Special Feature 1 Health

As a company that promotes health, the Well-being of our workers is an essential theme for Yakult.
Here we introduce various initiatives run by the Health-focused Management Promotion Section and Yakult Health Insurance Association.

1. 3, 4: We provide workers information on health through events, training, and other resources.
2. 8: We create healthy and comfortable working environments to boost worker motivation and drive, leading to long-term economic growth.

Health-focused Management^* is the strategic practice of employee health management by the company from an operational perspective.
As a company that champions health, Yakult Honsha considers the mental and physical Well-being of workers as the foundation of its operations, and is actively engaged in furthering their health. We recognize that improving workers' health and their health awareness boosts their productivity, creativity and dynamism, in turn leading to continuous, stable business development and an enhanced company image. In 2017 we released our Statement on Health, and in April 2020 established a Health-focused Management Promotion Section inside the Human Resources Department to further develop activities.

* Health-focused Management is a registered trademark of Nonprofit Organization Kenkokeiei.

A partnership promoting health

Hayashi : The Health-focused Management Promotion Section works to raise employee awareness of health through initiatives like regular check-ups and screenings, seminars, and stress checks. We also promote diversity by creating comfortable working environments for everyone, including women, those with disabilities, and seniors.
Kawashima : The Health Insurance Association is in charge of providing health insurance, designated health screenings, and health guidance, and we work with the Health-focused Management Promotion Section to provide those and other health-related services to promote health amongst workers (Collabo health)^*.

* Collabo health
Joint efforts by health insurance associations and companies to promote the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s Data Health, which utilizes and analyzes insurees’ health data to provide guidance on effective measures for disease prevention and better health, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Healthfocused Management, driven by companies

Analyzing and addressing health challenges

Hayashi : Since 2019 we have been surveying all workers of Yakult Honsha about their health. Our smoking rate is higher than the average rate revealed by the National Health and Nutrition Survey, which we are taking measures to address.
Kawashima : Health screenings do uncover a certain percentage of workers who have or potentially could have lifestyle-related diseases.
Hayashi : The key to good health is early diagnosis and early treatment. We would especially like to see rates of workers who take comprehensive checkups and gynecological cancer screenings improve in the future.

Reducing regional disparities in health

Kawashima : As Yakult operates throughout Japan, we are striving to develop initiatives that close the gaps between different local areas. Workers around the globe also participate in the Yakult Health 21 campaign.
Hayashi : We are also surveying workers and running stress checks at overseas branches to understand more about their health.

Yakult’s focus on health is a selling point

Hayashi : In recent years, we have seen an increase in new staff that joined Yakult because they liked our Statement on Health and philosophy prioritizing worker health. Our staff retention rate has also improved. Yakult Honsha has been certified a White 500 company for three consecutive years, and it feels like investors have also really taken notice of our initiatives on health.
Kawashima : At business sites I point out that our company Statement on Health commitments and certification as a company promoting health lead to higher corporate value.

Being proactive about health with preventive medicine

Kawashima : We would like all workers to strive to be healthy each day by being conscious of preventive medicine, one of the key ideas of Shirota-ism.
Hayashi : We provide each worker with one bottle of a Yakult product every day. Many people are already very health-conscious, but moving forward we would like to see even more workers be proactive about health. We’ll continue doing our best with the Insurance Association in supporting the health of workers.

Ms. Hayashi’s tips to stay healthy

I eat three solid meals per day, keep to a routine, and try to avoid bottling up stress.
Mr. Kawashima’s tips to stay healthy

I aim to take 10,000 steps each day, often by getting off the train one station early and walking to my destination.

To provide a more supportive environment for workers who feel mentally or physically unwell, when the Yakult Honsha office moved to a new location in April 2020 we improved the Health Management Office by adding individual consultation rooms, an industrial physician’s office, and resting rooms for staff when they feel ill.

In the Yakult Group Supplier CSR Guidelines section on occupational safety and health management, we request that suppliers provide working environments that are safe, hygienic, and healthy.

Yakult Ladies do indeed have healthy guts!

Yakult Ladies have plenty of chances to drink Yakult products, and when their intestinal flora were compared to women in the general population, it was found that their intestines had more bifidobacteria and other beneficial bacteria.

(Tsuji et al., Int J Probiotics Prebiotics, 2014)

Yakult products are always available

Yakult products are a familiar presence for workers, who drink them at various points throughout their working day.