Madrid / New Delhi, 04/11/2017

World Health Day at BertelsmannMadrid / New Delhi

Many people only start thinking about their health once they are sick – and yet there are so many preventive measures they can take to ensure their physical well-being. On World Health Day – April 7 of each year – the World Health Organization not only commemorates its founding, but also makes health a focus for society at large. This year, World Health Day was celebrated with special events all over the world – including at Bertelsmann. Several divisions used World Health Day to raise their employees’ awareness about healthy lifestyles and to engage with the subject in a fun, sporty way.

Spain: Motorpress Ibérica celebrates World Health Day

Employees at Gruner + Jahr's Motorpress Ibérica found a surprise on their desks on the morning of Apr 7: an apple, a bottle of mineral water, and some dark chocolate to encourage Spanish colleagues to eat a healthy diet. An enclosed card featured an infographic showing eight ways to boost preventive health. Among other things, Motorpress Ibércia advises its employees to eat a balanced diet, exercise more, get enough sleep and to think positively more often. The employees put the first tip - to exercise more – into action then and there. Everyone got together after work to get moving in various running groups or with yoga-based stretching exercises.

Motorpress Ibérica organized its World Health Day event in cooperation with the Más Cuota communications and marketing agency, which is also a partner of the "Mi empresa es saludable” (My Company is Healthy) project. So the Gruner + Jahr subsidiary not only dedicates itself to healthy topics in society with its range of sports and lifestyle magazines, but also runs various projects to encourage a healthy lifestyle among its workforce.

India: A Whole Health Week

All of Bertelsmann's divisions with operations in India focused on health not just for a day, but for a whole week. The Corporate Center India, Bertelsmann Investments India, Arvato India, Penguin Random House India, DK India, Fremantle Media India and the production company YoBoHo New Media India jointly organized a health week featuring a broad range of offerings for employees on the themes of fitness, nutrition and wellness.

The week of action kicked off with a soccer tournament in the Delhi NCR region. Employees were invited to compete in a "Steps Challenge,” using an app to count all the steps they took during the week. There were also various courses offered throughout the week, such as yoga lessons, nutritional advice, and meditation exercises. An email newsletter provided Indian colleagues with interesting health topics every day.

The week of action to commemorate World Health Day was the first project put into action by the recently established Corporate Responsibility Committee in India, which includes representatives from each Bertelsmann division in India. Together, they work to implement social projects across all the divisions.