Benefits and health

Trekking Event “Rajd Bankowca”, which has become the bank’s signature initiative, allows employees and their families to travel to different places in Poland and abroad.

It is the largest corporate recreational event organised for the past 24 years.  All the current and retired employees of the bank and their families are invited to participate in these trips, organised several times per year. The event combines corporate integration, good fun and active family relaxation. It is designed to cater to the expectations and likes of any employee, offering both relaxation and active leisure. Employees can choose from a wide choice of routes and activities, including skiing, snowboarding, cycling, sailing, horseback riding, hiking and sightseeing.  They explore attractive sites in Poland and neighbouring countries.

In 2017, the “trekking bankers”, participating in three family editions (winter, summer and autumn), visited Krynica, Podlasie, the Kłodzko Valley and the Czech Republic. The most perseverant took part in in two events: The Green Velo bicycle tour, where they covered a distance of more than 400 km in 4 days and a Hohe Tauren trekking route in Austria.

• Overall, 1,942 people participated in the project (up by 7 % versus 2016) and as many as 90% declared their presence in the following year.
• According to the survey conducted among the participants of the 2017 Trekking Event, 91% of participants would recommend the programme to other employees.

Once a year, employees can participate in this event on preferential terms, thanks to a subsidy from the Company Social Benefits Fund.

Key objectives of the project:

• promotion of the work-life balance concept,
• integration through sports, tourism and recreation,
• promotion of active leisure time,
• raising the awareness of valuable natural and landscape features of Poland and other countries.

In response to a huge interest of our employees, in 2018, we will organise six editions of the Rajd Bankowca Trekking Event.

The “Health Bank” programme belongs to the global BeHealthy program of Santander Group. The aim of this programme based on a holistic approach to health, is to promote a healthy lifestyle and the concept of work-life balance. Under the programme, we carry out educational and motivational activities in four thematic areas (Eat well, Be active, Be ergo and Take care of your health), support bottom-up initiatives and organise health promotion campaigns together with our internal and external partners. Additionally, measures are taken to facilitate access to healthcare and fitness services.

The Health Bank programme has its presence on the Intranet; every week employees receive a set of articles and materials i their inboxes related to healthy diet, active leisure, relaxation, physical and mental health prevention and workplace ergonomics.

The highlight of our programme is the Health Bank Week modelled on Santander Group’s BeHealthy Week. For a whole week, employees can participate in pro-health initiatives. These initiatives are adapted to internal needs of the Bank’s employees and the domestic corporate wellness market.

Selected initiatives of the 2017 Health Bank programme:

• Eat well: delivery of fruits to the offices; MultisportDiet platform for the users of the MultiSport card; the Bank’s Cookbook co-authored by the employees, Healthy Meal Day where the employees celebrated the custom of eating breakfast and lunch together at work.
• Be active: Santander Bank Polska Runners Team; Santander Bank Polska Bike Team; mobile bike service event in 3 bank locations and the “How to exercise with a child” competition (with attractive prizes.).
• Take care of your health: Health Days organised in partnership with the healthcare service provider, offering employees a possibility to have a basic medical check-up at work (glucose test, cholesterol level, blood pressure, body mass); attractive discounts for buying a cancer insurance cover; articles on physical and mental health prophylactics; a webinar for all employees, entitled, “Work-Life Balance. How to Achieve Balance? Effective Management of Personal and Professional Life”; a breast and cervical cancer prevention webinar on Women’s Day; competition addressed to teams related to an effective work break, with attractive prizes.
• Be ergo: instructions for exercises to prevent eye strain; instructions on how to properly set up the office chair; articles on ergonomics in the workplace and workplace ergonomics quizzes.

Another event that combined healthy eating with physical activity was the Health Chain, which involved issuing pro-health challenges to other employees on the Instagram. The nominated person had to perform a task (e.g. drink freshly squeezed lemon juice or do push-ups, etc.), document it in a photograph and then challenge another person. This event was promoted by the Bank’s Management Board, along with the President himself.

• Nearly 90% of bank employees know the programme and feel that it inspires them to lead an active life style.
• According to the latest Health Report 2017 drawn up by our medical service provider, the health condition of the employees has improved: the duration of leaves dropped from 9.3 day to 8.8 day, the percentage of smokers decreased by 3 % and the number of preventive consultations went up by 2%.