The Company and the Health Insurance Association hold regular collaborative health meetings to discuss health initiatives, thereby strengthening the collaborative health structure. In addition, health meetings are held with the participation of personnel from health management departments (of Head Office and each site), the Health Insurance Association, and the labor union to facilitate the practice of health and productivity management across the entire Group. In July 2022, we revised the Health & Productivity Management Declaration, which we initially established in 2018, as a declaration based on “Our Philosophy,” a corporate philosophy structure.
Since 2017, we have been certified as a Health and Productivity Management Outstanding Organization*<sup>1</sup> for nine consecutive years. Also, we were selected as a brand under Health & Productivity Stock Selection *<sup>2</sup> in 2020 and 2022. In addition, we were certified as a “ Sports Yell Company 2025+*<sup>3</sup> “ for the third consecutive year.
*1Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization (White 500): A certification system that recognizes corporations, including large enterprises and small-to-medium-sized enterprises, that have demonstrated outstanding performance in the implementation of health and productivity management practices based on local health challenges and initiatives promoted by the Nippon Kenko Kaigi (Japan Health Council). (The top companies are awarded the “White 500” title).
*2 Health & Productivity Stock Selection: The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) jointly select outstanding listed enterprises that are strategically carrying out efforts with regard to their employees’ and other workers’ health from a management perspective as a brand under the Health & Productivity Stock Selection.
*3 Sports Yell Company: A program of the Japan Sports Agency, which certifies companies that actively promote sports activities to improve employee’s health as a “ Sports Yell Company” If the employee’s participation rate in sports activities is 70% or more and they participate at least once a week, the company receive a + (plus) certification.
In 2022, we announced the Sumitomo Rubber Group Health & Productivity Management Declaration within the company, and the company, employees, the labor union, and the Health Insurance Association are working together to implement it.
The Sumitomo Rubber Group considers each employee the most important asset underpinning corporate growth and business expansion.
We believe that supporting the mental and physical health of all Sumitomo Rubber Group employees and their families is essential to ensuring well-being for each as well as the Company’s sustainable growth and development.
Accordingly, we endeavor to foster a health-oriented corporate culture that encourages every employee to spontaneously strive to improve their health while caring about one another so that they can continue to work vibrantly. We believe that a corporate culture of this kind will serve as the foundation supporting our ability to deliver joy and well-being for all.
To practice health & productivity management guided by “Our Philosophy”, we will continue to take on these challenges, with the Company, the labor union and the Health Insurance Association acting in collaboration with everyone working at the Sumitomo Rubber Group and their families.
July 1, 2022
Satoru Yamamoto
President and CEO, Representative Director
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
We will continue to accelerate health and productivity management by pursuing the following long-term priority targets and medium-term priority targets.
Long-term priority targets
① Strengthening occupational health system
Based on a belief that both health and safety deserve utmost priority, we strive to enhance our occupational health system, which provides a foundation for securing appropriate compliance with laws and regulations associated with occupational health and safety. Furthermore, we will develop a more robust organizational structure which can promote health and productivity management on a Company-wide basis.
② Cultivating culture of health
We consider the health of employees and their families a source of well-being for each as well as the Company’s ongoing corporate vitality and growth. With the shared awareness of the importance of health, we will foster a health-oriented corporate culture that encourages every employee to spontaneously strive to improve their health while caring about one another. To this end, top management members will take the lead in spreading this culture throughout the entire Sumitomo Rubber Group.
Medium-term priority targets
① Preventing serious symptoms
② Improving lifestyle habits
③ Tackling mental health-related issues
④ Improving labor productivity
⑤ Medical treatment and work-balance support
⑥ Support for balancing medical treatment and work
⑦ Countermeasures to prevent infectious diseases, including COVID-19
| Indicators Related to Health Condition (Severe Disease Prevention) | Unit | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of persons who underwent regular medical checkups | ％ | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Percentage of persons with abnormal findings on regular medical checkups | ％ | 51 | 53 | 52.5 | 40 |
| Percentage of high-risk persons (risk category A) | ％ | 2 | 2 | 0.8 | 1 |
| Detailed examination attendance rate (risk A + B) | ％ | 83.6 | 83.4 | 87.1 | 100 |
| Percentage of high-risk persons (risk category A) who had a consultation (with occupational physician/nurse) | ％ | 50 | 57 | 71.7 | 100 |
| Crude coverage for hypertension | ％ | 93 | 91 | 91.5 | 80 |
| Effective coverage for hypertension | ％ | 67 | 66 | 57.9 | 80 |
| Percentage of persons with poorly controlled blood glucose levels (HbA1c ≥ 8.0%) | ％ | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.5 |
| Crude coverage for diabetes | ％ | 97.1 | 96 | 96.9 | 90 |
| Effective coverage for diabetes | ％ | 41.8 | 45.4 | 42 | 30 |
| Percentage of persons maintaining appropriate bodyweight (BMI: 18.5–25.0) | ％ | 63.3 | 63 | 60.7 | 65 |
| BMI ≥ 30 (total) | ％ | 7.1 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 5.0 |
| BMI ≥ 30 (male) | ％ | 6.6 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 5.0 |
| BMI ≥ 30 (female) | ％ | 0.52 | 0.58 | 0.59 | 0.5 |
| Indicators related to lifestyle habit improvement | Unit | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of persons who smoke | ％ | 37.7 | 36.7 | 35.2 | 30 |
| Persons exercising regularly (twice or more per week for 30 minutes or more each time) | Persons | 1674 | 1815 | 1860 | - |
| Percentage of persons exercising regularly (twice or more per week for 30 minutes or more each time) |
% | 23.5 | 25.0 | 25.6 | 25 |
| Persons consuming the equivalent of two cups or more of refined sake per day on some days or every day | Persons | 930 | 910 | 955 | - |
| Percentage of persons drinking alcohol habitually (Persons consuming the equivalent of two cups or more of refined sake per day on some days or every day) |
% | 13.0 | 12.5 | 13.2 | 10 |
| Getting sufficient sleep | Persons | 3936 | 4437 | 4408 | - |
| Percentage of persons getting sufficient sleep (Getting sufficient sleep) |
% | 55.3 | 61.1 | 60.7 | 60 |
| Indicators Related to the Cultivation of the Culture of Health | Unit | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of persons with recognition of the Sumitomo Rubber Group Health & Productivity Management Declaration | ％ | 42 | 50.9 | 53.8 | 100 |
| Percentage of persons with awareness of health and productivity management measures | ％ | 53.7 | 50.9 | 53.8 | 70 |
| Percentage of persons with satisfaction with health and productivity management measures | ％ | 47 | 47.6 | 46.8 | 70 |
Issues of employees’ mental health significantly impact labor productivity and organizational vitality. With the primary aim of helping employees recognize their own stress and preventing mental health problems (primary prevention), we conduct stress checks for all employees, including those at sites with fewer than 50 people. To follow up on stress checks, we offer high-stress individuals with interviews with physicians and health consultations with occupational health professionals (occupational physicians/nurses). We also give feedback based on results of group analysis to workplaces and conduct oral fact-finding at high-stress workplaces to improve work environments.
In 2023, we held self-care seminars online, aiming to enhance abilities of employees to take care of themselves. For the Line Management Mental Health Care Seminar (Line Care Seminar), we conducted in-person group training session (with optional online participation) for the first time in three years. With group work focused on personal support for subordinates and workplace improvement, the objective was to improve the knowledge and skills of managerial personnel on mental health.
When employees return to work after sickness absence, whether due to mental health issues or for other reasons, we arrange a consultation for them with an occupational physician and hold a meeting of our return-to-work assessment committee to ensure a smooth transition, which can include support such as allowing them to work shorter hours than previously. While workloads are increasing due to business expansion and other factors, we are improving operational efficiency and hiring additional staff to curb increases in working hours. To tackle long working hours, we notify employees who have worked 80 hours or more of overtime in a month (as gauged from login records or using other methods) of their overtime status and arrange an interview for them with an occupational physician so that they can receive guidance. For employees experiencing heavy workloads due to frequent overtime or weekend work, managers hold one-on-one meetings with them to develop improvement plans, and the personnel department monitors progress with implementation of the plan. In this way, we are endeavoring to prevent long working hours.
With regards to the measures to prevent passive smoking and promote smoking cessation, the high smoking rate is a Group-wide issue. To protect smokers from health problems and non-smokers from passive smoking, we are pursuing initiatives on a Group-wide basis. In addition to regular messages from the President, each site head issued a Smoking Cessation Declaration in 2023. The actions are being taken across the Group.
In January 2024, the whole Company introduced a complete ban on smoking on site and during working hours. In line with this, we added the rules related to the smoking ban to internal regulations such as employment regulations. Meanwhile, in addition to existing subsidies for outpatient smoking cessation treatment, we now also provide subsidies for the purchases of smoking cessation aids (e.g., nicotine patches). Furthermore, initiatives by smoking cessation promotion committees (both at the center and at each base of operation) and individual support from occupational health professionals have created a supportive environment for those striving to quit smoking. The entire company is working in unison to prevent passive smoking and promote smoking cessation.
We have established support systems that enable employees to balance medical treatment with work, such as outpatient visits or hospitalizations, even while dealing with illness. In addition to our livelihood support cumulative leave system, which can be used for outpatient visits and hospitalizations, we introduced in January 2024, the Regulation on Leave to Support Balancing Treatment of Specified Illnesses and Work. This policy allows employees to take special leave when they visit clinics for outpatient treatment of malignant tumors or intractable diseases, or when they are feeling unwell due to side effects or other health issues. Furthermore, in July 2024, we revised the systems to balance medical treatment with work, to make it easier for employees to use them. To support employee balancing medical treatment and work, we ensure collaboration between occupational health professionals (occupational physicians/nurses) and the employee’s primary physician, and with the workplace, and support the employee’s employment.
We have been implementing measures to prevent infections other than COVID-19, such as continuing to subsidize the cost of influenza vaccinations. As a company with numerous overseas sites, we cover the full cost of recommended vaccinations for employees assigned overseas, with the vaccinations determined based on their destination. In response to the changes in work styles that have occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have created a flexible working environment by institutionalizing telecommuting, staggering working hours, offering flextime, etc. We have introduced free addressing in offices as a means of promoting communication across positions and departments to enhance productivity.
