PACIFIC CONSULTANTS is promoting various measures based on the view that employee well-being (being in good physical, mental and social condition) is the foundation of management. There is a wide range of initiatives, some of which have already been implemented and some that are in the preparation stage.
We have talked to Daisuke OYAMA, Labor Sec., and Waka MORISAKO, public health nurse, who are part of the Health and Productivity Management Project Team set up within the company as a cross-departmental team that is responsible for planning and implementing measures, about the company's efforts so far and future measures.
INDEX
- Received the 2024 Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations Recognition
- Started initiatives to realize KENKO Investment for Health (KIH)
- Continue to make steady progress over a long period of time and make it a permanent fixture
Received the 2024 Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations Recognition
How did KENKO Investment for Health (KIH) initiatives begin?
OYAMA: A major milestone will be the resolution on health management at Boards of Directors in July 2023. As is also posted on our website, "PACIFIC CONSULTANTS declares that in order to realize our Group vision of 'Producing the Future,' we believe that the physical, mental and social well-being of our employees is the most important foundation of management, and we declare that we will promote health management." We then announced both inside and outside the company that "We will implement various measures to create a work environment where each employee can work to maintain and improve their health. By having employees who are healthy and motivated to work, and who also work with a sense of happiness and security, we will increase productivity and contribute to the realization of our Group vision and the sustainable development of society as a whole."
Although we had been working on KENKO Investment for Health (KIH) in the past, in response to this declaration, we launched a new cross-departmental KENKO Investment for Health (KIH) project team to promote KENKO Investment for Health (KIH), and are considering and implementing health measures while sharing information with Health Insurance Society of Architectural Office, industrial physician, public public health nurse, and each Area Health Committee. We have been working on obtaining Certified KENKO Investment for Health (KIH) Outstanding Organizations Recognition since around June, prior to the resolution.
--The 2024 certification was received, right?.
OYAMA: It was our first time applying, and the deadline was in October, so we had about four months to prepare, so it was a tough process, but we managed to get it. We were already working on many of the initiatives required for Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations Recognition. For example, we received high marks for supporting employees who are injured or ill to return to work, and for interviews with everyone after health checkups. It is also rare for a company to have more than 10 public health nurses, including MORISAKO.
I think it was a good decision to work towards obtaining certification because it allowed us to see where we stood compared to other companies.
MORISAKO: Our company has always been very conscious of the importance of people-oriented management. However, our policies were developed as employee welfare services rather than as issues that management had to deal with.
However, now that the company has declared that maintaining the health of its employees is its management responsibility, I feel that the environment has been created where it is easier for me to do my job as public health nurse.
What about the health of our employees?
OYAMA: Regarding the Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations Recognition, an evaluation sheet is provided for each individual item. Looking at the sheet, the proactive efforts of management are evaluated with regard to the disclosure of information related to health and productivity management. Compared to the industry average, this point was also highly evaluated.
On the other hand, in terms of lifestyle habits, diet, opportunities for exercise, acquiring knowledge about health issues specific to women, and long working hours were given somewhat low marks.
Looking at the health checkup score report provided by the health insurance, there is a problem of lack of exercise, and the risk of lipids and blood sugar is also high. I think that it is because of eating late and doing not have many opportunities to exercise.
--What do you think from the perspective of public health nurse?
MORISAKO: The results were better than I had feared. As the average age of employees increases, the health risks naturally increase. I felt that the numbers had not decreased in comparison. Of course, we need to improve the poor figures.
What causes high blood sugar levels?
MORISAKO: There is no single decisive factor that causes blood sugar levels to rise when you eat a certain food ingredient. I think lifestyle habits such as eating quickly, going to bed late, skipping breakfast, and having lots of snacks and treats have an impact. Other factors that may be contributing to this include not eating vegetables at meals, making do with sweet breads, and eating lots of single-item rice bowls.
OYAMA: What bothers me is the low rate of people taking specific health guidance. If a health check reveals that a person is at risk of developing a lifestyle-related disease, they can receive specific health guidance. It doesn't cost anything. But the rate of people taking this guidance is low.
As specific health guidance is also increasingly being moved online, we have decided that starting this fiscal year, the time spent on specific health guidance will be considered as working hours so that employees can receive it during working hours.
Started initiatives to realize KENKO Investment for Health (KIH)
--Please tell us about the initiatives you have taken so far and those you plan to implement in the future.
KOYAMA: The score for eating habits is low, so we are focusing on resolving that issue. In particular, the high rate of skipping breakfast was noticeable, so in the first half of the year we invited an external registered dietitian to hold a "Breakfast Reform Seminar."
We are also about to start a company cafeteria service that will help improve diet. This is a measure to provide "well-balanced meals," and individually wrapped and frozen main dishes, side dishes, soups, and other food with properly controlled nutrition are sold for 100 to 200 yen each, which employees can defrost in the microwave and eat. Cooked rice is also sold, so if you choose a few items and put them together into a set, you can have a complete meal.
What do you make efforts for exercise habits?
OYAMA: Our company has health committees across the country, and they have been independently deciding what they want to do and working on it. They've planned walking events, softball tournaments, and mountain climbing, and I hope they continue to do this.
In addition, this year we applied for the "FUN+WALK PROJECT" implemented by the Japan Sports Agency. There are events that encourage walking, so we would like to work on walking activities. Our company athletic meet was suspended for a while due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will restart in Tokyo. We plan to hold a competition between floors, and we hope to use it as an opportunity for communication beyond the boundaries of the divisions.
In addition, to encourage the development of exercise habits, we plan to hold health classes on topics such as stretching and muscle training, and to deepen understanding of health issues specific to women by making them compulsory e-learning subjects for all employees.
We also want to emphasize the importance of sleep in terms of keeping our minds in order. We plan to hold a sleep seminar with an outside expert to teach people how to get good quality sleep. We are also planning a menopause seminar. It is becoming more widely known that menopausal symptoms can also occur in menopausal women. We would like to hold this seminar for both men and women this term.
-Are you considering any measures to combat long working hours?
KOYAMA: Although overtime hours are decreasing, the rate of reduction seems to be stagnating, so we would like to share good examples of people who work less overtime and move in the direction of further reduction.
Continue to make steady progress over a long period of time and make it a permanent fixture
--What are your impressions of working on KENKO Investment for Health (KIH) project team?
OYAMA: I realized once again that our company has a lot of good measures. I came here from outside the company after changing jobs, and I have also consulted for other companies as Labor and Social Security Attorney so I know very well that there are not many companies that have more than 10 public health nurses in-house. There are also only a few companies that interview all employees about the results of their health checkups. I would like to further develop this positive aspect.
MORISAKO: As I mentioned earlier, even though we didn't have a system or a name for it, our company has always tried to value people, so we've taken it for granted that we would have all-employee interviews, as proposed by our predecessor's industrial physician, and we've been quick to address any health issues that we think may have arisen. I think we already have what should be the foundation of health management.
Furthermore, this time we have been able to take our existing initiatives outside the company in the form of health management, and I feel very grateful for that. However, there are various ways of thinking about industrial health, but I was taught that "industrial health is a behind-the-scenes role," and since I have always followed that teaching, it actually made me feel very uncomfortable (laughs). I was taught that companies have to promote health because it is unhealthy. But times have changed, and the way "health" is handled within companies has changed, and at our company, employee's health has been clearly positioned as something that companies should be responsible for. I think I also need to change my way of thinking.
--Please tell us about your aspirations for the future.
MORISAKO: It is no exaggeration to say that healthy living means growing large until the age of 20. In other words, health = growth. However, once you turn 20, you turn into an existence that is moving toward death, to put it bluntly. Health is about dying while staying healthy for as long as possible. We grew up without doing anything, so even if we are suddenly told to think about health, it is difficult for us to switch our mindset right away, so it may be difficult for people who are not interested in health to make that switch.
I am greedy, so I hope that everyone I come into contact with will live shining in their own way until the day they step off the stage of their lives. There are many reasons why people step off the stage, such as illness or accidents, but when it comes to illness, there are many diseases that can be prevented or only caused by minor symptoms. Lifestyle-related diseases in particular are highly likely to be preventable with daily care from a young age. That is why I want people to do what they can to prevent illness and live as long and healthy as possible. I would especially like you in the management ranks to continue to tackle health issues as a company.
OYAMA: On my personal matter, when I was invited to take part in this project to be in charge of health management initiatives, I immediately replied, "Yes, please let me do it."
Originally, I specialize in labor as Labor and Social Security Attorney. Employee's health issues are directly related to labor, and I believe I can contribute to solving management issues by utilizing my experience and knowledge. My own health is a given, but I would like to create a healthy company with all employees by caring about the health of each other's families and employees around us.
