Health Management

Approach to Health Management

The NGK Group strives to promote employees’ health through the NGK Group Health Declaration: “Developing dynamic, people-friendly work environments and a health-conscious corporate culture.”

Reducing Long Work Hours

In July 2016, we lowered the maximum amount of overtime work to 70 hours per month (with an upper limit of 300 hours per half-year). To this end, employees are, as a rule, not allowed to work for more than seven days straight and are not allowed to do overtime on their twice-a-week refresh days. If either of these are necessary, they must get permission from their bosses beforehand. To prevent employees from working excessively long hours, there must be an interval period of at least 10 hours between shifts of late night work.

Overtime Work Hour Trends

Following Up on Employees Working Long Hours

NGK provides employees working long hours, including non-regular and part-time employees, with ongoing opportunities to meet with industrial physicians for health consultations and exams. The results are reported at monthly Safety and Health Committee meetings at each worksite to thoroughly promote the reduction of overtime work.
In fiscal 2019, because certain managers were often putting in long hours, Business Groups ordered this to be reduced.

Note: Numbers of people shown are cumulative totals.

Promotion of Activities Supporting Mental and Physical Health

Four Types of Care for Mental Health

We facilitate the widespread implementation of ongoing mental and physical health promotion activities, centering on the four types of care for mental health promoted by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW).
In fiscal 2020, we carried out stress checks for all employees and had test results analyzed by group. Based on the results of this analysis, we have a six-month program that involves training the managers of workplaces with comparatively high stress levels in improving interpersonal relations within the workplace and improving the work environment.

Four Types of Care

Percentage of Employees Taking Stress Checks

Unit: %

Position-Based Mental Care Education

With an emphasis on self-care for new employees and young employees, we strive to deepen understanding of mental health by combining self-care and line care for new supervisors and managers.
We provide training for managers in areas with high occurrences of employee mental health problems with the goal of detecting and treating problems early on and putting these employees on the road to early recovery.

Position-Based Mental Care Education

Anti-Harassment Training

Promoting Better Health and Wellbeing among Employees

In addition to annual health exams, NGK holds collaborative health promotion activities^* with the health insurance association in efforts to promote better health and physical strength among employees. These activities include health lectures, health declaration challenges, the use of health apps for smartphones, physical strength measuring events, walking-age assessment events and related lectures, and recreational walks.

• An initiative in which health insurance associations work closely with companies and use their respective strengths to create a positive work environment by efficiently and effectively promoting the health and wellbeing of employees and their families.

Percentage of Employees Taking Health Exams

Employees on maternity leave, temporary retirement, etc.

Percentage of Smokers

Percentage of Employees Taking Metabolic Syndrome Checkup

Unit: %

Number of Participants in Health Promotion Initiatives

Unit: Persons

• Note: Items marked with a “—” were not carried out in the year in question.

Response to Infectious Diseases and Other Global Health Problems

There are approximately 450 NGK employees and family members posted overseas, and our employees in Japan take more than 3,000 overseas business trips a year, thus creating substantial risk of contracting infectious diseases. To reduce this risk, those posted overseas and taking business trips, as well as their families, are provided with health management training by industrial physicians.
Participants learn the fundamentals of infectious diseases, are advised to take immunization shots, and are taught ways to avoid contracting things like HIV and malaria.
During the influenza season from autumn to winter, employees going on overseas business trips can get influenza shots at the in-company clinic.

Outstanding Health and Productivity Management Company

Aichi Prefecture Advanced Health Management Company