The Suntory Group believes health is not something simply related to hospitals but also satisfies health of both body and mind, energy in everyday work, and enthusiasm. We started health management from 2016 to promote an even greater level of health for our employees and their families based on this belief. We also were praised and recognized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Nippon Kenko Kaigi for these initiatives for five consecutive years since 2017. Certified Health and Productivity Management Organization Recognition Program (Large Enterprise Category) - White 500 consecutively.
| 2020 Results | Targets Toward 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Health check-up rate | Employee consultation rate | 100% | 100% |
| Spouse (over 40) consultation rate | 53% | 75% | |
| Reexamination consultation rate | 52% | 100% | |
| Lifestyle improvements | Obesity rate (including those at risk) | 23% | 20% |
| Smoking rate | 20% | 15% | |
| Stress checks | Ratio of low-stress employees | 93% | 94% |
A Variety of Programs to Promote Employee Health
Considering the physical and mental health of employees is one of the most important duties of a company. We are working to put in place periodic self checks and a follow-up support system that enhances health check-ups and stress checks so that every single employee can engage in their work energetically. We also started efforts toward lifestyle diseases prevention (Suntory Health Challenge).
Comprehensive Health Examinations
Suntory Group provides health examinations that include detailed medical tests in excess of legal requirements. Employees aged 40 and older are required to take a day-long, full physical examination in addition to the regular annual check-up (the cost of items designated by the company is borne by the company).Cancer screenings are also a requirement based on age with 90% of employees undergoing examinations for gastric cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, and breast cancer as well as more than 85% of employees being screened for cervical cancer. Industrial doctor checks the result of every employee’s health examinations and holds interviews and guidance for those need attention. In addition, we support employees to maintain and improve their health through building a system of health consultation such as nurse staff visiting offices to hold health consultation and counseling by clinical psychotherapist.
Consults held by Occupational Safety and Health Staff
We have established a system of industrial health staff, including industrial doctors, mental health professionals, nurses and clinical psychologists, and all employees are assigned a nurse in charge, aiming to create an atmosphere where they can easily consult with us at any time. The nurses regularly visit the offices in charge, to conduct health consultations once each year with employees who are at the relevant age, and provide support for health guidance as necessary. We will continue to promote efforts to identify physical and mental conditions and lifestyle habits for early detection and early response.
Various Health Measures
| Various policies | ||
|---|---|---|
| Illnesses, injuries, and disasters | Special leave that uses expired leave | Up to 60 days of leave can be accumulated from up to ten days of leave each year for paid leave not taken for injuries or illnesses occurring outside of work, for infertility treatments, and for the care of family |
| Hospital room subsidies for remaining balance | Subsidizes 70% of the costs incurred for rooms outside of the health insurance coverage while hospitalized | |
| Support Program for the Cost of Advanced Cancer Treatments | Subsidies for the Costs of Advanced Treatments Outside the Suntory Health Insurance Society Policy such as Heavy Ion Radiotherapy (up to 5 Million Yen per person per year) | |
| Subsidies for specific infertility treatment | If the patient receives "specified infertility treatment" approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 100,000 yen will be paid for the first treatment and 50,000 yen for subsequent treatments. (Maximum 5 times per person) | |
| Use of physical examinations | Employees over 40 years of age may have require physical examinations (once a year) without any cost to the individual for items designated by the company as periodic health assessments | |
| People over 30 years of age (including dependents) may have physical examinations (up to once a year) and only pay 5,000 yen of a one-day examine | ||
| Stress checks | Held four times a year and is always available | |
| Dental examinations | Once per year | |
| Mental Health Consultation | Consultation services from employees and their family members living with them on various matters related to the workplace, home, and private life through telephone, e-mail, online interviews, and face-to-face meetings. Consultations are available even for matters that are difficult to discuss within the company. | |
| Chat-type medical consultation | Medical consultation service available via chat or video call from PC or smartphone, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and family use is also possible. (To be introduced in 2021) | |
Number of users for various health measures
(employees)
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illnesses, injuries, and disasters | Special leave that uses expired leave | 65 | 34 | 57 | 68 | 34 |
| Hospital room subsidies for remaining balance | 36 | 38 | 32 | 65 | 39 | |
| Physical examinations (over 40 years of age) | 3,333 | 3,286 | 3,648 | 3,721 | 3,805 | |
| Physical examinations (over 30 years of age) | 1,014 | 1,141 | 1,242 | 1,184 | 1,119 | |
| Physical examinations (family) | 2,046 | 2,122 | 2,207 | 2,214 | 1,540 | |
| Dental examinations | 3,632 | 3,773 | 3,803 | 3,737 | 3,680 | |
| Mental health consultation service (telephone and in-person)*. | 110 | 59 | 70 | 252 | 201 | |
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*Until 2018, we used the health telephone counseling system.
Suntory Health Challenge 2020 Program
| Program | Description | Number of participants Number of users (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Mileage | System to assign points for efforts to better health such as daily walking and radio exercises as well as health check-ups that can then be saved and exchanged for prizes | 8,000 |
| Radio exercises | Radio exercises are conducted every day at every office | 8,000 |
| Under 40 years old Specific health guidance standard | Online guidance for those under the age of 40 who meet the specified health guidance standards set by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | 400 |
| Health seminars (led by outside lecturers) | "Cancer in the working generation", seminars and sharing of experiences by specialist doctors and cancer survivors | 600 |
| Support in quitting smoking | Smoking cessation clinic support and In-house smoking cessation support "Mimamori-tai" system | 230 |
| Walking Event | Walking Event Held with Overseas Group Companies as a Health × Environmental Management Initiative | 8000 |
Installation of a Health Care Room
The Odaiba Office and Osaka Office have put in place health care (corporate masseuses) rooms that provide services where government-certified care givers provide care such as massages and finger pressure therapy. Approximately 2,900 employees have used this program throughout the year as one way to improve mental health and alleviate stress.
A look at treatment
Initiatives for Mental Health
We have created two mental health management initiatives for the prevention and early detection of mental health problems: our self-care initiatives which aim to make employees aware of stress and take appropriate measures to counter it, and our line-care initiatives in which managers strive to improve the working environment and provide individual counseling. We are properly engaged in various health care efforts that include self care in group training, courses in employee care overseen by a line manager, introduction of complete stress checks and counseling through clinical psychologist. We have also put in place a return to work support system for employees on leave to smoothly return to work.
Examples of mental health care initiatives
Coordinating with Work Style Innovation
Largely revising the work style to enhance both professional and personal lifestyles is indispensable in the realization of a form able to satisfy the health of both body and mind, energy in everyday work, and enthusiasm for each and every employee. The Suntory Group promotes health management while firmly connecting that management to work style innovation.
Support of the Wellness of even the Employees' Families
The Suntory Group is supporting the lifestyle of employees and their families from a broad range of aspects. External consultation windows such as mental-health consultation and telephone consultation as well as the general SOS contact window are available to support a wide range of needs from health consultations to even legal consultations. We are receiving consults from our employees and their families. We have also established a system that plays a role in issues directly confronting the lifestyles of our employees in addition to resolving their fears with programs such as the subsidy program to assist in physical examinations of our employees and their families.