Sustainability
Health Management
Basic Approach
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.”
Health Declaration of the NGK Group
At NGK, we consider employee health and safety to be of fundamental importance to the company’s operation and are, therefore, proactive about developing dynamic, people-friendly work environments and a health-conscious corporate culture, which contribute to better health for each and every employee.
- Provide a workspace that is both people-friendly and work-friendly
- Cultivate a health-conscious corporate culture for executives, employees, and their families
- Promote early detection and early intervention for health concerns
- Offer support for mental health and wellbeing
President
Health Management Promotion System
Medical professionals, such as chief industrial physicians and industrial health nurses under the Health Management & Promotion Office, and the Health Management Secretariat collaborate with the labor union and the health insurance association to promote health management at NGK. This is overseen by the director responsible for the Human Resources Department.
Health Management Promotion System Chart
Health Management Strategy Map
1 Line care: Managers and supervisors improve the workplace environment and provide counseling related to the mental health of their subordinates.
Self-care: Understanding your own stress and mental health, and preventing, reducing, or dealing with your own stress.
2 Measurement results for subjective view of health: Self-assessed health status
3 Indicators related to health habits: Percentage of people who exercise regularly, smoke, drink responsibly, and get a satisfactory amount of sleep
Initiatives to Shorten Total Hours Worked
Reducing Long Work Hours
In July 2016, NGK 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.
In FY2023, there were 32 cases of overtime work exceeding our upper limit, but no cases which violated legal regulations (Full year results excluding seconded employees).
- Exceeded 70 hours: 9 cases (including 2 general employees) *Statutory limits not exceeded
- Exceeded 300 hours: 23 cases (including 15 general employees) *Statutory limits not exceeded
Response to Increase in Overtime Work
Every year, NGK discloses actual working hours and leave taken to the labor union. We then exchange ideas and discuss what measures to take.
If it appears that the amount of overtime worked is going to exceed 45 hours, we will first hold a labor-management meeting to determine the reason for the increase in overtime, then implement measures such as evening out work periods and workloads or adding additional workers.
Whenever it is determined that employees are actually working long hours, we discuss countermeasures for each worksite with the labor union.
For employees temporarily stationed overseas, as soon as it is discovered that they are working long hours, they are required to submit a written reason and undergo a health examination. This not only serves to maintain the health of employees temporarily stationed overseas, but allows us to determine the cause of the long working hours from the written report, and implement countermeasures to correct the situation.
Hours / Overtime Hours Worked
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.
Number of Employees Having Consultation about Long Work Hours
Note: Based on the check, the number of employees having consultations about long work hours in FY2020 was revised to 67.
Promoting Activities Supporting Mental and Physical Health
4 Types of Care for Mental Health
NGK facilitates 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, Labour and Welfare (MHLW).
In FY2023, we carried out stress checks for all employees.
Actual test results were sent to each department as a Group analysis report. Based on the results of this analysis, we conducted training through e-learning about self-care and line care, and individual follow-ups for each manager for improving the work environment in their own workplace.
4 Types of Care
- 1
Self-care
- 2
Line care
(care by supervisors)
Note: Recent, selective introduction - 3
Care by industrial health staff within business sites
- 4
Care by resources outside business sites
Percentage of Employees Taking Stress Checks
Percentage of Employees with High Stress
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 key personnel.
We provide training for key personnel 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.
Number of Participants in Position-Based Mental Care Education
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 declaration challenges, the use of smartphone health app for individuals (kencom), recreational walks, and online seminars. In FY2023, we streamed online videos from RIZAP about eliminating presenteeism and improving lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise. In addition, we increased the participation rate for the health challenge campaign by expanding those covered to include insured employees and their dependents. We also continue to provide online fitness videos, and conduct our quit smoking campaign.
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.
Rate of Employees Taking Regular Health Exams
Rate of Employees taking Specific Health Checkups
Rate of Employees Eligible for Specific Health Guidance
Rate of Employees Who Completed Specific Health Guidance
Number of Participants in Health Promotion Initiatives
Smoking Rate
Response to Infectious Diseases and Other Global Health Problems
There are approximately 450 NGK employees and family members posted overseas, and while the number of business trips by our employees in Japan decreased due to Covid-19, their number is steadily increasing. So, we are cognizant of the possibility of their contracting infectious diseases. To reduce this risk, employees posted overseas and their families, as well as those taking business trips, are provided with health management training by specialists. Participants learn the fundamentals of infectious diseases, are advised to take immunization shots, and are taught ways to avoid contracting Infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.
During the influenza season from autumn to winter, employees posted overseas are encouraged to get vaccinated locally. We also offer vaccinations at the in-company clinic.
In addition, in January of FY2022, we provided workplace vaccinations for the fourth round of Covid-19 vaccine injections to approximately 2,000 people. These were not held in FY2023 since mass vaccinations and vaccination at family doctors became available.
Outstanding Health and Productivity Management Company
Since 2019, NGK has been continuously included in the large enterprise category of the Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations Recognition Program jointly promoted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Nippon Kenko Kaigi (Japan Health Council).
In addition, the NGK Health Insurance Association has been included in the newly-established SME category of the Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations Recognition Program for three years in a row since 2021.
Aichi Prefecture Advanced Health Management Company
NGK and the NGK Health Insurance Association have earned a designation as an Advanced Health Management Company by the Aichi prefectural government. The aim of this program is to recognize companies and organizations that aggressively pursue health management, in the process increasing the number of companies taking action towards a healthy workforce and increasing the healthy life expectancy of the prefecture’s citizens.
