People & CultureWhat is the Kyowa Kirin Group’s health and productivity management initiative, Wellness Action 2025?

Kyowa Kirin believes that our employees must prioritize their physical and mental health, stay active, and experience joyful moments to create life-changing value and make people smile around the world. To accomplish this, we will implement initiatives designed to cultivate an organization where healthy and diverse talent can thrive and drive innovation.

The Kyowa Kirin Group Declaration of Health Promotion, announced in May 2015, aims to enhance the quality of life (QOL) for our employees throughout their lives. This program encourages individuals to take proactive steps to improve their health and aims to foster a higher level of well-being from a preventive perspective, reflecting our commitment as a healthcare company. To achieve these goals, the declaration emphasizes the importance of motivation to maintain health and the need for continuous support to help employees implement health initiatives effectively.

We aim to inspire our employees and those around them to take personal responsibility for their health through positive behavioral changes under the initiative called “Wellness Action.” Currently called “Wellness Action 2025,” we have various initiatives designed to reduce physical and mental health risks for our employees, their friends, and families, thereby helping them lead fulfilling lives. For society, this initiative strives to create positive impacts beyond our organization by addressing issues such as rising healthcare costs, obesity, and imbalanced diets. Additionally, it seeks to enhance corporate value by improving individual performance and fostering a culture of resilience to help our organization overcome challenges.

At Kyowa Kirin, the Human Resources Director is responsible for leading the initiatives aimed at promoting health and productivity management through Wellness Action 2025. This involves collaboration with all relevant parties. The teams monitor the progress at both the company-wide and workplace levels, keeping senior management informed to evaluate and improve the current initiatives.

The monitoring activities are broadly categorized into three areas: goal indicators on health, indicators on the changes in employees’ awareness and behavior, and indicators on the status of health investment measures. We disclose the achievement rates and scores for all of these goals.

For the goal indicators on health, we determine the achievement rate based on health check-ups and survey responses. For instance, the percentage of individuals maintaining a normal weight as a health indicator was 70.2% in 2023, compared to 67.2% in 2022 and 66.9% in 2021. This indicates an upward trend in the number of individuals who maintain a normal weight.

To assess the indicators on the changes in employees’ awareness and behavior, we evaluate the progress based on scores in areas such as exercise habits, smoking, alcohol consumption, and the amount of time employees take off from work. Notably, participation in the Walking Campaign has increased year after year, reaching 86.2% in 2023.

For the indicators on the status of health investment measures, we evaluate scores based on factors such as participation rates in health check-ups, medical examinations, and stress assessments. Remarkably, the participation rate in consultations with occupational physicians and in health checkups has consistently reached 100% for three consecutive years.

At Kyowa Kirin, we set targets for various initiatives aimed at enhancing our health and productivity management.

See details here.

To revamp our strategy for health and productivity management concerning diet, we launched the Improve Your Diet! Asken Challenge 2024. This initiative utilizes the AI-powered meal management app Asken to support employees in managing their diets. Our goal for 2024 is to have over 60% of employees log their meals for 14 days, which includes recording three meals each day.

Members of the Kyowa Kirin Table Tennis Club are participating in the Improve Your Diet! Asken Challenge 2024. Established in 1974, the Kyowa Kirin Table Tennis Club has produced many players who have competed in international tournaments. Notable members include Koyo Iwabuchi, who has represented Japan in various international competitions, and Kenji Matsudaira, who won the Japan national team trial for the Asian championship and subsequently became a member of the Japan national team, serving as both a coach and a player.

Kenji, now in his mid-30s, has come to realize that improving his diet was crucial for his long-term competitiveness. He naturally tends to gain weight easily and typically eats three full meals a day, regardless of whether he exercises, and his appetite remains unchanged. About three weeks before a match, he manages his weight by restricting his diet. However, after the competition, he tends to overeat, which can result in a weight gain of two to three kilograms. Maintaining a stable weight while still enjoying food has been one of his significant challenges as an athlete.

After using the Asken app, he has been able to manage his weight more systematically by utilizing clear data and numbers. This has transformed his previous intuitive approach to meal management. He now pays closer attention to his nutrient intake, making conscious efforts to include nutrients that may be lacking, based on the app’s suggestions. This focus is particularly important during competitions when mealtimes can become irregular, and supplementary nutrition through snacks is often necessary. The app also assists in managing these supplementary meals, ensuring efficient replenishment of both calories and nutrients. As a result, he has experienced improved performance during matches.

Recently, Kenji has started making adjustments to his meals. He switched his breakfast from bread to brown rice, raw eggs, fermented soybeans (natto), and yogurt. “Since changing my breakfast, I no longer feel hungry during morning practice and can focus on my training,” he explains. He also notes that revising his diet has made him more aware of daily changes in his physical condition.

Needless to say, employees, in addition to the athletes, are also participating in the challenge.

In addition, we organized events like “Veggie Check,” where participants press their palms against a sensor to estimate their vegetable intake, as well as internal seminars.

Ayako Seto from the Human Resources Department’s HR Support and Well-being Group, leads initiatives focused on health and productivity management. She reflected on their recent efforts, stating, “For our busy employees, meals are a significant source of happiness. However, to mitigate future health risks, it’s important to develop skills for managing one’s diet. This year, our goal was to engage those who are generally indifferent to their eating habits. I’m pleased to report that about half of all employees participated in the Asken challenge over several months. I hope this challenge has encouraged employees to reflect on their dietary habits while continuing to enjoy meals with family and friends.”