Sustainability is integrated into all level of Bayer’s management structure. Having representation at board level with a designated Chief Sustainability Officer ensures sustainability is at the heart of all processes within Bayer. This fits into the wider picture of being involved with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to achieve U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is important that all employees feel empowered within their roles to contribute to the businesses sustainability goals and are part of this process.
A sustainable culture and way of thinking must be instilled among every employee. This culture begins even before employment – in outreach work and partnerships and must support employees and stakeholders at all levels.
Bayer is heavily focused on research, we depend on well educated and intelligent scientists and employees who are working at the forefront of societies latest technology. At the same time we want to promote entrepreneurship in our future generations. Therefore supporting school and universities is of extreme importance to us.
Currently the Bayer Science Foundation honours outstanding scientific research with three prestige awards: Hansen Family award, Otto Bayer award and the Talent award. Starting in 2020 we will be introducing the “Friedrich Bayer award” in memory of the company’s founding father. One of Bayers main objectives for the next five years is to empowering it employees, whether that be developing an idea or performing research. Our employees are some of the brightest people in the world, who have ideas for research or products that should be supported and enabled. The Friedrich Bayer award will be available only to Bayer employees for the best product or research. Sharing best practice or ideas from elsewhere and new innovative ideas through designated personnel and monthly departmental meetings.
Internships with a sustainability focus to analyse, design and lead programmes to improve the sustainability of Bayer. An invaluable opportunity for students, this will help Bayer assess their strategy with fresh eyes and provides resources and enthusiasm to achieve new initiatives – whether small or large. Currently scholarships are provided to German students wishing to study abroad or foreign students wishing to study in Germany. We aim to expand on this. Bayer will also start schools programmes to help support sustainable behaviour. Helping to achieve sustainability goals, whilst engaging the community and improving brand images. This will be achieved by designing a series of workshops that can be carried out by schools or facilitated by University students about looking after our planet and health.
Find partners i.e. University of Wageningen University who have strong sustainable values and innovative research. Finding similar partnerships within the pharmaceutical sector with research grants and collaborations will help amplify our sustainability goals. These relationships will have profound benefits for the environment and people.
Bayer is one of Germany’s largest sport donors and sponsors. Bayer has been supporting sports clubs n german communities to allow employees to make constructive use of their spare time. Bayer sponsors both recreational and professional levels of sport. Going forward we aim to pay more attention to disabled sports teams, as well as children's’ teams. 45,000 members are active in the 23 Bayer sports clubs.
Employee wellbeing is important to Bayer, as part of employee well-being strategy, engaging sustainably with your environment should be a key thought when designing employee support programmes. If employees are educated and enabled to have a healthy relationship with their environment: being a guardian of green spaces, using water responsibly etc. you can enable a strong sustainable culture within the workplace also. Social responsibility leads to increased employee engagement, commitment, retention and identification. This leads to better business outcomes. Our aim for Bayer is to move from a mercenary culture to a communal one with high levels of sociability as well as of high levels of solidarity (Goffee and Jones).
We can facilitate this with company well-being training days that give you:
Additionally the new Friedrich Bayer award will promote and reward people who take an initiative. It will also help providing intrinsic motivation for our employers which leads to increased quality and creativity in work.
