Novo Nordisk’s passion to defeat diabetes infuses the spirit of the company’s employee volunteer programme – TakeAction!
Launched in 2003, TakeAction! is designed to encourage and support employees in integrating the company’s Triple Bottom Line approach into everything they do. The programme provides an opportunity to engage in voluntary activities and a forum for sharing best practice. All activities are developed and undertaken by Novo Nordisk employees during their working hours and support the company’s business objectives as well as meeting social and/or environmental objectives in the local communities in which the company operates.
TakeAction! is coordinated from the corporate headquarters, from where campaign materials, tips and guidelines and one annual corporate-wide event are driven. But the real action takes place locally in affiliates, at sites or in departments at the corporate headquarters. An intraweb site provides tools and a platform for sharing experience and better practices. In 2005 a total of 99 local activities were recorded, involving colleagues from across the organisation. Below are a few examples.
Creative initiatives throughout the world
TakeAction! activities are as varied and creative as the people who make them happen. These are just a few examples of how employees are living the Novo Nordisk values:
Diabetes Awareness Drive in the Phillipines
In July 2005 Novo Nordisk employees on the Philippines held a two-hour session about diabetes and healthy living for 100 employees at two local companies.
Diabetes summer camps in Europe
Each year a number of employees working in Region Europe volunteer to work a week in summer camps for children with diabetes in Poland, Spain, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Community work in Brazil
Employees from Novo Nordisk Brazil have initiated a ‘fix & paint’ project at a home for elderly women in their local community. The volunteers have helped restore the house and thereby improved the living conditions for the women living there.
Tree planting in China
Employees from Novo Nordisk China participated in a tree planting event where 200 maple trees were planted in an area in Beijing with frequent and extensive sandstorms.
Novo Nordisk School Challenge
In 2005 Novo Nordisk launched the TakeAction! School Challenge, which encourages employees to visit their local schools and teach children about healthy living in collaboration with the local class teacher. This intiative is in line with the company’s focus on youth prevention of type 2 diabetes.
A School Challenge website is available with fun and educational activities related to the overall theme of healthy eating and regular exercise. Visit the website for more information.
Everyone jump - Kids changing diabetes
In Canada, 8,000 children from 10 schools in and around Toronto jumped to the songs in ‘Everyone jump – Kids changing diabetes’, a concert tour held as Novo Nordisk Canada’s Schools Challenge activity for World Diabetes Day 2005. The concert tour, which was organised in conjunction with a local teachers' organisation, was a great success. The children can continue their exertions to the sounds of an ‘Everyone jump’ CD, which has been distrbuted at schools together with teaching materials about diabetes.
Worldwide, more than 60,000 children participated in the TakeAction! School Challenge in 2005.
This page has been assessed by PricewaterhouseCoopers as part of its assessment of Novo Nordisk’s statement that it reports ‘in accordance’ with GRI. Please refer to Audit and assurance for a full description of the nature of assurance offered.
