Creating a work environment that offers peace of mind
Health Management Initiatives
The Sapporo Group launched its Health Management Project in 2017, and have been making efforts toward reinforcing the health management promotion structures and foundations for boosting employee health awareness under the Sapporo Group Health Creation Declaration.
Thorough encouragement is made towards the rate of regular health check-ups and the emergency treatment follow-ups, with the goal of 100% participation every year. In addition, interviews with industrial physicians or public health nurses are conducted for employees with issues in their check-up result to promote health improvement.
Furthermore, together with executives, we are promoting various measures to change the behavior of employees' health consciousness. Since the start of our health management efforts in 2017, the smoking rate, sleep rate, exercise rate, and life-style related disease health checkup rate have improved. The Sapporo Group believes that the ultimate goal of health management is to address management issues such as presenteeism and absenteeism, as well as improve engagement, which will lead to human resource development, improvement of attractiveness as a place of work, and improvement of the brand. Moving forward, we will continue to develop health measures that will lead to the well-being of employees and customers.
Employee safety and health
The Sapporo Group complies with the labor laws and regulations in the countries in which it operates; it also carries out appropriate management of working hours and working conditions, in line with collective labor agreements and employment regulations. In addition, in order to safeguard the safety and health of its employees, the Group is seeking to reduce excessive working hours.
Executives of each Sapporo Group company monitors and supervises health and safety practices at the Group Sustainability committee held twice each year.
Sapporo Group Health Creation Declaration
The Sapporo Group launched its “Health Creation Declaration” in August 2017, with the belief that mentally and physically healthy Group human resources result in the creation of happy employees, their families, and companies.
The Group will continue its activities toward health promotion, to attain the Group Long-Term Management Vision “SPEED150”.
Sapporo Group Health Creation Declaration
- Initiatives to promote health of employees, who are the bearers of businesses, are implemented, which in turn leads to the Company’s growth.
- Healthy employees contribute to customer physical and mental health and happiness through the business areas of “Alcoholic Beverages,” “Food,” and “Soft Drinks”.
- Proactively making efforts toward health will create an attractive workplace and leads to sustainability as a company
Health Promotion Systems
Since 2020, we have appointed “health ambassadors” to promote health in a more accessible manner; their role is to increase the frequency of health-related topics in everyday conversation.
Medium-Term Health and Productivity Management Plan (2019–2022)
| 2022 target values | |
|---|---|
| Percentage of employees requiring emergency treatment who participate in follow-up treatment | 100% |
| Percentage of employees aged 40 or over receiving lifestyle-related health check-ups | 100% |
| Average number of steps taken per day | Men: 9,200 steps Women: 8,300 steps |
| Percentage of employees who regularly exercise for 30 minutes or more, twice a week or more | Men: 39% Women: 35% |
| Percentage of employees who get enough sleep | 90% |
| Percentage of employees who skip breakfast | 15% or less |
| Percentage of employees who smoke | 12% or less |
TOPICS
Sapporo Group, Certified as an excellent health management corporation
In 2021, Sapporo Holdings, Sapporo Breweries, and Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage received the "Excellent Enterprise of Health and Productivity Management (White 500)", and Sapporo Lion was certified as an excellent corporation for excellent health management. Yasuma Co., Ltd. received the “Health management excellent corporation 2021 (Bright 500)".
- Sapporo Holdings and Sapporo Breweries (White 500 for five consecutive years: 2017-2021)
- Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage (4 consecutive years: White 500 from 2018 to 2021)
- Sapporo Lion (4 consecutive years: White 500 from 2018 to 2020)
- Yasuma (5 consecutive years: 2017-2021, Bright 500 in 2021)
Furthermore, initiatives such as campaigns to promote exercise and healthy eating habits and measures to improve participation in lifestyle-related disease check-ups and to promote anti-smoking measures with health insurance society cooperation are also being implemented. The certification this time was based on objective data on verified effects of various activities, and the recognition of the PDCA cycle toward improving initiatives.
Regular health check-ups
At the Sapporo Group, so that our employees can work healthily and safely, every year we hold regular health check-ups for our employees in line with the Industrial Safety and Health Law ; for employees at high risk of developing health-related issues, occupational physicians, public health nurses, and other health care workers provide individualized aftercare.
100% of our employees take the regular health check-ups, and 100% of employees requiring emergency treatment participate in follow-up treatment.
Lifestyle-related health check-ups (cancer screening)
For employees aged 35 and over, we also hold lifestyle-related health check-ups (cancer screening) with the aim of catching cancer in its early stages; Group companies and the Sapporo Breweries Health Insurance Society provide subsidies for the check-ups.
With regard to gynecological examinations, to employees of all ages we both recommend participation and provide subsidies. In the same way as the regular health check-ups, the time taken to undergo the examinations is treated as normal work time.
We regularly communicate information regarding the difference between regular health check-ups and lifestyle-related check-ups; in addition, for those who have not participated in the lifestyle-related health check-ups, the Health Management Promotion Office, regional labor and health management representatives, and workplace superiors repeatedly encourage participation.
Last year, we issued questionnaires to employees who had not participated in lifestyle-related health check-ups, with a view to understanding the reasons why and implementing countermeasures.
Going forward, we intend to continue improving participation rates in lifestyle-related health check-ups with the goal of identifying serious illnesses as early as possible.
Mental health
At the Sapporo Group, in order to promote mental health and stability, every year we carry out stress checks, and provide consultations held by occupational physicians, clinical psychologists, public health nurses, and other mental health experts.
We have established internal helplines so that employees who have health concerns can contact public health nurses; we have also established third-party telephone helplines that can be accessed by employees and their families 24 hours per day, as well as third-party helplines that can be accessed via the Sapporo Breweries Health Insurance Society website; in this way, employees can access all manner of consultations via both telephone and the internet.
In 2020, we started a new survey that integrated employee awareness survey, stress check, and health survey. Through a complex analysis that includes the causal relationship between the survey results, environmental factors, and lifestyle, we will link this survey to the planning and implementation of various measures aimed at creating a work environment.
No-smoking strategies
Smoking has a significant impact on health and labor productivity not only for the smoker themselves but also for second-hand smokers. The Sapporo Group regards smoking control as a priority issue and is continuously working on it. The smoking rate has been decreasing year by year, and the average smoking rate of Sapporo Holdings and the four operating companies declined by 1.5% from 2019 to 2020. However, it is still higher than the target value of ≤12% by 2022, and it is necessary to further accelerate smoking countermeasures.
At the Sapporo Group, in 2019 we began closing smoking areas on Swan Day (the 22nd day of every month; Swan Day is a monthly no-smoking day promoted by the Tobacco Control Medical-Dental Research Network); we have also resolved to implement a smoking ban during working hours at our business companies from January 2022. To begin with, since July 2020 smoking has been banned during working hours at the Sapporo Group Head Office building; since January 2021, smoking has been banned in company cars used by our sales departments. Our goal is a gradual implementation of no-smoking measures across all our workplaces.
Since 2019, the Sapporo Breweries Health Insurance Society has provided fully subsidized online smoking cessation programs.Participants in online smoking cessation increased by 3.8 times in 2020 compared to 2019.
In 2021, a new program was added to the online smoking cessation program to make it fully subsidized, and a new cashback program for smoking cessation outpatient was launched to strengthen smoking cessation efforts. From 2020, our health management representatives and health ambassadors attend scientifically based workshops regarding the risks of passive smoking, and the benefits of giving up smoking. Various information on passive smoking, and advantage of smoking cessation is shared and utilized within our group companies to promote smoking cessation.
Improving health literacy through e-learning
We provide e-learning opportunities for executives and employees on subjects such as women's health, diet, nutrition, drinking, and smoking.
Measures to promote healthier daily routines
At the start of every year, via the Company-wide Health Declaration, which applies to all Group employees, each employee sets his or her own health goals for the year.
More than 600 employees have participated in the spring-2020 edition of the Sapporo Breweries Health Insurance Society’s Walking Campaign (typically held twice a year).
The annual Lifestyle Improvement Challenge Campaign is a participatory measure that allows participants to select and work on specific courses that they want to incorporate into their routine. In addition to the 2020 walking course, radio calisthenics course, breakfast course, vegetable course, back pain/stiff shoulder relief stretching course, and non-smoking course, in 2021, we added the no alcohol course to promote responsible drinking. A team system was adopted to stimulate communication in each organization, and approximately 4,000 Sapporo Group executives and employees participated.
In addition, we implement a number of carefully considered disease-prevention activities, such as hosting lectures that can be attended by all Group employees, communicating scientifically based health information over the intranet, and enhancing health awareness via Health Insurance Society websites and company bulletins.
The effects of these activities are evaluated by analyzing the results of the regular health check-ups, issuing surveys, and otherwise identifying changes in the physical and mental wellbeing of our employees ; we intend to implement a PDCA cycle with the goal of improving future initiatives.
Initiatives for proper drinking practices
The Sapporo Group has established the Basic Policy and Action Guideline for proper drinking and is enacting measures which include prevention of drinking under the age of 20, holding seminars on proper drinking for university students and businesses, and thoroughly implementing regulations regarding advertising/promotion and labeling.
- Sapporo Holdings and group business companies implement annual drinking surveys (AUDIT), as an opportunity for executives and employees to gauge how much alcohol they consume.
- Workshops were held on moderate drinking for health management representatives and health ambassadors. In 2020, we made, and utilize videos for brief intervention instructors such as public health nurses.
Sapporo Breweries
The Sapporo Breweries Health Creation Declaration
Sapporo Breweries holds ‘Health and Safety First’ as a prerequisite to corporate activities. All employees are encouraged to take concrete action towards this, and ongoing enhancement of these actions are being made for increased values for customers.
The direction of all company health and safety practices are based on the Sapporo Breweries Health Creation Declaration and constituted as the “Health and Safety Activity Guidance” by the labor and management.
Health and safety activity plans are annually constituted and implemented at each company in accordance with the above Guidance for the health and safety of all employees and zero occupational and traffic accidents. Activities are reviewed by reflecting on the past six months.
In the event of an occupational accident, confirmation of the accident status at occurrence, identifying causes and proposal of measures are swiftly implemented across the organization, to prevent similar hazards in other business operations.
Initiatives and statuses are shared regularly at the “Safety and Health Committee”, which consists of representatives from the company and the labor union, and discussions are made to ensure proper implementation of the Health and Safety Activity Guidance.
In addition, Sapporo Breweries is a member of the “Food Industry Labor Conference,” which is run by the Junior Executive Council of Japan . Sapporo Breweries works to resolve labor issues using information regarding the food industry shared at these conferences.
The 2021 Health and Safety Activity Guidance
- Continued health and safety practices will be promoted in branch offices and the workplace based on the “Health and Safety First” motto and to “ensure the health and safety of workplaces for the health and safety of all colleagues to create an environment that brings out the maximum potential of all employees”. These activities will be widely shared to employees to enhance the awareness toward health and safety in branch offices and workplaces.
- Promotion of 5S and its activities will be developed as a foundation for health and safety.
- Basic analysis of branch offices and workplaces based on actual statuses and trends including Hiyari Hatto will be conducted for proactive initiatives that incorporate various ideas. Furthermore, active provision of information and reminders will be implemented throughout the company with cooperation from both the head office and headquarters, to enhance awareness within the organization and between each employee.
- Branch office and workplace health and safety meetings will be held regularly to share and deliberate various measures with the goal of enhancing initiatives.
- Health and safety activities in all workplaces will be promoted, between Sapporo employees and in all related and cooperative company employees as well.
- In the event of an occupational accident, thorough deliberation will be made between branch offices and workplaces to propose countermeasures. These countermeasures will be implemented without fail to prevent recurrences. Horizontal networking will be conducted between workplaces to prevent recurrences in other locations.
- Initiatives promoting prevention of occupational hazards and also prevention of accidents during commuting will also be implemented.
- Initiatives toward occupational health issues will be actively implemented to maintain and enhance physical health. Furthermore, other issues such as that in mental health will continue to be implemented with cooperation from industrial physicians and EAP companies.
System for Safety and Health Management
*2 Held three times a year
We aim for zero workplace injuries and trafic accidents.
Even before stress checks were made mandatory, Sapporo Breweries utilized EAP services from specialized external organizations to provide care for the mental health of its employees. As such, the company practices care activities from two angles: “self-care,” which is carried out by the employees themselves, and “line care,” which is implemented by workplace managers. With regard to self-care, training takes place for employees once a year, during which they are encouraged to carry out self-diagnosis, recognize the symptoms of stress, and understand how to cope with them.
Line-Care Study Sessions for management level employees, and regional operation site observations by special external staff have been conducted.
Mental health care will continue to be promoted within the company with help from in-house and external collaborators for a lively and comfortable workplace and to maintain the mental health of each employee.
*EAP (Employee Assistance Program): An employee support program to improve and maintain corporate productivity and spirit by aiding mental health care in the workplace through early stress detection and issue-resolving programs.
Initiatives promoting communication in the workplace
Mental health as well as physical health is directly linked to labor productivity and has significant impact on engagement. As priority issues, we have identified the decrease in the sense of unity in the workplace due to lack of communication as a result of telecommuting, and physical and mental impacts due to the decrease in physical activity.
We hold 1-on-1 meetings (superiors and subordinates) to revitalize communication, and in 2020, we held seminars for managers to encourage them to hold and utilize 1-on-1 meetings that contribute to human resource development and organizational revitalization. In addition to meetings, in an online environment, we actively utilize and recommend IT tools such as chat functions and call functions, from daily conversations to cross-organizational communication and publish excellent initiatives on the intranet to encourage horizontal expansion. More than 1,500 people from Sapporo Holdings and Sapporo Breweries in 2020 and more than 1,650 people in 2021 participated in the team-based health promotion measures held in the entire group.
As an evaluation of communication that replaces the sense of unity in the workplace in 2019, we evaluated “work engagement”, “surrounding support”, and “environment and situation in the company and work”. In the new survey carried out in 2020 and 2021, the deviation values of these items all went up. We will analyze the factors from other survey items and the results of interviews, continue to use PDCA, and further explore new communication forms during and after the COVID-19 epidemic.
Concrete responses to industrial accidents
There were two accidents in 2018 which required leave from work: one was a “stuck or caught in a machine” accident, and one was an “other (working under UV lighting)” accident.
In light of these accidents, the Sapporo Group verified the conditions in which the accidents occurred, standardized work processes, and carried out “risk assessment for getting stuck or caught in machines”; the Group also investigated the UV lights-out functions of clean benches at all its plants, installed warning signs, and implemented injury risk KYT.
Information regarding the two accidents was immediately shared among all plants, and risk assessments were carried out at each workplace to prevent similar accidents from reoccurring; employee education and training programs are currently being implemented.
POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage
POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage Health Creation Declaration
For POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage to be a strong and good company for our employees, their families, and our customers, it is vital that we all take care of our health.
It is only when we are healthy and full of energy that we can continue to generate new “delicious tastes.” If we possess an abundance of dynamism, then the products and services we provide become more appealing. Let us become a strong and good company, and so create happiness both for ourselves and our customers.
At POKKA SAPPORO, we have defined our management vision as “continuing to generate new delicious tastes, which add color and brilliance to our daily lives.” In order to realize this vision, we believe the health of our employees is paramount, and we therefore strive to maintain and improve both the physical and mental health of our employees.
In addition to the introduction of flextime, teleworking, and work-interval systems, we also actively provide employee-focused support, such as the establishment of individually-tailored consultations and rules. We are also engaged in the creation of opportunities for all Group employees to experience first-hand and become aware of the links between their health and our products.
Promotion system
2020 Action Guidelines
We will promote awareness of and activities aimed at contributing to employee safety and health, based on our Health Creation Declaration.
As far as the Group’s initiatives to safeguard lives, promote health, and turn differences into strengths are concerned, we will provide support and make proposals from the unique perspective of a food and beverage company, and thereby contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the health of all Group employees.
Unique POKKA SAPPORO initiatives
Experiencing the power of lemons through bone volume measurements
At POKKA SAPPORO, we have a number of products in our line-up that contain lemon; our employees, too, actively incorporate lemon in their everyday diets.
So that our employees can experience first-hand the chelate effect of lemons—the power of citric acid to make calcium soluble—we started measuring their bone volume. The average bone mass of all generations is 102.9%. Almost all of them achieved an average value of over 100% by age group.
Strengthening health support during COVID-19
At POKKA SAPPORO, for a long time we have provided employees who are returning to work after long-term recovery leave or who suffer from chronic illnesses with staged work reintegration; through regular consultations, the employees themselves, their superiors, occupational physicians, public health nurses, and the Human Resources Department establish a shared awareness of their condition, and the company endeavors to create an environment in which they can work with a sense of satisfaction and without overexerting themselves.
COVID-19 has drastically changed our lifestyles, but it has also greatly affected the way we work. Moving forward, in proportion to the increase in telecommuting, we must work towards the reduction of communication difficulties that hamper interpersonal relationships in the workplace, and reduction of anxiety caused by decreased physical activity will lead to improved productivity and accident prevention.
We hold 1-on-1 meetings (members and superior) to revitalize communication and conduct training for members and managers. We also enacted a camera-on communication policy during online meetings, and conducted face-to-face communication for transferees and new employees, and developed good practices within the company.
Furthermore, we carry out a lifestyle-related improvement challenge campaign to encourage employees to incorporate healthy habits by participating in the workplace as "one team." By encouraging each other and completing tasks, we are helping to foster a sense of unity in the workplace. Bone density was also measured during the health checkup, and the number of participants doubled from the 417 participants in the previous year. We also made effective efforts to come up with creative campaigns.
From 2020 to 2021, “surrounding support”, and “environment and situation in the company and work” have improved. Furthermore, we will share the analysis results of the integrated survey, which includes employee awareness surveys and lifestyle-related surveys, with managers, occupational health physicians, and public health nurses to identify issues and develop solutions. With this in mind, we will analyze the factors and effects and consider improvement measures.
Sapporo Lion
Sapporo Lion Health Creation Declaration
At Sapporo Lion, we want all of our employees to fully demonstrate their individuality, and to continue to be strong, to be positive, and to shine. For this reason, we are setting out our Health Creation Declaration here!
- We will endeavor to engage in free and open communication
- We will endeavor to engage in self-improvement
- We will endeavor to maintain and manage our health
Sapporo Lion belongs to the restaurant industry, yet we also believe ourselves to be a company that alleviates stress. To this end, we have made it our mission to provide our customers with the Joy of Living.
So that we can recognize any signs of mental of physical illness among our employees at the earliest opportunity, we encourage our managers and supervisors to acquire qualifications in mental health management.
In order to combat long working hours, which is an issue in the restaurant industry, at Sapporo Lion we have established a Work Style Reform Promotion Committee. The committee seeks to prevent health issues stemming from overwork; at the same time, it aims to promote work styles that prioritize employee health, such as by including information provided by occupational health physicians in company newsletters.
Our monthly company newsletter features a column entitled “Eisei” (“Voice of Health”) in which we communicate messages from occupational health physicians to our employees. Depending on the time of year, the column provides our restaurants with information on heat stroke, influenza, noroviruses, and other health-related topics from the perspective of occupational health physicians. Through such initiatives, we are working hard to improve the knowledge of our employees when it comes to preventing heat stroke at our beer gardens, and other issues.
Prevention, early detection and response to stress-related diseases such as mental health problems
In recent years, a growing number of young female employees have developed mental illnesses in Sapporo Lion. The cause of mental illness in workers is "stress", and there are various factors that cause that "stress." Factors related to work stress: (1) relationships, (2) quality of work, and (3) quantity of work. Referring to the results of the annual stress check, we decided to focus on women in their 20s and 30s. We conducted a questionnaire about their career and work environment (superiors) in advance and held a roundtable discussion based on it. This meeting was exclusive to women in order to create a place where women can exchange opinions, and briefly discuss and summarize their relationships, work-related situations and environments, and individual feelings. The roundtable discussion allowed early detection of mental disorders and the results were sent to the executive meeting for feedback. Through the opinions of those in the upper levels of management in the company, we believe that reviewing work styles and improving the overlooked adverse environment will prevent the occurrence of mental illness. At the same time, this will also lead to a long-term plan which aims to achieve "zero mental disorders among young people." In addition, industrial physicians and public health nurses always provide support and interviews with workers to clarify stress factors and giving guidance for gradual improvement.
The response value of the stress check is also gradually decreasing.
We will continue to disseminate not only physical information but also stress prevention measures related to mental health in the health management corner "Eisei” of the company newsletter.
Strengthening Sustainability
To ensure the health of our customers, employees and their families, Sapporo Lion, together with our business partners, prioritizes respect for and protection of human rights as well as consideration for environmental safety throughout the supply chain in the provision of our products.
Sapporo Real Estate
Sapporo Real Estate Health Creation Declaration
At Sapporo Real Estate, our desire is for everyone to be healthy, to spend time in a rewarding manner, and to live abundant lives. In order to realize such a society, we must first ensure that we ourselves are healthy.
Let us all work to achieve a life of health and abundance.
In addition to the health improvement measures implemented by the Sapporo Group, at Sapporo Real Estate we promote one-on-one meetings between employees and their superiors as a way of preventing overwork and of recognizing changes in physical and mental well-being among our employees.
We have also introduced flextime, teleworking, and paid leave on an hourly basis; these measures are aimed at enabling each of our employees to adopt flexible work styles that suit their lifestyles.
Every month, we convene a Health & Safety Committee formed of both company and employee representatives; discussions are held regarding working hours, workplace environments, and improving mental and physical health.
We also promote more energetic working environments and better work-life balances by sharing information via company social media, and by actively establishing environments that facilitate online communication.
Sapporo Field Marketing
In recognition of our efforts to improve the health promotion environment, we received the "Silver Certificate" for Excellent Health issued by the Federation of Health Insurance Associations in 2021, following on from 2020.
The entire company is working together to actively promote health management.
Sapporo Logistics Systems
The Sapporo Group distribution department comprises four business bases that own Sapporo trucks. Of these, three have fulfilled the following evaluation criteria of the Japan Trucking Association: 1. Compliance with safety laws and regulations; 2. Accidents and violations; and 3. Proactive safety measures. As such, they have received G-mark accreditation as companies that are exemplary for safety.*
More specifically, we are engaged in measures to prevent products falling from vehicles, mandatory blood pressure checks before driving, and updating our product loading work processes.
*Companies that are exemplary for safety are accredited by the Japan Trucking Association, following fair evaluations of the safety systems they have in place. The accreditation is aimed at making it easier for consignors and general consumers to choose trucking companies with higher standards of safety, and at raising awareness of the importance of improving safety standards.
Sapporo Group Logistics
Declaration of Voluntary Action for the "White Logistics Promotion Movement
In support of the aims of the "White Logistics" promotion campaign, Sapporo Holdings, Inc. submitted a voluntary action declaration for sustainable and stable logistics operations in 2019 from Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage Co.
Declaration of Voluntary Action
The four companies of the Group have expressed their commitment to work toward improving the efficiency and workability of logistics, focusing on "standardization of logistics operations" and "establishment of a network of Group bases.
In cooperation and coordination with our affiliates, we will strive to improve the working environment for truck drivers and warehouse workers.
Standardization of logistics operations
We have improved visibility by aligning the display position of the product code used to identify cartons at the distribution site. We will realize a more comfortable working environment for a diversified workforce, including foreigners and the elderly, whose numbers are expected to increase in the future.
Establishment of a network of group offices
In order to shorten the transportation distance from the factory base to the delivery destination, Sapporo Breweries Ltd. established a new distribution base in the Tokai area, and Pokka Sapporo Food Beverage Co., Ltd. proceeded with a new production consignment in the western Japan area. We will continue to review our network of bases to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and to further reduce the burden on truck drivers.
Overseas Group Companies
Preventing and Managing Health Issues
The Sapporo Group believes employee health to be of the utmost importance and, for this reason, works hard to improve the safety and health, and health literacy of its overseas employees.
Sleeman Breweries
- The Health and Safety Committee is convened every month
- The Personnel Department engaged in educational activities via the company newsletter and other means
Sapporo Vietnam
- Employees are provided with health insurance as part of company welfare benefits, and all local employees undergo regular health check-ups once a year
- The Personnel Department issues a newsletter every month with the aim of raising health awareness
- Employees attend lectures presented by health care workers once a year (the lectures were cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19)
POKKA
- All local employees undergo regular health check-ups once a year
- The Personnel Department shares information regarding external health-related seminars—for example, seminars on cancer
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Personnel Department has been informing employees about telephone numbers for government-run volunteer help desks on a variety of issues, including domestic violence, household finance issues, and mental issues
Measures to combat infection
Malaria infects more than 200 million people worldwide every year; tuberculosis infected an estimated 10 million people in 2019, while 1.7 million people were infected with HIV during the same year*. The Sapporo Group recognizes the importance of promoting health on a global scale. At present, in order to reduce the health risks associated with infectious diseases, the Sapporo Group implements a variety of measures not only in Japan but across the world; these measures are outlined below. Going forward, the Group intends to further promote education regarding infectious diseases.
COVID-19
- POKKA: In conformity with Singapore’s national policy, POKKA is recommending teleworking, wearing face masks, and social distancing at work; it has also issued a manual regarding COVID-19-related risks entitled “PK Safe Management System for COVID-19”
- The Sapporo Group’s North American businesses: In accordance with national policy in the U.S. and Canada, the Sapporo Group’s North American businesses are recommending teleworking; members of production departments who are required to go to their workplaces are obligated to observe social distancing and wear masks
- Sapporo Vietnam: Sapporo Vietnam is implementing COVID-19 countermeasures in line with national policy. Previously, employees had their temperatures checked and disinfected their hands at plant entrances, and wore face masks; passenger numbers on shuttle buses were limited to 50% or less of their maximum capacity, while canteen tables were rearranged to maintain social distancing. At present, however, national policy is simply to “wear face masks in public places”; for this reason, Sapporo Vietnam has lifted all COVID-19 countermeasures at its plants with the exception of basic hygiene management, such as hand-washing.
Zika fever and Dengue fever
- POKKA: POKKA shares information regarding the causes and treatments for Zika fever and Dengue fever with its employees
Tuberculosis
- Sapporo Vietnam: The company carries out regular health check-ups once a year on all its local employees, which include a chest X-ray
Rabies
- Sapporo Vietnam: The company provides rabies vaccinations to non-local employees working in Vietnam
Safety and Health Activities
- Sleeman Breweries: Health and Safety Committee convened once a month
- Anchor Brewing: Safety Committee convened once a month
- Sapporo Vietnam (Long An Brewery): Labor Health and Safety Meeting convened
- POKKA:
- Safety Committee convened once a month, and safety conditions around the workplace are checked
- Emergency Response Teams receive training from external experts regarding how to use fire extinguishing equipment
- Evacuation drills take place twice a year
Corporate benefits
Various corporate benefits are provided to support the lives of employees.
Along with housing support, accumulation savings, employee shareholding programs and congratulations/condolence money programs, a cafeteria program has also been introduced.
To correspond towards the changing lifestyles of employees, the program allows employees to select the support they need in areas such as “child-raising/nursing”, “self-development”, “health promotion”, and “refreshment”.
Furthermore, efforts are being made to aid employee life and financial planning.
The retirement benefits for Sapporo Breweries consist of a “corporate pension fund” (defined benefits pension plan), “defined contribution pension plan” and “advanced payment for retirement benefits”.
Employees are able to select either the “defined contribution pension plan system” or the “advanced payment for retirement benefits” when receiving benefits.
As for the defined benefits pension plan, support such as regular information on investments and asset management is offered so that employees will be able to proactively construct their life plans after retiring.
Labor‐management relations
Basic philosophy
The Sapporo Group offers regular opportunities for labor and management discussions on labor conditions and various human relation systems, in the Group’s efforts to establish stable labor-management relations by having both parties cooperate to maintain and improve workplace conditions.
Establishing stable labor-management relations
Based on the Group's Human Resource Vision, Sapporo Group companies believe that thorough consideration for employee safety and health is indispensable for creating a work environment where employees can work with peace of mind. We are implementing various measures to prevent occupational accidents and to maintain and improve mental and physical health.
Sapporo Breweries
The Sapporo Breweries Labor Union works as a labor union for Sapporo Breweries, and almost all employees participate in this union, excluding manager-level employees.
The fundamental philosophy of labor-management relations is “The company and union offer mutual respect on ideas to ensure workplace discipline, sustainment and improvement of labor conditions, anticipation of efficient task execution, and also to construct a stable labor-management relationship to realize company growth”.
The labor agreement between the Sapporo Breweries Labor Union states that “The Company recognizes the union as the only legitimate negotiating body representative of employees” and that “The Company authorizes free union activities. Union members shall not receive detrimental treatment for their participation in the union and for their legitimate union activities,” to ensure rights for negotiation and freedom of association.
Labor-management agreements on work hours and management discussion have been made. A negotiation system for swift and substantial resolutions exists for decisions on labor condition standards and introducing new programs, along with revision/discontinuance of programs. These decisions are made through activities such as formal union negotiations and through discussions with a special committee dealing with collective bargaining.
A management negotiation system has been incorporated and is conducted twice a year, to provide opportunities to exchange opinions, in which company and union representatives discuss topics such as management policies and content.
The Sapporo Breweries Labor Union participates in the higher-level organization, FOOD RENGO (JFU), and takes appropriate measures toward requests from the higher organization.
Sapporo Lion
In 1989, the year following the company’s listing in the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Lion Branch of the Sapporo Beer Workers’ Union became an independent organization from the Sapporo Beer Workers’ Union; today, some 30 years after its foundation, Sapporo Lion has approximately 300 members.
Sapporo Lion bases its activities on the following three pillars: creating comfortable working environments that provide job satisfaction; improving labor conditions in the pursuit of comfort and quality of life; and, creating dynamic organizations through the participation of all members.
Sapporo Lion holds labor-management meetings twice a year—at the Management Advisory Committee Meeting and at the Labor-Management Discussion Meeting—when it makes recommendations regarding corporate management and communicates feedback from its members.
The majority of recommendations made at the above meetings are implemented, and in this way labor and management work closely together to carry out corporate management.
The union’s Mandarin Orange-Picking welfare event, which was first held when Sapporo Lion was still part of the Sapporo Beer Workers’ Union, continues to be held every year on Culture Day, on November 3. Every year, the event attracts more than 200 participants, including company employees and their families, as well as company officers. Sapporo Lion also holds a variety of other welfare activities.
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Creating a work environment that offers peace of mind
- Work-life balance