Employee health
Health is not only Novo Nordisk's mission but also a way of life at the company. In January 2008 the Danish employee health programme, NovoSund, went global. Called Novo Health, the new company-wide programme focuses on promoting a healthy lifestyle among employees. Built on four global standards, it ensures that all Novo Nordisk staff has access to:
- Healthy food in the workplace
- A smoke-free work environment
- Exercise facilities
- A health check every second year.
Many health-promoting activities are already in place across functional and geographical units of the company. NovoHealth will align these activities so that best practice is shared globally, while supporting local initiatives.
Performance 2007
- Smoking was banned at Novo Nordisk worldwide at the end of 2007. NovoHealth will continue to support employees who wish to stop smoking. More than 1,252 employees have already taken part in the Danish NovoSund smoke cessation programme, which has shown a high success rate of 47%, defined as the percentage of participants not smoking after 12 months.
- The food offered at Novo Nordisk supports the company mission to change diabetes. A cross-functional working group has developed a set of nutrition guidelines. While encouraging cultural variations, the guidelines promote access to a varied menu of healthy food across the company.
- Part of a joint fitness initiative with other companies, the annual five-kilometre company relay run attracted more than 3,020 Novo Nordisk participants — 25% of the Danish workforce.
- While promoting a healthier workforce, NovoHealth also supports the company's efforts to address global warming. 1,367 employees in Denmark participated in a bicycle-to-work campaign during the month of May, clocking a total of 190,712 kilometres and avoiding approximately 28,600 kilograms of carbon emissions.
- A network of NovoHealth representatives will ensure that NovoHealth is anchored locally throughout the organisation. These representatives will promote and monitor local implementation of the four global standards while sharing experiences to continuously improve programme activities.
Many health initiatives are already taking place in Novo Nordisk’s affiliates. For example, the employees in Montes Claros, Brazil have 15-minute breaks with a physical trainer each day, take health-related classes, and participate in an annual health week. In the USA, employees are encouraged to take an on-line Health Risk Assessment. By taking this assessment, they can learn about their health risks and how to improve their health status. For taking the assessment, they receive $250 to help them with their fitness goals.
More than 300 Princeton, NJ employees took part in the annual Health Fair. Employees received vision, hearing, and blood pressure screenings, had their glucose and cholesterol levels checked, and received flu shots. They also got to talk with health and wellness vendors and many enjoyed an upper body massage.
This page has been reviewed by PricewaterhouseCoopers as part of its assurance of Novo Nordisk’s non-financial reporting. Please refer to Audit and assurance for a full description of the conclusions and the nature of assurance offered.
