Last update: 10/04/2025

Physical, emotional, social and financial well-being are vital to a person’s health. That’s why, in 2021, we created a Global Health & Wellness team to come up with strategies for our employees’ well-being.

Some of our aims as a leading global financial group are to promote the health, safety and well-being of our employees and a secure and inclusive workplace, and to foster work-life balance through flexible working. 

To achieve those aims, our People & Culture division has a special Global Health & Wellness unit to implement policies and guidelines that enable us to follow a strategy and vision in this area. 

Our Global health, safety and well-being policy sets out general principles on physical, mental, emotional and social well-being, including occupational risk protection.

Our employee health initiatives

Santander runs BeHealthy, a global initiative to promote healthy lifestyles both at home and at the office. Its four core themes — physical, emotional, social and financial well-being — translate into initiatives on nutrition, mental health, cancer prevention, cardiovascular studies, vaccination, seminars and training activities.

We want to provide Simple, Personal and Fair solutions and opportunities for our employees to have the best quality of life.

In April we put a day aside to celebrate health and well-being and reinforce the messages we convey throughout the year. Each country unit and division coordinates a schedule of activities and initiatives to promote a healthier lifestyle. These include in-person and virtual medical seminars, sporting events, nutrition and cooking classes, master classes, medical check-ups, vaccine drives and others.

Work-life balance: part and parcel of the well-being of our employees and their families

Part of our approach to attracting and retaining the most talented people is based on providing an optimal package that ensures the health and well-being of employees, with fair and competitive pay and initiatives to afford a better work-life balance.

Employees in all the Group’s companies are entitled to leave to care for newborns and adopted children. In 2024, 8,195 employees took this type of leave, while 2,824 people took other leave to look after loved ones.

With global initiatives in place, we also pay special attention to this in the markets where we operate and in accordance with local laws. Across our markets and divisions, we offer:

• financial aid for employees in charge of minors or other dependant persons (including support for dependants with disabilities);
• parental leave, above legal minimums in some countries; 
• gradual re-entry post-leave;
• nursery school and infant nursing areas on company grounds; 
• financial aid for school and summer camps; and 
• special classes on working remotely, nursing, fertility, pregnancy and perinatal loss.