Workplace health, well-being and safety

Our commitment to the safety, health, and well-being of Nestlé employees at work: A collective responsibility and a strategic priority

Just as we aim to be a ‘force for good’ in society, we are committed to providing safe and healthy working conditions for our employees.

We firmly believe that work can be part of personal and professional fulfilment. At Nestlé, it provides a sense of purpose, fair compensation, and opportunities for development. Furthermore, employee safety, health and well-being are the cornerstones of a thriving and high-performing workforce. When individuals feel physically and mentally well, they bring their best selves to work, leading to increased creativity, engagement, and resilience. Prioritizing health and well-being not only reduce absenteeism, presenteeism and related costs but also fosters a culture of care and support, ultimately enhancing employee satisfaction levels and loyalty. This is why we place the overall health of our employees at the core of our strategy, adopting a holistic, inclusive, and preventive approach.

Our progress toward creating a healthier workforce

Learn more in the Social Disclosures section of our 2025 Non-Financial Statement (pdf, 18Mb).

An integrated vision of health and well-being within the organization

We believe that the health of our employees extends beyond the absence of illness; it encompasses the physical, mental, social, and financial dimensions, all of which are interconnected. Every initiative we implement, whether related to workplace flexibility, the prevention of psychosocial risks, training, or recognition, is designed with this holistic and integrated perspective in mind. To bring this vision to life, we have developed the Nestlé Roadmap for Employee Health and Well-being, aimed at inspiring and empowering our employees to choose a healthier future for themselves, their families, and our company.

The roadmap is led by the Corporate Employee Health and Well-being (EHW) team, which reports directly to the Global Head of Human Resources, a member of the Executive Board. The Corporate EHW team is responsible for defining the overall strategy, identifying key health risks and priorities, designing global interventions for physical and mental health, and monitoring impact. It works closely with the global network of EHW Managers to guide, support, and adapt the implementation of programs across markets. The roadmap provides a global framework for our approach, ensuring our efforts are coordinated, transparent, and aligned with our Corporate Business Principles and business objectives. It also enables us to measure progress, identify gaps, and continuously advance well-being across our organization.

Designed to offer both structure and flexibility, it allows markets to tailor their initiatives according to local contexts and priorities to maximize impact. It sets clear expectations and priorities for the Health and Wellbeing function and provides guidance for market-level health strategies, structured around four pillars with defined milestones and deliverables:

• Foundations: health standards, health crisis preparedness plans, direct support for employees, ergonomics.
• Governance and capabilities: creation of a health community, health advisory for employees, stakeholder management, and health dashboard.
• Health promotion: education and awareness, and concrete initiatives and programs designed to mitigate identified health risks, around physical, mental, financial, and social health dimensions.
• Communication and networking:  health communication strategy, employee listening, networking, recognition.

Each pillar is supported by specific objectives and key indicators, which are published and monitored with the global EHW Dashboard. We use this roadmap in accordance with our principles: respecting privacy and personal choices, enabling informed decision-making, supporting a healthy working environment, and ensuring healthy working conditions.

Evidence-based approach and listening to employees

We follow an evidence-based approach, through data collection to better understand our employees' risk areas and viewpoints on health and well-being, through different tools, including our global employee engagement survey.

The data we collect enables us to engage employees in our strategies and design targeted initiatives in response to their identified needs. Each project is thus anchored in an identified need or risk, with aligned resources and objectives. We recognize the importance of collaborating with our employees’ representatives and external stakeholders, reinforcing our culture of respect and dialogue through direct and frequent communication.

All data is collected and processed in compliance with applicable data protection laws, respecting employee privacy and confidentiality.

Support throughout the professional journey

Our ambition is to offer a barrier-free, safe, and supportive work environment throughout every stage of our employees' careers. We have integrated inclusion principles into our HR processes, to help us better integrate individuals with disabilities, whether visible or invisible, physical or mental. Our Global Guidance on Disability Inclusion promotes inclusive hiring, retention, and development of employees with physical and/or mental disabilities, considering all aspects of the recruitment and professional development process.

We aim to provide the necessary reasonable accommodation to enable everyone to perform their duties under the best possible conditions, including job adaptations in cases of chronic illness or return after extended leave.

Clear and accessible information to employees

To ensure that Nestlé employees are aware of all our resources and programs, we have dedicated health intranet and internal social media portals. These platforms provide easy access to our services while enhancing the visibility and transparency of our approach on a regular basis. They also support open communication around our holistic health strategies and initiatives.

Furthermore, twice a year, around either World Health Day (April 7) or the World Day for Safety and Health at Work (April 28), and World Mental Health Day (October 10), we run global communication campaigns. During these campaigns, we share information about the resources and programs available. The objective is to foster a safe, supported, and empowering work environment by bringing these initiatives to life through health talks, employee testimonials, and other communication activities.

Concrete services and tools to support physical and mental health

At Nestlé, we provide a broad range of global programs dedicated to employees’ mental and physical well-being, with the flexibility for local markets to enhance and expand these initiatives in line with their specific contexts. These include:

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): This program provides support by experts in various areas such as stress management, conflict resolution, mental health, financial issues, and family problems. Employees and their families living in the same household can access free and confidential counselling. 96% of our countries offer Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support employees’ mental health and well-being currently.
• Occupational Health Services: They generally include support and individual care, coordination with relevant stakeholders, return-to-work follow-up, fitness for work assessments, and prevention of occupational risks, thereby supporting a healthy and safe work environment.
• Trainings and educational activities:  We offer a range of global learning programs to build awareness, skills, and confidence around health (physical and mental) and well-being, supporting employees in making informed lifestyle choices and fostering a more open and supportive culture.
• #HealthyLives e-learning: a global training program with modules on nutrition, sleep, physical activity, and mental health, equipping employees with practical knowledge to improve their daily habits.
• Mental Health for Leaders: Our countries provide dedicated training for people managers to strengthen their ability to support team well-being and foster psychologically safe environments. By the end of 2025, 6 192 people managers have been trained on mental health.
• Mental Health First Aiders: We train employees across multiple locations to become Mental Health First Aiders, enabling them to listen effectively and provide initial support to colleagues in distress. 4 702 employees have completed Mental Health First Aider (or similar) training by 2025.
• NutriLearn: a global AI-based nutrition training to help empower employees with a common understanding of nutrition and its connection to overall health, energy levels, mood and cognitive function. We believe nutrition plays a key role in overall mental and physical health.  6 574 employees were trained by 2025.
• My Health Numbers: This voluntary and confidential program gives employees access to a free, comprehensive health check-up, followed by personalized guidance from healthcare professionals to support informed decisions on physical and mental health. In parallel, anonymized and aggregated insights help identify common health risks and inform the design of targeted initiatives to better support employee well-being across the organization.
• Healthy Life Days: Since 2021, we have organized two global campaigns per year, called Healthy Life Days, addressing holistic health themes. These sessions include topics such as mental health, healthy eating, financial well-being, mindfulness, sleep, ergonomics, and specific issues such as cancer, hormonal health and menopause. These campaigns aim to raise awareness among our employees about health issues and to reduce the stigma around mental health.
• Wellbeing by Pleaz: An external tool designed to encourage individuals to take active breaks. The Wellbeing by Pleaz platform offers a variety of short, science-based guided video breaks on demand, catering to those seeking either a mindful or energizing moment. Taking breaks at work can significantly enhance our physical and mental well-being, from reducing fatigue and recharging energy to sharpening focus and boosting productivity.
• Speak up: At Nestlé, our values are rooted in respect. The Nestlé Corporate Business Principles reflect our commitment to a strong ethical culture as a non-negotiable foundation of how we do business. Therefore, it is crucial for our company to have a robust reporting system that enables us to listen to anyone along our value chain about any non-compliance concern.

Fostering good working conditions through policy

At Nestlé, we take working conditions very seriously and we are committed to creating an environment conducive to well-being and mental health.

We have a Nestlé Policy on Conditions of Work and Employment, which highlights Nestlé’s commitment to providing good working conditions and a safe, healthy and flexible work environment for its employees worldwide. This policy emphasizes the importance of sustainable business success driven by engaged employees who have a sense of purpose and personal ownership of their work and organization. It also extends this approach to individuals working under contractual obligations with third parties, ensuring that suitable working conditions are provided to their employees as well.

The policy sets minimum requirements for work arrangements and working conditions, ensuring compliance with local laws and collective bargaining agreements. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of ethical recruitment practices, non-discrimination, and the provision of a living wage to all employees. It also strongly emphasizes the need for a safe and healthy workplace, including both physical and mental health.

To further support this commitment, we also have additional guidelines and policies in place that reinforce these principles across our organization:

1. Flexible Work: As we strengthen diversity in Nestlé, flexible working provides a platform for inclusion in support of the diverse needs of employees. In line with the Global Flexible Working Guideline, we are offering flexibility to our employees in where, when or how the work is done. The degree to which flexible working can be embedded in the culture will vary in each market, depending on local legislation, culture, management, business requirements, type of work, etc. Flexible working is the effective combination of leveraging flexible working options, technologies and innovative thinking to maximize performance and thereby create a more productive, engaged and efficient workplace.
2. Fair Compensation: At Nestlé, we have our Total Rewards Policy that ensures that our employees are rewarded and recognized for their contributions with competitive pay and benefits. It provides a framework where teams can create programs that attract, motivate and retain talent. This policy specifically addresses our material IROs of unequal pay for work of equal value and gender inequality. Through our annual global reviews to champion equal pay for equal work, we identify any potential systemic gender pay gaps
3. Parental support: The Nestlé Global Parental Support Policy (pdf, 3Mb) recognizes the diversity of families. It has a gender-neutral outlook and sets mandatory global minimum standards, such as 18-weeks fully paid leave for primary caregivers and 4-weeks fully paid leave for secondary caregivers. Our Global Parental Support Policy represents an important investment in the social protection of our employees, creating the right conditions for a strong start in the life of their children. In addition, it reinforces employment protection, non-discrimination, health protection, breastfeeding support and availability of flexible working options.
4. Career Advancement and Adaptation: As part of our People Strategy, we aim to build a diverse and inspiring workforce. We encourage talent mobility and offer training and recognition opportunities. The "Lifelong Learning" program highlights essential skills for thriving in a constantly evolving environment. Furthermore, our Global Guidance on Disability Inclusion aims to create a respectful and accessible work environment, ensuring reasonable accommodation when needed.
5. Building an Inclusive Culture: At Nestlé, we're proud of our diverse workforce and believe it is one of our biggest strengths. With our Guideline on Disability Inclusion, our goal is to build a culture where everyone feels included. When people can bring their whole selves to work, they thrive and so does the business.
6. Protection against Discrimination, Violence and Harassment: Our workplace has zero tolerance for incidents of discrimination in the workplace, violence and/or harassment as these are incompatible with our purpose and values and our Corporate Business Principles – as well as the Nestlé Leadership Framework. The Nestlé Policy Against Discrimination, Violence and Harassment at Work (pdf, 3Mb) sets out our core principles of a respectful work environment, standards, processes and ways to report grievances via our Speak Up system, along with our commitment to non-retaliation in reporting and the process for investigation, remedial actions and sanctions.
7. Support to Employee Victims of Domestic Violence or Abuse: Nestlé is committed to supporting employees who are victims of domestic violence. We have developed Global Guidance to help markets implement support measures and foster a workplace environment where these issues can be addressed without stigma. In parallel, we aim to raise awareness and help eradicate all forms of violence by promoting open dialogue and fostering a culture of respect and safety. Our goal is to ensure every employee feels safe, supported, and empowered to seek help when needed.

Strong governance through cross-functional collaboration 

Since 2023, the Employee Health and Well-being (EHW) Council has strengthened our governance by placing health at the core of strategic decision-making. Chaired by the Global Head of HR, a member of the Executive Board, the Council brings together senior leaders from across functions, including HR, Operations, R&D, Sales, Communications, Nutrition & Health, and Public Affairs, to align on the strategic direction and priorities of the Employee Health and Well-being Roadmap. It serves as a key platform to integrate diverse perspectives, ensure health remains high on the business agenda, and guide the design of impactful, organization-wide initiatives. Implementation is driven locally by EHW and HR teams across zones and markets, ensuring relevance and effectiveness. 

Driving continuous improvement through external validation and partnerships 

Nestlé partnered with Bureau Veritas to pilot the application of ISO 45003 on psychosocial risk management, covering both a local market (Nestlé Portugal) and corporate-level strategy, practices, and programs. 

This pilot introduced a structured and objective approach to assessing existing practices, combining comprehensive document reviews with on-site engagement. It enabled the identification of key improvement opportunities, strengthened alignment between global and local approaches, and enhanced credibility through independent external validation. At the same time, it contributed to raising awareness of mental health and psychosocial risks across the organization. 

Additionally, Nestlé actively engages with external networks such as the Global Occupational Safety and Health Network (GOSH), the Consumer Goods Forum, and the European Health Network. Through these collaborations, we share our holistic health initiatives, and learn from other companies’ best practices, contributing to collective progress and the advancement of the overall health agenda.

Mental Health at Work

At Nestlé, we believe that caring for mental health is essential to building a sustainable and high-performing organization. As part of this commitment, we have developed an extension of our Stress & Resilience Guidance, the new Global Guidance on Mental Health at Work. This guidance is designed to foster safer, healthier and more supportive working environments across the company, while promoting a culture of openness and transparency around mental health in the workplace. It has been developed in partnership with experts from International SOS (ISOS) and based on the Word Health Organization (WHO), International Labour Organization (ILO) Mental Health Policy Brief and the ISO 45003 guidance on psychosocial risks.

Our guidance is structured around clear definitions and a core framework encompassing three pillars: Prevent, Protect & Promote, and Support.

1. Definition: This guidance defines Nestlé’s position on mental health at work, emphasizing that health in the workplace is a shared responsibility between employees and the organization. It also establishes clear definitions of key concepts related to mental health, such as psychosocial risks, psychological safety, and burnout.
2. Prevent: Our approach is based on the assessment of psychosocial risks, primarily through global internal surveys capturing employees’ perceptions, aggregated data on work-related mental ill-health, and self-reported insights on dimensions directly and indirectly linked to mental health. In addition, we leverage various aggregated HR indicators, such as anonymized absenteeism trends, holiday usage, Speak Up, as well as turnover, overtime, and other workforce metrics, to identify potential underlying psychosocial risks.This assessment is followed by targeted action planning aligned with identified needs, helping to prevent future risks.

3. Protect and Promote: Our approach also includes both protective and promotive mental health measures:

   • as foster a culture of wellbeing and healthy environments,
   • training and awareness,
   • individual level interventions.
4. Support: We provide continuous support throughout the employee lifecycle, including during and after periods of sick leave.

This work is driven by cross-functional collaboration, spanning areas such as Talent Acquisition, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Total Rewards, and other teams to effectively address each identified risk.  

While implementation is to be adapted locally, this initiative represents an important step in strengthening our approach to mental health at work and reducing stigma, in line with our values of respect and care for our people. 

Concrete objectives to transform commitment into action

We know that commitments alone are not enough; they must be translated into tangible actions. This is why we have defined clear objectives for our health teams, aligned with our global roadmap for 2024–2026 and the upcoming roadmap for 2027–2029. Among the priorities outlined are:

• Strengthening training for line managers and HR on mental health at work.
• Launching the new Mental Health Global Guidance and monitoring its implementation into the market.
• Expanding the network of Mental Health First Aiders across all zones.
• Amplifying awareness of social and financial well-being.
• Improve our understanding of work-related risks and incidents, including mental ill health–related to work.  

Our people are at the heart of our business and success. We believe that by strengthening our focus on workplace physical and mental health and well-being, we can actively create a positive and supportive work environment where all our employees can thrive.