• Australian Red Cross, R U OK? and Good Yarn (NZ) set to receive a collective $35,000 to support Aussies and Kiwis. 
• Challenge incentivised employees to practice self-care to secure Bayer-funded donations.
• Almost 300 Bayer employees signed up to the challenge.  

16 November 2021 – The Bayer ANZ Self-Care Challenge has culminated in a collective $35,000 AUD donation to charities Australian Red Cross, R U OK? and GoodYarn (NZ). 

Attracting the participation of almost 300 Bayer employees across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), the 21-day challenge sought to engage employees in healthy self-care practices, while acting as a Bayer-funded donation drive for charities supporting Aussies and Kiwis.

“The pandemic has had an impact on the mental wellbeing and livelihood of many Aussies and Kiwis, and as a life science company driven by a vision of ‘health for all, hunger for none’, we recognise the role we can and must play in helping our communities recover,” explains Ailish Hanley, Head of Public Affairs, Sustainability and Communications at Bayer ANZ. 

“Bayer is committed to supporting vulnerable Aussies and Kiwis through this time, including our employees and those members of our communities doing it tough. We’re pleased to be able to support the Australian Red Cross, R U OK? and GoodYarn (NZ) in the important work they’re doing to address pressing needs in our local communities.” 

Bayer ANZ’s donation builds on the company’s worldwide effort to support vulnerable people through the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally, the company has donated money, medicines, protective equipment, and medical appliances worth almost $45M AUD (€29 million) in over 60 countries.¹

Bayer ANZ is a long-standing advocate for self-care, a commitment which has seen the business invest in several self-care campaigns and projects centred on improving health literacy and the uptake of healthy behaviours across ANZ. It’s the company’s strong affiliation with self-care which inspired the format of the self-care challenge. 

“As a leading healthcare company, Bayer has a role to play in championing self-care – for ourselves, our networks and our communities. We’re committed to leading the self-care charge for better health and wellbeing outcomes for all, and the Bayer ANZ Self-Care challenge reflects this,” says Jonas Marques, SVP & Cluster Head, Consumer Health at Bayer ANZ. 

About the Bayer ANZ Self-Care Challenge

On the 18th of October, Bayer ANZ launched a 21-day Self-Care Challenge for employees across ANZ. To participate, employees were encouraged to set self-care pledges across three facets of self-care: physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing and nutrition. For every employee who registered for the challenge (almost 300 employees in total), Bayer pledged to donate to one or more charities supporting Aussies and Kiwis through the pandemic: Australian Red Cross, R U OK? and NZ charity, Good Yarn.

Each week of the challenge focused on a different aspect of self-care, with opportunities for participants to secure additional donations for charity each week. Across the challenge, Bayer hosted a variety of educational events and engagement opportunities to support participants in enhancing their self-care knowledge and behaviours. 

Bayer: Science for a better life

Bayer is a global life science company with expertise in healthcare and agriculture. The company has had a presence in Australia since 1925 and has a long-term commitment to the health and nutrition of all Australians and New Zealanders. As people live longer and the population continues to grow both locally and beyond, Bayer is one of the few companies that takes a comprehensive view of these issues. Guided by our purpose – Science for a better life – we apply our global scientific expertise in healthcare and agriculture to deliver innovations locally to help people and the planet thrive. 

Bayer employs almost 900 people across Australia and New Zealand and is dedicated to servicing the needs of rural and remote communities. Bayer embraces and encourages its employees’ unique identities and advances a culture of inclusion and diversity across gender, LGBTQIA+, generations, disability and race.

For further information visit www.bayer.com.au 

Australian Red Cross provides relief in times of crisis and care when it's needed most - working towards the vision of human dignity, peace, safety and wellbeing for all. https://www.redcross.org.au/

R U OK? is a national suicide prevention charity that works to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and support anyone struggling with life. https://www.ruok.org.au/

GoodYarn (NZ) is an evidence-based, peer-delivered, mental health literacy programme for workplaces, both rural and urban, that enables people to talk about mental health. www.goodyarn.org

Contact for media inquiries:
Jenna Green, Sustainability Engagement Manager
M. +61 457 446 210 E. Jenna.green@bayer.com 

References: 
1. Bayer Global. Our Commitment to Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic. Accessed November 2021. Available at: https://www.bayer.com/en/covid-19/coronavirus-our-commitment