– Relay For Life is the highlight of the year

Said Jostein Jakobsen, operations manager at Securitas in Trondheim. For him and his colleagues, the relay has become the highlight of the year and the most important team-building event in the company.

– The only downside to Relay for Life is that you have to experience it to understand how fantastic it is. It’s impossible to describe in words, says Jakobsen.

The Cancer Society’s Relay For Life is a tribute to everyone affected by cancer (cancer.org). Anyone can form a team, and the relay lasts for 24 hours. There is one rule: each team must always have at least one participant on the track during the relay. You choose the pace and whether you want to walk alone or with others.

– Cancer is, in essence, something very sad, so I can understand that those who haven’t participated don’t quite understand how beautiful it is. But when you come to the track and see how many people wants to contribute, you can’t help but be touched and engaged, says Eva Cathrine Fjerdingøy, security advisor at Securitas.

This year, they hope to see many more companies on the track when the starting shot is fired.

Contagious Enthusiasm

Keeping it going for 24 hours may seem daunting. But Jakobsen and his colleagues at Securitas have not regretted participating for a second.

– We searched for several years for something we could participate in as a team. Something that engaged everyone, Jakobsen explains.

It was therefore decided that they would participate as a team in Relay For Life in 2021. Before the relay they didn’t really know what to expect, but they were not disappointed.

– It was a fantastic experience, and we all agreed that we wanted to participate the following year.

The enthusiasm they brought from the relay quickly spread within the company.

The following year, they had even more people on the team, including the regional director, an apprentice, the HR manager, and security guards.

– After participating the first year, those who were not there realized that they had missed out on a real happening. Therefore, it was great to see that even more employees, at all levels, participated the following year, says Jakobsen.

Powerful memories at Relay For Life

After two rounds of relay in 24 hours, you might think that blisters and sore legs are what they remember most. But it is the camaraderie and encounters with people that stand out as the strongest memories for the Securitas team.

– What we take away from the relay is the laps we have walked with people who are or have been affected by cancer. Last year, for example, we got to know an extended family walking for their grandmother who had cancer. We also got to know a lady who was a cancer survivor and walked alone. It’s quite powerful to hear their stories, says Jostein.

– At the relay, you get to know people in a slightly different way. And when you hear the stories of the cancer survivors you walk with, it’s hard to feel sorry for yourself because your legs hurt a bit, says Fjerdingøy.

Colleagues Hege Johansen and Hallgeir Korsnes nod appreciatively.

– Riley For Life is the most beautiful day of the year. It does something to you to participate, says Korsnes.

– You get to know so many nice people, and that’s a great enrichment, says Johansen.

During the relay in 2023, Ina Åborgen walked two laps that turned out to be very important for her.

– I walked with someone I knew from before. She had cancer but was on the road to recovery. Two months later, I got the news that she had died. I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to walk and talk to her that day. Even though she is gone, the memories from those two laps live on, says Åborgen.

Colleagues bond through shared experiences

Participating in Relay For Life has not only affected them as individuals but also as colleagues.

– By participating, we support a good cause. But the reality is that we get so much in return ourselves. It’s a fantastic way to do team building, says Jakobsen.

– I joined as a new employee in the middle of this, and it was simply touching to see the commitment that was on my new workplace. It was clear that they did not participate in Relay For Life just to do it, but that the relay reflects many of the values that are important to the company. In Securitas, we care for and take care of each other, and that’s exactly what Relay For Life is about, says Fjerdingøy.

– The relay has become the most important team-building event we have throughout the year, says Jakobsen.

The second year Securitas participated, the regional director and his wife also stopped by and participated in the relay for a few hours.

– Before they left the relay, they had already decided that this year they will stay in a hotel so they can participate in the entire relay, says Jakobsen.

The colleagues at Securitas have become closer after participating in the relay.

– It affects the work environment in a positive way when the apprentice walks a few laps with the regional director, or when two employees who have never met before walk together, says Jakobsen.

– Jostein and I have been colleagues for many years, but we had never before talked together in the way we did during the relay. Walking together at night for a good cause, surrounded by fantastic people, it does something to you, says Korsnes.

– It was even more special to walk last year because we had a colleague who had cancer, says Jakobsen.

– No amount of money in the world can replace what we build

After meeting both survivors and bereaved at the relay, cancer has become an easier topic to talk about, both at work and at home.

– I think many don’t know what to say to a person who is sick or to their relatives. Because we participated in the relay, we have learned a lot about exactly this. Therefore, I think many now find that they don’t think it’s so scary to talk about cancer, says Johansen.

– It’s examples like these that make Relay For Life the best team-building activity a company can participate in, says Jakobsen.

– I don’t know quite what else than Relay For Life we could participate in to achieve the same connection between us employees. No amount of money in the world can replace what we build during the relay, says Johansen.

Unthinkable not to participate

Even though there are several months until this year’s Relay For Life in Trondheim, Securitas has already started recruiting.

– For us, it’s unthinkable not to participate in the relay, says Jakobsen.

– If we stop participating in Relay For Life, I will quit this job, Johansen quickly adds.

Everyone who participated last year has already signed up for this year’s relay. In addition, the team has grown. Jakobsen is not surprised by the engagement. Over the last two years, they have seen many examples of it.

– Last year, our emergency vehicle suddenly arrived at the track. The security guard, who was in full uniform, jumped out of the car and ran two laps while the enormous bundle of keys jingled on his belt. Then he jumped back into the car and drove off on a mission. That’s dedication!

The Securitas team believes that one of the best things about Relay For Life is that everyone can participate.

– Participating in Relay For Life with a company team is almost the definition of inclusive working life. Everyone can contribute in their own way. You can run, walk, walk with crutches, or participate with a wheelchair. If you just want to participate socially, that’s, of course, fine too, says Jakobsen.

Room for more people on the team

Securitas also allows employees’ family and friends to join their team. Now they are opening their team to even more people.

– The only thing that has disappointed us about the relay is that there haven’t been more companies participating. They should seize the opportunity, says Jakobsen.

Therefore, Securitas invites employees from other companies to join their team.

– If anyone is wondering if this could be something for their company, they are welcome to be part of our team this year. Just get in touch and join, says Jakobsen.

He also has a solution for smaller companies.

– A small company can, for example, invite collaborators, subcontractors, family, and friends. You’re your imagination set the limits, says Jakobsen.

He also hopes that Securitas in other parts of the country will be inspired to participate in their local relay.

– For now, participating in Relay for Life is a Trondheim thing. Hopefully, we can make this a Securitas thing. That’s why we have challenged Securitas in Tromsø and Kristiansand, among other places, says Jakobsen.