Company sports and insurance

Company sport is a popular element in many companies that strengthens team spirit, promotes fitness and contributes to the general satisfaction and motivation of employees. Find out everything you need to know about company sports and insurance here.

However, as an HR manager, you should also think about the legal and insurance aspects of company sports. One key question is: when are employees insured when taking part in company sports?

In this article, we clarify when employees are insured for company sports and which criteria must be met in order to make use of the statutory insurance cover.

Company sport is a popular element in many companies that strengthens team spirit, promotes fitness and contributes to the general satisfaction and motivation of employees. However, the origins of company sport go way back into the history of the labour movements of the late 19th century. Employers, particularly in the chemical and coal and steel industries, founded their own company sports groups in order to create an alternative to red labour sports. These groups, which became known as ‘yellow sports groups’, competed with the workers’ sports clubs affiliated with the trade unions.

During the National Socialist era, company sports were integrated into the ‘Strength through Joy’ movement. Today, company sport is organised both through private initiatives by employees and through offers from the works council or management. The German Company Sports Association is open to all members.

Accordingly, company sport nowadays includes all sporting activities organised by your company to promote the well-being of your employees. This can range from weekly fitness classes and company runs to sports teams such as football or volleyball teams. Whilst company sports offer many benefits, the liability and insurance issues can be complex.

As a rule, employees are legally insured for company sports. However, certain criteria must be met:

• Compensation for workplace stress: Company sport must serve as compensation for workplace stresses. This means that the activities should help to alleviate the physical and mental stress of everyday working life. The type of sport itself is irrelevant – trend sports such as inline skating can also be insured.
• Regularity and organisational connection: Company sport must take place regularly and have a clear organisational connection to the company. This can be the case, for example, if the employer provides the venue or specifies fixed times for the sports activities. Insurance cover may also be provided if company sports groups from several companies join together to form inter-company sports groups, as long as there is a clear connection to the company.
  Group of participants: Essentially, only the company’s employees are insured. An exception may apply if inter-company sports groups are organised in which employees from several companies participate.

Statutory accident insurance protects employees not only during the sports activity itself, but also on the way there and back home or to work. This means that accidents on the direct route to or from the sports venue are also covered.

However, there are certain exceptions to the insurance cover:

• No top sporting performances or competitions: if the company sports team is taking part in a competition or tournament, such as a football tournament, there is generally no statutory accident insurance cover. The focus should be on compensating for workloads, not on top sporting performances or competitions.
• Leisure activities: Sporting activities that are purely leisure activities – such as a skiing holiday lasting several days or a running group with colleagues – are not covered by insurance. These are activities that are not directly related to professional duties or company sport.