Zurzach Care’s customers include insurers like V⁠i⁠s⁠a⁠n⁠a, as well as Cantons, businesses, towns and administrations. “We provide reintegration services to help their employees return to work after an accident or serious illness,” explains Dino Lauber, Managing Director of Prevention and Reintegration, and of the Clinics for Sleep Medicine.

Dino Lauber states that the most important factor in successful reintegration is early detection, and that managers face a particular challenge in this regard: “They have to react early and have the confidence to initiate a conversation if a staff member is at risk of becoming incapacitated,” he says. “In cases of long-term absence, the earlier you react and take action, the greater the chance that the person concerned will soon be able to return to the workplace.”

Dino Lauber advises managers to keep a closer eye on staff, to make sure they notice early on if something is amiss. “It takes courage to address unpleasant conflict situations, but it’s part of a manager’s job.” However, Lauber believes that leadership should not come solely from managers, and he draws parallels with his previous role as an ice hockey coach. “A team in which only the coach demonstrates leadership qualities won’t succeed. Everyone must pull together. So there has to be leadership, and people who tell it like it is, within the team itself.”

Dino Lauber is convinced that there is much to be learnt from sport when it comes to reintegration: “Injured professional ice hockey players usually shift their focus very quickly towards the healing process.” He says that questions like “when can I get back on the ice?” or “what else can I do to speed up my recovery?” become the players’ main concern very shortly after an injury, whereas in daily working life, the people affected often continue to dwell on the accident or illness for a long time. “This is certainly also because athletes generally take staying healthy more seriously. After all, their body is their main asset. If Mujinga Kambundji, for example, can no longer sprint, she’s immediately out of a job.”

He adds that many athletes even come back stronger after an injury. They achieve this by asking themselves questions, perhaps adapting their environment or training, and telling themselves that the better they look after themselves, the longer they can continue their career in elite sport.

Dino Lauber has been working at Zurzach Care for almost two years. Alongside the prevention and reintegration divisions, he has recently taken on responsibility for the two sleep clinics as well. “I really like it here. During this time, we’ve been able to further develop our reintegration activities in particular. The group executive board works together very well. Our discussions are sometimes heated, but always objective and fair. It’s enjoyable, everyone gives it their all, and our staff play their part,” he says.

However, the acute shortage of qualified personnel does cause him some concern. “The healthcare sector is under severe pressure. It’s a major challenge for us to find enough qualified staff. Not just in nursing, but also in therapy, among doctors and in catering. There have been times when we could have taken on more patients, but unfortunately didn’t have the required qualified personnel,” explains Dino Lauber.

It goes without saying that salary is a key factor when recruiting in a dried-up market. “But that’s not all! We need creative approaches, perhaps new flexible working-hour models and leaner administrative solutions,” says Dino Lauber with conviction. He adds that ultimately, anyone who chooses to become a doctor does so to treat people, not to spend the majority of their time on administrative tasks. “The high level of regulation and the ever-increasing data protection requirements are two of our biggest challenges,” says Lauber. But he points out that healthcare is not the only sector struggling with such things, and that the problem is more widespread. “We need specialists. We can’t meet our requirements with temporary staff and career hoppers. So it’s important that we invest in our employees and train apprentices.”