Gallup-poll, creative design – Coloplast

The Client

Coloplast develops high quality and innovative therapeutic aids such as ostomy bags, urinary bags, breast prosthesis and bandages for chronic wound types. They successively improve the appearance of the products to provide comfort to their consumers and make them self-supportive and confident. Their main customers are hospitals and other medical institutions. Their products are manufactured in 5 countries: Denmark, Hungary, China, France and the USA.

Challenge

Coloplast Hungary, as a therapeutic aid manufacturer, decided to promote healthy lifestyle not just by words but by action and to encourage its employees to do the same. Hence they were going to become a non- smoker company, so they entrusted St Scope to support them at it.

Before the introduction of the company measure, 41% of Coloplast employees were smokers, far above the national average.

The declared aims of the company’s internal communication were:

• workers should be aware of the risks of smoking
• “non-smoking” as a value should be widely adopted
• the previously set target, to make Coloplast a “non smoking” company should materialize without the resistance of employees

Underlying goals

• shaping the image of Coloplast (as a medical aid manufacturer it is supposed to have an image of healthy employees or at least to show some effort for it)
• to be able to claim Coloplast as a “non- smoker” company

ST Scope’s solution

First we made a survey among the employees of Coloplast. We had a dual aim: to inform the employees, as well as to reveal the common habits, attitudes and opinions about smoking. We raised some questions and ideas about smoking to increase awareness. We used expressions like “non- smoker” company, discussed the approach of smoking as a common issue as well as the lesser-known effects of smoking (infertility, impotence, osteoporosis).That is why we considered a full-scale survey indispensable.

The survey showed that 53% of respondents supported the idea of a non- smoker company. There were fewer opponents, but their rate (31%) was not negligible. The remaining 16% did not care about the issue, neither supported nor opposed it.

Company managers informed employees through common channels as well as by spectacular posters, displayed for a few weeks then changed for new ones with a new content.

At the same time Coloplast launched an anti-tobacco programme to help smokers to give up. They also provided significant medical support (checkups, chewing-gums, patches, acupuncture, etc.) to volunteers.

Achievements

Coloplast became a “non- smoker company” as scheduled, the previous smoking areas were abolished and smoking was banned in front of the building as well. The employees accepted the new regulation and the issue had no negative feedback.

The management considered the campaign successful, so they presented it within the company on an international level.