Health management

 

Hamamatsu Photonics Group Health Management Policy

Hamamatsu Photonics Group strives to pursue the unknown and unexplored. By leveraging photonics technology to establish new industries, we build corporate value and contribute to a better society and a healthier planet based on new technology. In order to achieve this goal, we believe that people, technology, and knowledge are the foundation of our business, so we  seek a collaborative spirit and learn from each other’s strengths. Through this spirit, known as “Wa” 「和」 in Japanese, our endeavor is the continuous improvement of ourselves, united under one global entity. To this end, it is essential that we invest in maintaining and improving the physical and mental health of our employees, to ensure that all employees can continue to work energetically while achieving a balance between work and family life. With these goals in mind, we are implementing a variety of measures in cooperation with related organizations, such as the health insurance society, as well as with in-house specialized staff.

Established: July 17, 2017
Revised: April 1, 2024

 

 On March 8, 2023, Hamamatsu Photonics was certified as one of the brands in the 2023 Health and Productivity Stock Selection Program and a 2023 Excellent Health and Productivity Management Corporation (Large Enterprise Division) (White 500). This is the first time that we have been certified as a Health and Productivity Stock Selection brand, and this is the sixth consecutive year from 2018 that Hamamatsu Photonics has been certified as White 500.

 Under the Health and Productivity Stock Selection Program, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) select from TSE listed enterprises those outstanding companies that strategically carry out “health and productivity management.” This program aims to introduce the selected enterprises as attractive investment options to investors who prioritize the improvement of corporate value from a long-term perspective, and to encourage enterprises to further engage in health and productivity management. The Excellent Health and Productivity Management Corporation System honors corporations, from small-and-medium-sized to large, that practice superior health management. Awards are bestowed in light of companies’ initiatives to address local health issues and to implement the health-enhancing initiatives promoted by Nippon Kenko Kaigi.
 

This system aims to develop an environment in which such enterprises are able to gain enhanced social recognition, e.g., from employees, employment seekers, related enterprises and financial institutions, as organizations engaging in strategic health and productivity management program for maintaining their employees’ health from a management perspective.

Promotional structure

In accordance with its Corporate Health Policy, Hamamatsu Photonics promotes health management in cooperation with the health insurance society, with the Health and Safety Team, Employee Welfare Group, General Affairs Division playing a central role.
The Health and Safety Team is the contact point for external matters.

Measuring physical strength and promoting use of facilities to maintain and improve physical strength

Physical strength is measured annually by the health insurance society during working hours. Analyses of the results, including changes over the past five years, are used to confirm individuals’ current physical strength, communicate the need to maintain physical strength, and promote the development of physical strength in the future. To encourage habitual physical activity, Hamamatsu Photonics cooperates with external athletic facilities and subsidizes tickets for use of the facilities.

【Number of participants in physical strength measurement】

  Number of examinees(Examination rate) Satisfaction Investment(1,000yen)
FY2023 1,383(79.7 %)
(Note 1)
81.8 % 2,940
FY2022 143(88.6 %)
(Note 2)
- 283
FY2021 -(Note 3) - -

(Note 1):Conducted at 3 business sites and 2 sales offices

(Note 2):Body composition measurement was carried out at only one business site in order to prevent the novel coronavirus infection.

(Note 3):Discontinued for prevention of the novel coronavirus infection.
In some business sites, body composition measurement was carried out.

Activities of Koyukai

Koyukai is an organization composed of Hamamatsu Photonics employees. Its purpose is to foster mutual friendship and wellbeing among employees and to provide motivation for improved productivity. In addition to annual athletic events and summer festivals, Koyukai holds events throughout the year through 36 sports and cultural clubs and other organizations. By creating an environment in which families as well as employees can participate, we promote reinvigoration of employees and better communication among colleagues.

Number of clubs and other organizations Sport clubs: 26
Cultural clubs: 11
Number of events held FY2023: 46
FY2022: 3
FY2021: 3

Activities of body design school

Organized by the health insurance society, the body design school encourages employees to do physical exercise and provides them with opportunities to think about the creation of healthy bodies. To maintain participants’ awareness of their health, the body design school conducts visceral fat measurements, so employees can evaluate and review the effects their exercise produces.

【Number of participants in the body design school】

  Number of participants(Number of times held Satisfaction
FY2023 40(held once) 80.0 %
FY2022 27(held once) 85.2 %
FY2021 52(held twice) 90.4 %

Encouraging employees to walk

To encourage employees to exercise and improve their physical strength, the health insurance society lends activity meters to interested persons free of charge. To enable employees to track the activity readings (steps, calories, fat burn, etc.) obtained from the activity meter, we have created an environment by which employees can check these figures in real time on our dedicated website. The recorded number of steps is tagged with the nickname chosen by the employee and ranked on the website. When the number of steps exceeds 200,000 in one month, the employee is awarded points that can be exchanged for health products, to encourage employees to walk every day.

【Number of walking participants】

FY2023: 1,172
FY2022: 1,110
FY2021: 1,046

Dental checkups

The health insurance society provides interested employees with annual dental checkups, as well as tartar removal on an as-needed basis, during working hours. The goal is to encourage employees to have their oral health checked regularly, so dentists can detect and remedy oral diseases such as caries and periodontal diseases at an early phase, preventing them from becoming severe.

【Number of dental checkup examinees】

  Number of examinees(Examination rate) Satisfaction Investment(1,000yen)
FY2023 3,153 (76.4 %) - 11,594
FY2022 3,047 (75.7 %) - 10,903
FY2021 -(Note1) -(Note1) -(Note1)

(Note 1): Discontinued for prevention of the novel coronavirus infection.

※ Satisfaction in FY 2019:73.0 %

Nutrition education

Hamamatsu Photonics has launched a nutritional education program for young employees. As proper dietary habits and balanced meals are the foundation of health, this program aims to enlighten these employees about nutrition intake that is appropriate for them, so they can build well-balanced dietary habits. This training has been held every year since April 2019 at the time of new employee training, and 189 new employees took part in 2023.

 

F2023:189
F2022:139
F2021:137

In-house health staff

We have established a system that enables employees to consult industrial physicians, psychiatrists, and public health nurses easily anytime. In addition, external counseling agencies with which the Company partners are listed on our internal bulletin board, to establish a system for preventing physical and mental illness.

2 industrial physicians in charge
1 psychiatrist in charge
10 public health nurses in charge
(As of Sep. 30, 2024)

Measures against infectious disease

As part of its efforts to prevent illness, Hamamatsu Photonics is promoting measures to prevent infectious diseases. We have prepared manuals for measures against seasonal and new strains of influenza. To counteract seasonal strains, we provide in-house vaccination during working hours. In measures to prevent flu outbreaks, we provide information on general epidemic status and deploy a system for checking the status of in-house infections on a database.

【Number of recipients of influenza vaccinations】

Winter 2023: 1,834 (45.9 % vaccination rate)
Winter 2022: 1,664 (42.29 % vaccination rate)
Winter 2021: 1,738 (44.99 % vaccination rate)

Assessing and dealing with the status of sick leave

Hamamatsu Photonics adopts a system by which employees who are absent from work due to injury or illness arising from their personal conduct can report the reason for the leave under each category of injury and illness. This system enables the Company to ascertain and analyze the status of sick leave company-wide, so we can establish necessary countermeasures and improve employees’ attention to their own health conditions.

Elimination of excessive work

Hamamatsu Photonics generally limits overtime hours to 45 hours per month and 360 hours per year. However, under special circumstances, such as when a prior application is filed and approval is granted in labor-management consultations, the limit may be extended to 80 hours per month (up to 6 times a year) and 540 hours per year. We also perform monthly surveys of overtime hours of each employee. For those who have done more than 45 hours per month overtime work as the average of the latest three months (non-executive employees only), we recommend arranging an interview with an industrial physician or public health nurse. By assessing employees’ health conditions and taking necessary measures, we strive to prevent health disorders that can be caused by excessive work.

Mental health measures—formulation and implementation of mental health promotion plans

Each Hamamatsu Photonics location formulates a three-year mental-health promotion plan. Together with Hamamatsu Photonics’ plan that covers the entire Company, these plans stipulate activities by which to reach certain goals. One notable example is a mental-health education program tailored to each employee rank, such as executive employees, middle-tier employees, and all employees. The stress checkup program, a group analysis known in-house as the Mental Health Check, is also performed as part of the plan in tandem with routine medical checkups. This framework helps all employees to know what kind of and how much stress they are under and to help reduce the stress level in each working environment.

Specific targets include reducing the percentage of days of employees’ absence from work and the number of employees absent from work for a month or more due to mental health disorders, calculated using data from the past three years; and improving the results of group analysis.

【Number of times mental-health education programs are held, by employee rank】

FY2023

Mental health education for managers : 1 time (559 people),participation rate: 88.0 %

Mental health education for newly appointed managers : 2 time (81 people),participation rate: 100.0 %

FY2022 Mental health education for newly appointed managers : 2 times (73 people),participation rate: 93.6 %
FY2021

Mental health education for 5th and 6th year employees : 3 times (289 people),participation rate: 91.2 %

Mental health education for middle-class employees : 6 times (622 people),participation rate: 95.7 %

Mental health education for all employees : 8 times (3712 people),participation rate: 99.2 %

Mental health education for newly appointed managers : 2 times (59 people),participation rate: 98.3 %

Mental-health counseling

Counseling by a public health nurse or an industrial physician is provided as needed, and specialized mental health counseling by a psychiatrist is scheduled and provided twice a month. The Company also cooperates with external counseling agencies, paying a portion of the counseling fees, and encourages employees to use the free consultation services offered by those agencies.

【Percentage of employees who have taken leave or retired due to mental-health disorders】

  Percentage of employees on mental health leave Percentage of employees who have retired due to mental-health disorders
FY2023 0.662 % 0 %
FY2022 0.657 % 0.026 %
FY2021 0.673 % 0.027 %

Percentage of employees on mental health leave for a month or more

Percentage of employees who have retired due to mental-health disorders

(Reference: 2023 Survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
Business sites with 1,000 or more employees: 1.0 % rate of employees on leave and 0.2 % retirement rate

Medical checkups, etc.—recommendation of receiving regular and secondary checkups

Almost 100 % of employees undergo regular medical checkups, with the aim of early detection and treatment of diseases. Employees are permitted to receive the first re-examination of these regular checkups (requiring detailed examinations) during working hours, to provide medical examinations for those in whom abnormal findings were detected.

【Percentage of employees receiving regular medical checkups】

FY2023: 100 %
FY2022: 100 %
FY2021: 100 %

Health screening

For employees who wish to undergo a health screening in lieu of the regular medical checkup specified by Hamamatsu Photonics, the Company and the health insurance society pay a portion of the screening fee.

Recommendations for PET examination

The Hamamatsu PET Diagnostic Center of the Hamamatsu Medical Photonics Foundation conducts research and development in partnership with Hamamatsu Photonics. The Company encourages employees to visit the Center to undergo a PET examination. Employees who wish to undergo the PET examination are permitted to do so during their working hours; when they do so, the Company, the health insurance society and the employee share the cost of the examination. Through these efforts, we encourage as many employees as possible to undergo medical examinations for early detection and treatment of cancer and other diseases. The health insurance society also subsidizes the expenses of the dependents of employees and encourages them to undergo the same examination.

【Number of PET examination recipients】

  Number of examination recipients(Number of applicants)
2023~2024 1,189(1,191)
2021~2022 1,120(1,128)
2019~2020 1,012(1,020)

Measures to combat passive smoking

To protect employees and others from the effects of passive smoking, we have implemented prohibition of smoking, or restriction of smoking to designated areas, at all of our business sites in Japan. In smoking rooms, too, measures are taken to prevent cigarette smoke and odors from leaking into non-smoking areas.

【Our cigarette smoking rate】

  Male Female Total
FY2023 14.3 % 4.5 % 12.7 %
FY2022 13.9 % 3.5 % 12.2 %
FY2021 14.5 % 3.9 % 12.7 %