meaning your belly and back.

Pauses
Take advantage of rest stops to take a walk and limber up your body.

Solid breakfast
Eat a solid breakfast and healthy snacks. A cooler case in your truck containing fruit, yoghurt and muesli is one way.

Small steps
Don’t make any big changes; instead take small steps towards a healthier lifestyle. For example, if you consume a lot of soft drinks, you can replace one soft drink a day with a bottle of water. Replace a sweet with a piece of fruit. Take a walk instead of starting to train for the marathon − do things that you can handle.