At Newell Brands, the safety and well-being of our frontline employees are foundational to how we operate and deliver products from our strong and long-lasting iconic brands. Our Global Supply Chain network plays a critical role in driving innovation, efficiency, and quality, and none of that happens without the people behind it.
In May, our Global Supply Chain organization launched a three-week Safety Awareness Campaign focused on Ergonomics, engaging teams across manufacturing facilities and distribution centers in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia & New Zealand.
Ergonomics: Protecting the People Behind the Products
Ergonomics is the science of fitting the job to the employee and is vital to sustaining safe, productive environments. Whether lifting, assembling, packing, or moving goods, our employees perform physical tasks that power our operations. By emphasizing proper movement, stretching routines, and proactive safety habits, the campaign helped reinforce that small adjustments can make a lasting impact.
Throughout the campaign, team members across dozens of sites took part in:
Daily warmups and ergonomic demonstrations
Interactive quizzes (with more than 7,000 completions globally)
Commitment cards, where employees pledged to uphold safety standards
Locally led events that sparked dialogue and ownership at every level
Reading and displaying a weekly newsletter on an Ergonomics focus area
Site teams brought their creativity to the campaign from decorated safety boards and team challenges to peer-led coaching moments on the floor. These efforts created an atmosphere of shared accountability and community, reinforcing that great ideas often start with the people closest to the work.
Culture in Action
While the campaign centered on safety, it also served as a powerful expression of our culture, where employees are given the opportunity to speak up, solve problems, and help shape how we work. Many sites used the campaign to elevate their diverse teams’ perspectives and spotlight improvements by frontline employees, showing how real-time feedback can make an impact on people and processes.
Below are a few examples of how our facilities made this campaign their own through collaborative thinking:
In our Mexicali facility, the leadership put together an “Ergo Rally.” This activity fostered collaboration through memory games on Ergonomics terminology, quizzes on stretching techniques and an instructional session on the proper lifting process.
In Brimfield, the Health & Safety leaders made laminated cards containing warmup stretches for employees to put on their I.D. card key chains, making the information easy and accessible, as well as have associates volunteer to do interactive lifting demonstrations.
The team in Winchester fostered collaboration through a music video discussing common Ergonomics pitfalls, potential solutions to ergonomic challenges and the importance of suggesting improvements. The music video was created, filmed and edited by employees and included plant managers, Health & Safety leads and site employees.
These three examples are only a few of the dozens of activations, trainings, demonstrations and engagement activities that took place around the world.
Building a Safer, Stronger Workplace
As we continue to evolve our operations and raise the bar on excellence, safety remains a central focus and a reflection of who we are. When our teams feel confident, supported, and protected in their daily work, they can do their best and help us deliver our best to our consumers.
The Ergonomics Campaign was more than a series of events; it was a reminder that our people are our greatest strength, and when we invest in meaningful experiences, we shape their career journey and encourage building industry-leading skills.
Check the pictures below to see employees from Lumberton, North Carolina, Bristol, England, Mexicali, Mexico, and Winchester, Virginia, participate in hands-on activities that reinforced safe work practices and highlighted everyday actions that help prevent injuries.
