The Ottobock company is forgoing holiday parties once more this year due to the current coronavirus situation. CEO Philipp Schulte-Noelle expressed his regret that there will be no company holiday parties this year again: “As much as we want to celebrate together, we are conscious of our responsibility and want to do our part in moving past all of the restrictions as quickly as possible. But we don’t want to miss the opportunity to express our gratitude to our employees.”

Working from home, home schooling, mask requirements – employees are taking on a great deal at the moment to ensure the company can live up to its motto “We empower people” despite all the various circumstances.

“We want to close out the year by giving each employee an annual Aktion Mensch lottery ticket to boost their spirits. With a bit of luck, the gift’s recipients can look forward to exciting prizes – and we’re supporting charitable projects at the same time. In this way, we would like to express our thanks for the endurance and commitment our employees have shown in response to the difficult conditions of the pandemic,” says Schulte-Noelle.

Aktion Mensch supports projects aimed at improving the living conditions of people with disabilities and works on behalf of disadvantaged children and adolescents. It supports these goals – which Ottobock has also pursued since its founding – through the sale of its lottery tickets. The costs for the over 2,000 lottery tickets amount to somewhat more than 75,000 euros.

Organising additional holiday campaigns has essentially become tradition at the company.

Instead of printed holiday cards, Ottobock is sending its Christmas post in electronic form only again this year. The resulting savings of 30,000 euros are being passed on to the Tabalugahaus in Duderstadt and the Global Foundation in equal amounts.

The company is continuing its support for charitable organisation Caritas Südniedersachsen this year as well. A donation of 5,000 euros and Ottobock towels, made in the Dorsten workshop for blind people, will help share Christmas cheer with disadvantaged children and seniors in the region.

The towels are part of a large order at the Dorsten workshop for blind people, which faced the prospect of closing down this year due to drops in sales in the wake of coronavirus. Ottobock stepped in and helped by purchasing towels with a value of 6,000 euros. This was now the second time since the beginning of the pandemic that the company responded to a call for help from the workshop in Dorsten, which has been dedicated for nearly 35 years to supporting people who are blind and have other disabilities so they can lead independent lives.

A digital Advent calendar has been set up for the team at Ottobock, with daily prize draws that are then sent to employees working from home.

Ottobock employees also had the chance to close out the year with the company’s own Christmas programme broadcast live from the digital studio in Duderstadt. The programme included a recap of 2021, video messages from around the world and a look ahead to 2022.

“Time to Come Together”

With the “Time to Come Together” campaign on its social media channels, the company is creating a sense of togetherness despite current social distancing requirements. Under the #TimeToComeTogether hashtag, the Ottobock community shares what coming together means to them.