Health Management

“Gemeinsam.topfit” is an online platform of the REWE Group and includes an app. It can be used by business areas such as REWE and PENNY in Germany, REWE Digital, DER Touristik, Lekkerland, nahkauf, and numerous other small companies. Since 2019, it has been helping its users to lead a healthy lifestyle: From stress management to nutritional tips, employees can take advantage of various offers available in “Gemeinsam.topfit”. In addition to video and audio courses, recipes and other content, a Job.Fit module provides employees with valuable information about everyday work and physical activities, such as lifting and carrying heavy products, stacking shelves or sitting at the cash desk. In addition, lectures on specific topics lectures, health courses, company medical consultations and vaccinations can also be booked directly via the app. There is also a number of various training and relaxation units that can be done at home. Across Germany, over 70,000 employees from the different sales lines have already registered for the “Gemeinsam.topfit” app.

The REWE Group in Germany launched the project “LoS!” (Life Phase-Oriented Self-Help Skills) in 2011. It was developed in cooperation with the Institute for Preventive Healthcare (IFGP). In terms of preventive healthcare, the focus is on managing stress and mental strain as both can have a serious impact on the employability, motivation and work performance of employees.

The so-called “LoS! multipliers” are essential for the project: The now 233 employees (2021: 216) are trained as first-line councellors and act as voluntary points of contact to support employees in critical phases of life. New guidelines are regularly developed to support them.

During the reporting period, a new cooperation agreement for occupational health management in Germany was concluded with the health insurance provider Deutsche Angestellten Krankenkasse (DAK-Gesundheit) for the next three years. Various measures and projects were carried out as part of this cooperation:

• In December 2022, a digital national health day took place at the REWE Group for the first time. In cooperation with DAK-Gesundheit and Aktivital, all employees were offered a day-long programme with different modules. It included lectures on issues such as stress, back health, or recipes to pre-cook, e.g. for lunch. There were also sessions where employees could join in, e.g. with exercises or relaxation techniques. In total, approximately 700 employees took part in the offers.
• In cooperation with DAK-Gesundheit and healthcare experts from the region, a seminar on dealing with difficult customers in the stores was developed, piloted, and included in the portfolio of measures. The regions have been able to book the seminar since October 2022.
• Digital lectures by experts on topics such as mental health and sleep, including work-life balance, were also held in March 2022.

During the reporting period, a climate challenge was announced across sales lines in Germany on the health platform “Gemeinsam.topfit”. The aim was to save 20,000 kilograms of CO₂ emissions and, at the same time, promote healthy activities, such as walking instead of driving or adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet. The campaign was very well-received. In the end, the total 21,941 kilograms CO₂e saved resulted in a donation of 1,100 euros to the NABU Climate Fund Climate Protection in the Supply Chain).

At the Cologne headquarters, occupational health management offers preventive courses under the name Fit.Netz. Along with classic health promotion offers in accordance with § 20 SGB V (German Social Code, V), the programmes also include further courses in the area of exercise and relaxation. from 2018 until 2022, a total of 3,655 courses were attended, 293 of which were taken in the reporting year (2021: 532).

On the occasion of World Breast Cancer day on 1 October, the REWE Group in Germany offered all its employees four webinars on breast cancer prevention in the reporting period in cooperation with “discovering hands” – an initiative that trains blind and visually impaired women to become medical-tactile examiners. Their special tactile abilities enable them to detect around 30 per cent more tissue changes than doctors. The webinars provide important information on prevention, instructions on self-examination, and offer the option of being able to ask individual questions. Approximately 200 employers participated.

Furthermore, the initiative “Du bist wichtig” (“You matter”) has existed since 2012. Employees of the REWE Group across Germany receive a time credit of one hour to take part in cancer screening. In 2022, a total of 3,902 employees (2021: 2,227) took advantage of screenings.

The trainee health day “Fit im Job” (“Fit at Work”) has been held at the REWE sales line in Germany since 2021 and at PENNY in Germany since 2022. It takes place during the first year of training and aims to sustainably promote health awareness among trainees at an early stage and in a sustainable manner. Topics include healthy eating, exercise and ergonomics, addiction and mental health.

In 2022, the REWE Group across Germany took part in the company running series B2Run for the first time. Nearly 1,000 runners tackled a distance of around six kilometres at seven locations. Preparation for the runs was available in advance on Gemeinsam.topfit, plus all participants received a vest and food at their team stands at the runs themselves. In Cologne, the REWE Group was awarded the title “Fittest Group” for having the most participants.

After the event had been cancelled for two years due to the pandemic, the REWE Group was back at the starting line of the Cologne Marathon in 2022 – with a total of 30 relay, 21 marathon, and 133 half-marathon runners, making it the largest company team at the event.

Employees also got active through JobRad. The offer to receive a company bicycle as part of a deferred compensation model, which is available to all employees of the REWE Group, has been taken up more than 10,749 times since the end of 2016 (2021: more than 8,000 times).

In 2021, a new company-level agreement on the support of people suffering from addiction was concluded. On this basis, a comprehensive brochure on the topic of addiction was produced during the reporting year. It serves as a guide for executives when dealing with the issue of addiction and affected employees.