GSK Employees do more, feel better, live longer at annual Health & Safety Week

Improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer is GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) credo. The company is committed to doing this not only for consumers but also for its most important asset as well – its employees – through its annual celebration of GSK Health & Safety Week.

More than 300 employees participated in the various activities promoting safety, health and wellness both in and out of the workplace.

To ensure that their employees are at the peak of their health, GSK provided a complete, on-site annual physical exam. Also recognizing the dangers posed by diabetes, GSK also went the extra mile and made free blood sugar testing available.

To encourage the company to adhere to the highest standards of safety on the road, GSK launched “Accident Free Week”, a contest that celebrated exemplary safety records for their field employees. The three districts with the best records were awarded exciting prizes. Within the office, GSK held a team orientation on emergency responses to ensure employees are prepared and can readily manage emergency situations such as natural calamities.

Making the workplace a more relaxing environment also topped the list of objectives for GSK’s Health and Safety Week. A free relaxing chair massage was made available all day to rejuvenate tired employees and help manage workplace stress.

GSK’s Health & Safety week also focused on encouraging a healthier lifestyle; this year the focus was on the joys of healthy eating, as seen in their first ever GSK Cook-Off: The Vegetable Challenge. Four teams of three employees faced off with their most delicious veggie dishes, including sweet honey braised vegetables, veggies in hollandaise and cabbage rolls that enticed many to add more vegetables to their daily menu.

But at the end of the cookfest, one dish reigned supreme: the vibrant, versatile veggie dish, made up of bell peppers stuffed with minced mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, garlic and basil leaves.

“The versatility of the dish was really the key factor that helped it to win,” said Daisy Cembrano, Vice President for Commercial Excellence and a member of the winning team. “Aside from using it as filling for bell peppers, it can also be used with a variety of easy-to-prepare snacks to enhance their overall taste like crackers, bread, pasta, salad and rice topping. It’s healthy yet filling, perfect for promoting healthy eating habits.”

Vice President for Human Resources Lito De Guzman considers this year’s celebration to be a rousing success. “GSK’s Health & Safety Week provides a venue to ensure that the highest standards of safety and health are in place to provide an environment conducive for our employees' performance and development. Our purpose is to raise employee awareness about health and safety issues and with the enthusiastic participation of our people at each and every event, I could definitely say we’ve achieved that.”