Dow Benelux maintains a happy workplace

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics

Applicable Industries

Chemicals

Applicable Functions

Human Resources

Use Cases

Predictive Maintenance
Personnel Tracking & Monitoring

Services

Data Science Services

The Challenge

Dow Benelux, a branch of the Dow Chemical Company, recognized the importance of employee wellbeing for the productivity and efficiency of the organization. The company wanted to monitor workplace stress at individual, departmental, and organizational levels. The challenge was to develop an analytics solution that could effectively measure and monitor these stress levels. The company also needed to comply with Dutch government legislation requiring employers to quantify potential occupational health risks. Dow Benelux wanted to go beyond mere compliance and embed occupational health management into its core business processes.

About The Customer

Dow Benelux is a branch of the Dow Chemical Company, one of the world’s leading science and technology companies. The company combines chemistry, innovation, and sustainability principles to address many of the world’s most challenging problems. In 2011, it achieved sales of US$60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people in 36 countries across the globe. Dow Benelux manages a total of 23 production units across the Benelux region, including Dow’s largest site outside the US. The company employs 2,100 people in the Netherlands and Belgium, all of whom are regularly assessed by the company’s internal health service to monitor their physical and psychological wellbeing.

The Solution

Dow Benelux partnered with IBM to develop a statistical model to measure various aspects of employee stress levels using IBM SPSS predictive analytics software. The first step was to design a reliable questionnaire that encompassed 24 different concepts grouped into four dimensions. The data from the questionnaires was gathered into a central database and analyzed using IBM SPSS software. The software created a chart for each employee showing how they scored in each dimension, compared to their previous scores and the average scores for their department and workplace. The solution enabled the team not only to measure and monitor individual stress levels, but also to look at overall responses at department and site levels.

Operational Impact

The solution enables interventions that help individuals deal more effectively with personal and professional stresses.
The solution highlights departments and teams where stress levels are higher than average, enabling the company to adjust targets, staffing levels, or leadership strategies to improve working conditions.
The solution puts Dow Benelux in a leadership position for occupational health management. The company has won multiple Dutch and European awards for its groundbreaking work in this field.

Quantitative Benefit

The solution has helped to reduce the rate of absenteeism to just 3.1 percent, against an industry average of between 5.8 and 6.5 percent.
At average salary costs of €37,000 per year per full-time employee, this reduction in absenteeism translates into annual savings of between €999,000 and €1,258,000 per 1,000 employees.