In August 2018, the RussiaDiscovery team organized a trip to Lake Baikal for employees of the pharmaceutical company STADA. The participants of this corporate trip not only got to know the protected nature of the region, but also performed volunteer work in the Pribaikalsky National Park: they cleaned up trash and helped set up one of the hiking trails camping sites.
What cases is this corporate tour suitable for?
A program of this format is suitable for companies that support and follow socially responsible business practices or are beginning their development in this direction.
We know that organizing a corporate event is not easy because it’s necessary to come up with such a format that will be suitable for employees of different professions, ages and interests, rally the team and leave vivid impression. A great solution is a corporate outing that includes volunteer work.
A trip like this:
It is possible to choose a route and work that does not require any special physical conditioning - it will be interesting for employees of all ages.
Customer
STADA is an international group of companies, a manufacturer of pharmaceuticals and products of the Consumer HealthCare segment. It was founded in 1895 in Germany. Today STADA products are presented in 120 countries. The group consists of 20 production sites all over the world, including 2 plants in Russia - AO "Nizhpharm" in Nizhny Novgorod, and OOO "Chemopharm" in Obninsk.
RussiaDiscovery team cooperated with Nizhpharm's Russian division.
Task
STADA regularly holds corporate events for its employees: group trainings, subbotniks (Rus. for volunteer nature cleanup days), joint trips. In 2018, the company held an internal corporate contest - 30 winning employees received the opportunity to go on a trip in Russia together with their colleagues as a prize.
The STADA team set itself the task of organizing not just a simple corporate trip, but of making the trip socially responsible by doing volunteer work that would benefit nature.
This was in line with the general socially-oriented policy of STADA: the company is constantly implementing social projects - for example, the "Mobile diagnostics: take control of health" program, which aims to increase public interest in health and develop a culture of systematic medical examinations to detect diseases at an early stage. The company also pays great attention to environmental issues by monitoring the level of its operations’ actual impact on the ecology.
Our task: to choose a place for a trip and organize a tour in accordance with the wishes and budget specified by STADA - a trekking route passing through a nature reserve or a national park. Beautiful locations, comfortable hiking conditions and affordable logistics. Volunteer work in a protected area.
Implementation and result
Our work consisted of three blocks:
1. Selection of a suitable location for the trip
We suggested a route through Pribaikalsky National Park:
2. We worked over the route and organized volunteers' work.
We created a program for 6 days: it included a hike along one of the most beautiful Baikal hiking routes and some volunteer work.
The participants’ route passed along the west shore of Baikal through such picturesque areas like pine forests, clean sandy beaches, cozy bays and rocky shores. In the Peschanaya Bay, the final point of the hiking route, the tourists had a panoramic view and could take pictures with the famous stilted trees - water and wind constantly wash and blow away the sandy soil, and it seemed as if the pines and larches were rising on their roots like on stilts above the ground.
Pribaikalsky National Park has approved volunteer work on the selected route. Our partners in Baikal provided the participants with all necessary tools.
During the trip STADA employees:
3. Ensured comfortable conditions.
Tour participants lived in a campsite during the trip - as they progressed along the route, the accompanying units moved it to different locations on the coast. Right from the campground there were views of the lake, and in the evenings the sound of the waves accompanied the gatherings around the campfire.
Participants had tents with sleeping bags, mobile sauna, camping furniture, and campfire equipment. Breakfasts, lunches and dinners were prepared for the campers by two professional cooks. In the morning the guides held exercise routines for those who wanted to participate.
Participants of the trip passed the route lightweight, without heavy backpacks. All their goods, camping equipment and food were transported by the catamaran that accompanied the group. The total length of the route was 50 km, with daily crossings of 5-12 km.
Results:
STADA posted about the ecological expedition of its employees on the brand pages on social networks, as well as on the internal portal of the company.
Employees from different cities got acquainted with each other, shared their work experience, exchanged information about processes in the company and what different departments are responsible for. They also received vivid impressions and accomplished a common goal - it was a good contribution to team building and networking among colleagues.
Employees' impressions after the trip:
Natalia Shinkareva, Saratov:
"I would like to express my gratitude to STADA for making my dream come true! I tried to write down my impressions every day, here is one of them: "Could I believe that I will be at Baikal and see this miracle of nature and contribute to the ecology? No, those were just dreams. Did you know that 20% of the world's fresh water is here, and it is 80% of Russia's reserves? For me, Baikal is a sea, only the water is not salty - it is the purest, most transparent water, and you can drink it. Also, a ringed seal also came to say hello to us - it stuck its head out and looked at us. Today we had a 4-hour walk, first along Baikal by the forest and then by the rocks right along the lake shore... That was such a thrill! In some sections we walked on the water, and the waves did not spare us - they cheered us up. My feet are tingling, I’m covered in blisters, scratches - but I have never felt anything quite as cool."
Mikhail Gelakhov, Obninsk:
"I remember distinctly each of the places our corporate expedition’s friendly team visited at Baikal, and each of them is unique in its originality. Even wasting time sleeping after hard travels seemed to be an unaffordable luxury. And seeing the sunrise in the company of good friends – that’s what we call “COSMOS”, so cool! Such trips can change a person, give him strength, energize him. And I am glad we were able to make these wonderful places cleaner and more beautiful! Thanks to the company for these fabulous and fantastic days!"
Natalia Prokhorova, Moscow:
"To say that I liked it very much is to say nothing. I am delighted with everything that happened to us there, starting with the excellent organization, continuing with an excellent friendly team of colleagues, with whom the tour was fun and interesting, and ending with mesmerizing views of the pristine nature of Lake Baikal and its shores."
In 2018, Nizhpharm won the 2018 Employer of the Year Award. Companies were evaluated, among other things, on the social significance of personnel policy, personnel involvement and the use of innovative HR technologies.
Olga Narozhnaya, RussiaDiscovery organizer of corporate programs:
"I was very interested in organizing such a project, because I am very close to the issue of environmental care.
I have a great respect for socially oriented companies, like STADA, that not only set their own goals for themselves, but are also ready to make a contribution to the ecology of our country.
STADA Review
AO “Nizhpharm” expresses its gratitude to OOO RussiaDiscovery for the organization of corporate environmental expeditions to the Kola Peninsula in 2016, to the Caucasian State Reserve (Adygea) in 2017, to the Baikal National Park in 2018.
We highly appreciate the professionalism, customer focus, responsible and creative approach of your company's employees in solving non-standard tasks and creating unique programs.
If you would like to have a socially-oriented trip, an unusual meeting with partners, corporate outing or teambuilding, discover our corporate recreation options. Call us at +7 (495) 104-64-36 or email at hello@russiadiscovery.ru.