Human Capital Investment for Growth and Productivity Improvement

Human Resource Development Initiatives of Sapporo Breweries

Major career support structures of Sapporo Breweries (System chart)

Including Sapporo Holdings

Formulation and operation of Succession Plan

Sapporo Breweries has formulated and is operating a Succession Plan to identify and develop human resources for the next generation of leaders.
The company strives to develop them by dispatching approximately 40 people each year to management development programs and giving them opportunities for experience based on stretch assignments. Once every half year, a management meeting is held to confirm progress and review the training plan.

New entry-level employee training with the “tutor program”

Sapporo Breweries introduced the “tutor program” in 1988. It is a new entry-level employee training program which has been handed down over the past 30 years. Senior employees in the same workplace are appointed as tutors and receive tutor training to offer detailed guidance to new employees with support from workplace managers and colleagues.
The benefits of the program are twofold: new employees can achieve peace of mind by sharing any concerns or worries they have about their job, increasing motivation and accelerating work-readiness; for tutors, too, this program becomes an opportunity for growth, as they learn guidance techniques and make new realizations through earnest teaching activities.
Once a month until the following March, new employees write reports on their learnings and any questions they may have. The tutors and superiors in turn then check and comment on each report, with superiors also providing comments for the tutor. The participation of superiors in the education process helps foster an awareness that the entire workplace is cooperating in nurturing the new employees.
These activities are also published within the in-house intranet. The status of other new employees and tutor comments can be viewed, for further motivation and mutual growth.
As the environment surrounding the company continues to change, the growth of “human resources” is crucial. The tutor program is within the Sapporo Breweries DNA as an initiative for new employee growth, tutor growth, on-site growth and for the company’s growth as well. It is recognized as a program that needs to be continued and developed.

Sapporo Technical Academy

Human Resource Development Initiatives of Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage

To attain the philosophy of "Create the future food standard by facing up to people and society", initiatives that promote individual and organization growth are being implemented.
Educational opportunities related to management, strategical thinking, self-directed awareness and customer perspectives are provided, in hopes of creating new values that correspond to customer needs and changes in the environment, to give birth to anticipated results from each employee, and to also develop support measures that create team and organization results.

Human Resource Development Initiatives of Sapporo Lion

Sapporo Lion aims to be a “company consisting of human resources that create results” by heightening motivation and job satisfaction through appropriate evaluation of work results according to each position and role.
Programs such as special training per work category which directly affects daily tasks, along with training per stage and self-development support are also offered. The self-development support program provides aid for correspondence education fees and for acquiring qualification. This will aid in the acquisition of expert knowledge and techniques, which will reinforce skills and hospitality mentalities to cultivate employees that can respond to customer needs.

Human Resource Development Initiatives of Sapporo Real Estate Development

Sapporo Real Estate Development aims to have an increasing number of employees who create the future, are willing to take on challenges, and continue to change and grow on their own so that they can look forward to a better tomorrow for themselves, their colleagues, and the company. To this end, the company has significantly increased its investment in human resources.
In addition to qualifications that are useful in business, Sapporo Real Estate Development encourages employees to get professional qualifications necessary to play an active role as real estate professionals and has established a support system for public qualification acquisition where the company bears the necessary expenses. Using skill maps, the company is trying to improve the skills of each individual and assist further personal growth. The company has also increased its human resource development expenses to the level of the U.S. average and conducts e-learning and other programs throughout the year.
To promote DX human resources, Sapporo Real Estate Development is training all employees to become DX and IT promotion supporters and aims to develop and assign 15 DX and IT leaders by 2026. The company encourages all employees to get IT passports and G certifications as well as provides proactive reskilling opportunities.

Human Resource Development Initiatives of the Sapporo Group Logistics

Sapporo Logistics’ Human Resource Development University (nicknamed Logistics University)

In an era of severe environmental changes surrounding logistics, Sapporo Logistics considers human resource development to be one of the most important issues, and has opened and operated the Logistics University since 2019, with the aim of fostering and developing human resources to promote logistics reform throughout the Group. Every year, participants from various divisions as well as logistics divisions from Group companies participate in the program, and a total of 104 people have completed it by 2023. The Logistics University provides opportunities for a wide range of activities, from acquiring basic knowledge of logistics to raising SCM-based issues that lead to business strategies. These are opportunities for participants to interact with each other and engage in friendly competition to think more deeply about logistics.
Since logistics and management are closely related, the Logistics University is working to provide learning opportunities not only for the University students, but also for management and all Group employees. One of these is the Open Seminar, in which prominent lecturers from outside the company are invited to speak on issues that encompass the value chain, covering management, organization, front-line operations, and DX. This is an opportunity for Group employees to view logistics issues as their own.

Sapporo Breweries Health Management Initiatives

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 and health management using information regarding the food industry shared at these conferences.

The 2024 Health and Safety Activity Guidance

1. 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.
2. Promotion of 5S and its activities will be developed as a foundation for health and safety.
3. 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.
4. Branch office and workplace health and safety meetings will be held regularly to share and deliberate various measures with the goal of enhancing initiatives.
5. Health and safety activities in all workplaces will be promoted, between Sapporo employees and in all related and cooperative company employees as well.
6. 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.
7. Initiatives promoting prevention of occupational hazards and also prevention of accidents during commuting will also be implemented.
8. 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.

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.

Priority Initiatives in Health Management

In Sapporo Breweries' health management efforts, the goal is for each individual to be mentally, physically, and socially healthy in order to address management challenges and achieve sustainable growth. To improve presenteeism and absenteeism and enhance performance such as work engagement, we are promoting a population approach, enriching private life through work, and fostering a healthy workplace environment that strengthens social capital.

Initiatives promoting communication in the workplace

In 2017, Sapporo Breweries launched the “Work Style Reform 2020” and has been implementing reforms to enable more flexible and productive work styles. Since then, in line with the diversification of work styles, such as teleworking and internal/external side jobs, we have been striving for autonomous work styles, work styles that achieve results through teamwork, and work styles that provide a high quality of work-life balance. In 2022, we started “Sapporo Workstyle” based on the concept of “face-to-face interaction” regardless of whether employees come to work or telework. To promote understanding of this concept, and to improve presenteeism and absenteeism, we are conducting training for managers and employees, creating environments that facilitate communication, and strengthening efforts to support mental health.

<Interactive Training for Managers and Employees>

From 2021 to 2023, we conducted training on 'psychological safety,' 'improving the quality of one-on-one meetings,' and 'unconscious bias' for managers, achieving a 100% participation rate. After the training, the managers rolled out the content to their respective workplaces, working to establish a foundation where everyone can feel secure and fully demonstrate their capabilities. Additionally, we are strongly promoting 'supportive management,' which focuses on closely supporting the growth of each diverse employee. Additionally, feedback training and inclusive leadership training were conducted for managers. In 2024, new initiatives include support skills tools for younger employees, one-on-one coaching, and leadership development training to foster diversity.

<Creating an Environment to Promote Communication>

In the online environment, we are actively using IT tools from daily conversations to cross-organizational communication and have implemented a Thanks Point system to express gratitude to each other. In addition, we provide internal communication expenses with the aim of strengthening communication between supervisors and subordinates and improving the human resource development of our members. To realize our management philosophy and vision, we recognize exciting initiatives and actions that embody our code of conduct “Let's KAITAKU” and encourage the entire Company. The awards are presented horizontally on the intranet to promote behavioral change among employees and thereby lead to business growth.
As a result of these efforts, more than 80% of respondents to the 2022 in-house survey answered that more than 80% of initiatives for “teamwork” and “work-life balance” are “being practiced.” In the 2023 survey, of those who felt difficulties in communicating with their supervisors and coworkers and in their sense of unity with those around them, 92.4% reported an improvement from the previous year, and 85.7% reported a slight improvement from the previous year.

<Strengthening Mental Health Initiatives>

At Sapporo Breweries, since 2023, we have increased the number of industrial physicians specializing in mental health, raised awareness of third-party organizations and internal consultation services, promoted consultations from managers to occupational health staff, and facilitated the exchange of opinions between various organizations.
In addition to line care and self-care, we hold monthly mindfulness workshops to reduce the proportion of high-stress and at-risk employees. Based on analysis results, we provide scientifically grounded information on improving sleep and rest, increasing physical activity, and the role of diet in preventing and alleviating depression.
In 2024, while the percentage of employees requiring caution decreased by 0.6%, the percentage of high-stress employees increased by 0.2%, indicating the need for further efforts.

• Percentage of high-stress employees: 5.9% (2022) → 6.4% (2023) → 6.6% (2024)
• Percentage of employees requiring caution: 8.9% (2022) → 8.2% (2023) → 7.6% (2024)

Since 2020, the indicators of communication, such as support from those around us and the environment/situation at the company and work, have improved for four consecutive years until 2023, with 2024 showing results nearly the same as the previous year. Going forward, we will aim to further strengthen social capital through enhanced communication.

Creating an Environment That Enriches both Work and Personal Life

Enhancing work-life balance is fundamental for each employee to thrive and contributes to reducing presenteeism and absenteeism, as well as increasing engagement. Sapporo Breweries is implementing initiatives to promote work-life balance, such as encouraging the use of paid leave and reducing overtime hours. Additionally, we have introduced systems that facilitate taking leave for childcare, caregiving, and medical treatment, conducted training to foster understanding among managers and general employees, established consultation services, and provided information.

<Promoting Paternity Leave>

Recognizing that the uptake rate of paternity leave among male employees is low and that the average duration of leave is short, we continuously promoted the following initiatives and achieved our target of 100% paternity leave uptake among male employees in FY2023.

• The Director of Human Resources and General Affairs sends an "Congratulations on the Birth of Your Child" email to eligible male employees and their supervisors, recommending the uptake of paternity leave.
• Eligible male employees receive a "Childcare and Household Guidebook," which facilitates early preparation for taking paternity leave through income simulations and a system for reporting their partner's pregnancy.
• We have gathered necessary information for taking paternity leave and published it on our intranet, along with experiences from male employees who have taken paternity leave, providing various essential information for childcare.
  Training for managers on paternity leave for men had a participation rate of 96.8% in 2023 and 100% in 2024.
• A consultation service for employees planning to take paternity leave has also been established.

These initiatives have been recognized, and we were selected as a "Next Nadeshiko: Companies Supporting Dual-career and Co-parenting." for FY2023. Additionally, in the analysis of stress checks and employee awareness surveys, the deviation value for "Fulfillment in Personal Life Due to Work" showed a positive correlation with highly engaged employees and a negative correlation with high-stress employees. This deviation value has shown an upward trend from 2020 to 2024.
Moving forward, we will continue to work on creating an environment that makes it easier for male employees to take paternity leave, aiming to maintain the uptake rate and promote longer durations of leave.

<Support for Balancing Work and Caregiving>

Caregiving can lead to increased presenteeism and decreased performance, such as reduced work engagement, which may contribute to a higher likelihood of leaving the workforce. We have established a specialized site on our intranet that includes videos about caregiving and a consultation service. However, despite holding annual seminars to prepare for caregiving, participation has been low, and caregivers often tend to struggle alone with their challenges. Therefore, we recognize the need to create an environment that encourages open discussions about caregiving.
Starting in 2023, we created opportunities within management training to learn about caregiving. In 2024, training was also conducted for both managers and general employees, with over 90% participation.

• Management Training on Caregiving: 96.8% in 2023, 100% in 2024
• General Employee Training on Caregiving: 45.9% in 2023, 99.9% in 2024

In 2024, we began producing videos featuring caregiving professionals, aimed at encouraging discussions about caregiving between managers and general employees in each workplace. Moving forward, we will continue to promote support for balancing work and caregiving, with the goal of achieving zero caregiving-related resignations.

Sapporo Breweries Supports Balancing Work with Childcare, Caregiving, and Medical Treatment

Improving workplace environments

The Sapporo Group is working to improve lifestyle habits in the workplace, including exercise, diet, sleep, proper drinking, and smoking cessation, with the aim of extending healthy life expectancy in old age, as well as preventing lifestyle-related diseases and improving mental health during the period of employment.
In-house surveys have shown that an organization's physical activity rate, percentage of people who exercise, and smoking rates correlate with organizational work engagement, presenteeism, and other factors. We consider these items as important indicators of not only individual well-being but also organizational performance improvement and place a high priority on the improvement and enhancement of them.
Sapporo Breweries has been developing measures to “improve health literacy” and “make healthy habits” so that each employee can take healthy actions autonomously.
As a result, since launching the health management in 2017, the percentage of people who exercise at least two days a week and the cancer screening rate have increased, and the smoking rate has decreased. The company’s efforts have led to awareness and action to improve lifestyle. For further improvement, Sapporo Breweries strives to change the behavior of those who are indifferent to health and those who are aware of health improvement but are not yet ready to take action. The company is also strengthening its efforts to make the workplace environment healthier to support employees' health behavior by increasing health words in the workplace and communication among familiar members.

<Strengthening the Promotion System>

• Starting in 2023, the company aims to establish a system where all executives can manage workplace health, under the banner of "Sapporo Health Management." This includes raising awareness about the relationship between performance indicators and lifestyle habits (based on internal survey data analysis) and the importance of increasing employees' health behaviors.
• Since 2020, health ambassadors have been appointed to increase the use of health-related terminology in the workplace. Each year, four study sessions are held, with approximately 90 to 100 participants from Sapporo Holdings and Sapporo Breweries joining online for each session. Materials and videos from these study sessions are made available for anyone to view and utilize from the archive. Understanding of the study sessions, desired topics to share with others, and actions employees wish to take are reviewed through follow-up surveys to improve future sessions.

In the seminar on "Prevention and Improvement of Metabolic Syndrome" in March 2024 and the seminar on "Blood Pressure Control" in June 2024, a total of 177 health ambassadors from headquarters and various sites participated online. Seminar videos and materials are available for all employees to view at any time, in addition to being shared in the workplace.

<Efforts to Improve Participation Rates>

To increase participation in health measures, various health programs have been developed. In addition to the Human Resources and General Affairs Department, personnel in charge at each site, organizational managers, health management staff, area health nurses, and health ambassadors are all working to encourage employees to join these programs. Participation rates have been increasing through close communication as follows:
For exercise initiatives, we conduct participatory web-based walking events, lifestyle improvement challenge campaigns (exercise-related courses), app-based step count events, seminars on the importance of exercise, grip strength measurement events, and locomotion function checks. For dietary initiatives, we offer lifestyle improvement challenge campaigns (diet-related courses), seminars on diet and nutrition, and events aimed at improving eating habits.

・Health insurance association-sponsored web walking events: Total number of participants (including Sapporo Holdings, based on original registration) for spring and fall combined

2022: 1,198 participants → 2023: 1,254 participants. Starting in 2023, step counting events linked to health apps are also held concurrently in both spring and fall.

・The Lifestyle Improvement Challenge Campaign (participants choose one course from exercise, diet, responsible drinking, or quitting smoking).

　Number of participants: 1,500 in 2020 → 1,650 in 2021 → 1,670 in 2022 → 1,760 in 2023 → 1,800 in 2024

In the post-campaign survey, 80% of respondents in both 2022 and 2023 indicated that their health awareness had increased or somewhat increased.

・Proper Drinking e-Learning: More than 99% of Sapporo Breweries employees took the course in both 2022 and 2023.

・Lifestyle-related disease screening rate (for individuals aged 40 and above): 84% in 2020 → 91% in 2021 → 93% in 2022 → 94% in 2023 (KPI target: 100% by 2026).

・Participation Rates for Women's Health Initiatives

　Seminar viewing for managerial position: 61% in 2021 → 91% in 2022 → 91% in 2023 → 94% in 2024

　e-Learning on Women's Health for All Employees: 61% in 2021 → 67% in 2022 → 77% in 2023 → 61.8% in 2024.

　Promotion Measures for Gynecological Checkups for Women Only: 86% in 2024

　Gynecological Checkup Rate (All Ages): 62.9% in FY2023 (KPI for All Ages in FY2026: 50% Achievement)

・Participation Rate in Exercise Programs (Executives and Employees): 56% in 2022 → 58% in 2023 → 90.8% in 2024

・Participation Rate in Dietary Programs (Executives and Employees): 40% in 2022 → 40% in 2023 → 76.2% in 2024

These efforts resulted in a 4% increase in the percentage of physical activity, a 3% increase in the percentage of people with exercise habits, and a 0.7% decrease in the smoking rate from 2022 to 2024.
The rate of abnormal blood lipid findings in FY2023 decreased by 4.4% compared to 2021, and the percentage of those eligible for specific health guidance decreased by 1.3% compared to 2022.
Focusing on promoting exercise programs as a priority issue, we have established organizational goals for promoting exercise programs starting in 2024 and are working to improve participation rates in initiatives and foster behavioral changes.
The challenge for the smoking rate is that the decline has slowed. In the 2024 tobacco control measures, we are setting annual smoking rate targets at each location and conducting efforts such as raising awareness about the harms of new types of tobacco and holding consultations with public health nurses. Additionally, we are conducting surveys on smokers' intention to quit and providing individual approaches. Moving forward, we will continue to accelerate efforts to foster a healthy workplace culture to achieve the various KPIs by 2026.

Prevention of serious illnesses

To improve the performance of each individual, which leads to job satisfaction and motivation for living, it is necessary to promote “mental and physical health care” through both the population approach to increase the number of physically active people and those with exercise habits and to decrease the smoking rate, and the high-risk approach to prevent serious illnesses that can save lives.

<Reexamination of those requiring immediate treatment and those requiring further medical screening>

In accordance with the uniform criteria of the Sapporo Group for red cards indicating immediate treatment and further medical screening, 100% of the identified individuals are encouraged to undergo follow-up medical examinations.
For those who are eligible for immediate treatment, the health nurses provide detailed support until they undergo reexamination, and a 100% reexamination rate has been achieved every year. We also provide ongoing support to past subject persons to ensure that they do not become eligible for immediate treatment again. We will continue to provide careful support, aiming to achieve a 100% follow-up examination rate for those requiring further medical screening.

<Improving the participation rate of specific health guidance>

In 2024, in order to further improve the implementation rate, internalization efforts were expanded. As a result, in FY2023, specific health guidance achieved a 100% implementation rate in some areas, while regional disparities emerged, with some areas experiencing a decline compared to the previous year. In FY2024, Sapporo Breweries will strengthen collaboration between the health insurance association and workplace representatives, aiming to achieve an implementation rate of over 55% by FY2026.

<Reducing the number of those eligible for specific health guidance>

The percentage of Sapporo Breweries' employees eligible for specific health guidance (aged 40 and over) in FY2022 was 26.5%, which is high compared to KPI 20% in 2026, and reducing the percentage of those eligible is also an issue to be addressed.
Sapporo Breweries is working to encourage early screening at the minor disease stage and promote physical activity and exercise habits that lead to prevention and recovery, as well as to improve health literacy. To promote exercise habits, we have started implementing radio calisthenics at the headquarters building this year. Through activities such as medical examination recommendations, in-house provision of specific health guidance, information dissemination at health and safety committee meetings, and prevention of heavy drinking, the number of those eligible in FY2023 was also reduced by 1.3% from the previous year. In 2024, the company is focusing on improving participation rates in physical activity initiatives and increasing the completion rates of e-learning courses on exercise and diet.

Progress on Health-Related Performance Indicator

<Performance Indicators>

Work engagement has shown an increase in deviation scores for four consecutive years from 2020 to 2023, with 2024 remaining almost the same as the previous year. The percentage of employees with high work engagement has increased for five consecutive years since 2020. Presenteeism has improved for four consecutive years since 2020; however, in 2024, there was no change for men, while a decline was observed among women. We are analyzing the results and advancing initiatives aimed at improvement.

<Perception of Health Support from the Company>

In the stress check and employee awareness survey conducted in 2024, 85% of employees answered "very applicable" or "somewhat applicable" (84% of men and 88% of women) to the question, “Does the company support its employees in leading healthy lives?”

Specific details and actions related to occupational accidents

The four occupational accidents resulting in lost time in 2023 were tumbling (1), falling (1), heat stroke (1), and back pain (1). As a response, Sapporo Breweries verified the conditions in which the accidents occurred and standardized the work process. Information regarding the accidents was immediately shared among all plants, risk assessments were carried out at each workplace to prevent similar accidents from reoccurring, and employee education and training programs are being implemented.

Contributing to health and environment through the breeding technology of Sapporo Breweries

Since its founding in 1876, Sapporo Breweries has been committed to “using only the finest ingredients to make delicious beer“ and has been breeding its own barley and hops.

Commitment to raw materials (Japanese)

Using this breeding technology, Sapporo Breweries developed and registered a glutinous edible barley variety called "Mochiriboshi" (2011), a type of dietary fiber rich in β-glucan. Due to its high fiber content, a staple food such as barley rice can also be an excellent source of dietary fiber. Saitama Prefecture, where “Mochiriboshi” is cultivated, was selected as the designated production area for this barley variety (2023).

Experiencing the "Space Classroom" through Food

"Haruna Nijo" barley, developed by Sapporo Breweries to explore the possibilities of "food" in space, stayed on the International Space Station for five months and returned home. Sapporo Breweries are holding the "Space Classroom," a hands-on event utilizing the offspring of this "space-traveling barley. Through the experience of planting seeds, harvesting, and tasting barley tea made from the barley that traveled through space, we continue to nurture children's "dreams for space" (27th event in the spring of 2024).

Breeding Raw Materials Adapted to Climate Change

Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage's Health Management Initiatives

Action Guidelines

The items with significant challenges in achieving the KPIs for 2026 have been designated as priority focus areas.

• Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage's Health Management Activity Policy for 2024

  The company will promote health management by leveraging the knowledge and expertise it has accumulated through its business activities, as well as initiatives to support the mental and physical health of its customers.
  Priority theme: Primary and secondary prevention of hypertension, promotion of exercise habits, prevention of severe health conditions, and tobacco control measures

• Company-wide Safety and Health Committee Activity Guidelines for 2024

  Based on the Sapporo Group Health Creation Declaration and the Medium-Term Health and Productivity Management Plan, we aim to create a workplace environment where employees can work with safety and peace of mind.

  [Priority focus areas]

  • Aiming for zero at-fault accidents, we will strengthen and establish safe driving guidance through the use of telematics ... Goal: at-fault accident rate below 10%.
  • Promotion of paid leave utilization ... Goal: an average of 13 or more days in fiscal year 2024 (ensure 5 days are taken in the first half of the year and promote the establishment of recommended paid leave days).
  • Promotion of health checkups for lifestyle-related diseases ... 100% participation for those aged 40 and over, 90% for those aged 35 and over, and 50% for gynecological checkups (under 35)

  [Ongoing]

  • Promotion of smoking cessation ... Maintain a smoke-free environment during work hours and continue "No Smoking Days." Implement approaches for individuals interested in quitting smoking through Safety and Health Committees at each site.

Cultivating a Workplace Culture Where Diverse Employees Support Each Other’s Efforts Toward Health and Well-being.

As highlighted by the key phrase "health management that can be talked about," we believe that when employees engage in serious yet enjoyable discussions about health both inside and outside the workplace, it enhances the value of human capital and social capital, ultimately leading to greater health value in products and services and supporting sustainable business activities.

We aim to cultivate a workplace culture where each diverse employee supports one another's health efforts and promotes changes in awareness and behavior. By doing so, we seek to improve the Key Goal Indicator of work engagement and reduce losses due to presenteeism.

<Key Initiatives and Implementation Rates>

We have established a platform where employees set personal health goals, discuss them within their departments, and support each other in achieving these goals.
Additionally, as part of our efforts to prevent hypertension, we have implemented the "Office Lemon" initiative, which involves stocking "Pokka Lemon 100" in shared refrigerators at all sites. This initiative is managed by the Safety and Health Committees and advocates. At each site, the Safety and Health Committees identify specific issues and implement unique initiatives tailored to their needs, such as hypertension improvement campaigns, radio calisthenics, and group walking activities. Furthermore, we hold health management seminars twice a year for sustainability promotion leaders in each department. These leaders, selected for their significant influence within their departments, serve as partners in disseminating the concept of "health management that can be talked about" throughout their teams.

In addition, we are working to enhance workplace communication through various initiatives such as the President's Caravan, where the CEO personally visits and engages in direct dialogues with all sites, psychological safety training, and 1-on-1 communication measures.

• Rate of personal health management goal setting: 92% in 2024, 95% in 2023, 95% in 2022
• Rate of implementation of discussion platforms: 95% in FY2023, 100% in FY2022
• Rate of Office Lemon: 100% as of August 2024
• Rate of 1-on-1 meetings: 90% in 2023

Ensuring the Health Maintenance and Improvement of Each Individual

To enhance individual performance, which leads to job satisfaction and a sense of purpose, we are reviewing work styles in light of changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, we are implementing measures to improve the accuracy of both high-risk and population approaches, aiming for 'ensuring the health maintenance and improvement of each individual.'

<Key initiatives and participation rates>

Based on the Sapporo Group Strategy Map's concept of 'protecting one's life,' we are promoting thorough participation in health checkups for lifestyle-related diseases, encouraging gynecological checkups, and ensuring compliance with follow-up examinations for those requiring detailed tests for early disease detection.
Priority Initiative 1: Prevention of Serious Illnesses Despite being a longstanding focus, we have not seen a decrease in absences due to diseases potentially related to lifestyle habits. A closer look at specific categories reveals a significant number of employees with high vascular risk. Both the rate of specific health guidance implementation and the proportion of individuals requiring such guidance have stagnated somewhat since 2021. To strengthen our approach toward high-risk individuals, we are working to improve the implementation rate of specific health guidance and reduce the percentage of individuals requiring it. In 2024, we introduced a seminar for individuals eligible for specific health guidance based on internal case studies. Additionally, we launched the 'Pokka Sapporo Health Derby,' a program where participants compete to reduce visceral fat and gradually lose weight at a healthy pace, with 21 participants in FY2024.
Priority Initiative 2: Promoting the Use of Paid Leave From the perspective of ensuring work-life balance, although we have been able to control overall overtime hours despite workforce reductions and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been little progress in changing employees' attitudes toward taking paid leave, and the usage rate has remained low. Through efforts such as initiatives via the company-wide safety and health committee, promoting the practice of taking five days of paid leave per half-year, and encouraging the establishment of recommended paid leave days, the average number of paid leave days taken per employee increased by 2.5 days in 2023.
Priority Initiative 3: Reducing the Smoking Rate The decline in the smoking rate has stagnated around 20%, so as part of our 2024 initiatives, we are targeting all smokers by conducting a survey. Smokers who express a desire to quit or reduce smoking are receiving individualized support from the safety and health committees at each site.
Additionally, as part of our approach to all employees, we are actively participating in initiatives such as the Sapporo Group Lifestyle Improvement Campaign, the Sapporo Breweries Health Insurance Society’s Walking Campaign, and health e-learning programs.

• Participation rate in Lifestyle Improvement Campaign (Pokka Sapporo only): 921 people in 2023, 787 people in 2022
• Number of participants in Sapporo Breweries Health Insurance Society’s Walking Campaign (Pokka Sapporo only): 296 people in 2024 (spring only, as of August), 365 people in 2023 (spring and autumn), 399 people in 2022 (spring and autumn)
• Number of participants in Women's Health e-Learning Program: 483 people in 2023, 627 people in 2022
• Response rate to the survey for smokers
• Participation rate in Lifestyle Improvement Seminars (for individuals eligible for specific health guidance): 82% in 2024

<Performance indicators>

As the Key Goal Indicator, work engagement (deviation value) has improved by 0.7 compared to the previous year, while presenteeism loss has also shown year-on-year improvement. By continuing to cultivate a workplace culture that supports the health of each diverse individual, we aim to further enhance these figures.

<Progress on Key Priorities>

The participation rate in lifestyle-related disease screenings has increased by approximately 20% over the past five years, and the participation rate in gynecological screenings has also significantly improved, achieving the KPI target of 50%.
Individual health improvements are progressing, with the percentage of those eligible for specific health guidance improving by 5.8% from 2021 to 2023. However, the implementation rate of specific health guidance remains a challenge. To address this, we have begun efforts in 2024 to fully internalize health guidance services and other related initiatives.

Expanding POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage's 'Health Management That Can Be Talked About' Both Internally and Externally

Pokka Sapporo offers many products made from lemons, and is particularly focused on health awareness initiatives centered on lemons.

・Bone Health

As part of its original initiatives, Pokka Sapporo has been measuring bone density during employee health checkups in collaboration with the Osteoporosis Foundation since 2021.
In 2023, more than 700 employees, including those at group companies, have had their bone density measured, and the awareness rate of knowledge about "lemon and bone health" at sites where multiple measurements have been taken has increased from 55% (in 2021) to 65% in Tokyo and from 55% (in 2022) to 71% in Aichi. Furthermore, the number of employees who have adopted the program in their daily lives increased from 11% (in 2021) to 19% in Tokyo and from 18% (in 2022) to 25% in Aichi, indicating that ongoing efforts not only raise awareness of bone health but also lead to employees' behavioral changes.
Beyond the company, we also conduct bone density measurements and dietary education activities in collaboration with partner companies and local governments.

・Food Education Activities

As part of our efforts to convey the appeal of lemons as a food ingredient to a broad audience and inspire interest in food and health, POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage conducts nutrition education activities at elementary schools and provides lectures on lemons and health to our partner companies. Additionally, we have been holding an 'Online Lemon Cooking Class' to enable our employees to speak about the healthy uses of lemons in various situations. (Held three times since 2023)

Please refer to the following website for more information about food education activities.

・Lemon Certification Test

The in-house certification program 'Lemon Certification Test,' which has been conducted since 2013, was renamed the 'Healthy Lemon Certification Test' in 2021. The content was expanded to include not only knowledge about lemons but also information from the National Health and Nutrition Survey and the Dietary Balance Guide. The program aims to ensure that employees gain a comprehensive understanding of healthy eating habits and can discuss the health benefits of lemons.
Starting in 2023, we have also launched a Lemon Certification Test for the general public. Our goal is to help people enjoy delicious and healthy daily lives by utilizing lemons.

Learn with joy and become a Lemon Meister! The first 'Lemon Certification Test' is now scheduled. ― Deepen your knowledge of lemons for delicious, enjoyable, and healthy everyday living. | News Release | Company Information | POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage

・Research Findings

POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage, a leading company in lemon juice, aims to deliver the full value of whole lemons based on evidence from research activities. Recent achievements include reports on the following topics: in September 2023, 'The Effects of Lemon Juice Intake on the Secretion of the Love Hormone (Oxytocin) and Psychological State in Healthy Individuals,' and in July 2024, 'Effects of Regular Lemon Intake on Lifestyle-Related Disease Indicators in Adults.'

The Effects of Lemon Juice Intake on the Secretion of the Love Hormone (Oxytocin) and Psychological State in Healthy Individuals | News Release | Company Information | POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage

Effects of Regular Lemon Intake on Lifestyle-Related Disease Indicators in Adults: Report on Long-Term Intervention Study Results from Osakikamijima Town, Hiroshima Prefecture | News Release | Company Information | POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage

Details and Response Regarding Occupational Accidents

Initiatives in the Production Sites

The SCM headquarter leads efforts to achieve zero occupational accidents. We have implemented a system to immediately disseminate information about incidents to all breweries. Each workplace conducts risk assessments for disaster prevention and provides employee training and education to address similar risks.
As of August 2024, there has been one occupational accident (back pain, with leave of absence).

<2024 Goals and Results (As of July)>

• Strengthening Workplace Morning Assemblies (Conducted daily at all production sites): 100% implementation at all production sites; ongoing.
• Pre-Work KY (Kiken Yochi) (Conducted reliably): 100% implementation at all production sites; ongoing.
• Patrols Focused on Safety Behavior (By brewery management): Conducted at all breweries; ongoing.

Company-Wide Initiatives

Starting in 2024, as part of our age-friendly initiatives, we will conduct Locomo checks for all employees aged 65 and over.
Goal: To provide time for individuals to assess their own health status and consider measures for reducing health risks and prevention, and to establish a relationship where they can consult with occupational health nurses individually about health-related issues.

Sapporo Lion's Health Management Initiatives

Gold Prize in the Age-Friendly Category of the SAFE Award by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan

Sapporo Lion was awarded the Gold Prize in the Age Friendly category at the 2nd SAFE Award by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in recognition of its efforts to create an environment where older workers can continue working energetically for a long time.
Sapporo Lion is committed to ensuring that senior workers, who are important workforce with motivation, skills, and experience, can work with peace of mind amid the labor shortage in the food service industry. To this end, the company will continue to promote efforts to help both companies and workers understand the possibility of increased risk of workplace accidents due to the characteristics of older workers (e.g., reduced physical abilities, vision, and hearing) and to prepare their working environment accordingly.

Sapporo Lion is a company that provides customers with the 'Joy of Living.' To achieve this, it is essential that the employees who provide this service are in good physical and mental condition. To ensure early recognition of any mental or physical health issues among employees, the company encourages 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, Sapporo Lion has established the Corporate Culture Reform Subcommittee. 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.
The monthly company newsletter features a column entitled “Eisei” (“Voice of Health”) in which Sapporo Lion communicate messages from occupational health physicians to employees. Depending on the time of year, the column provides Sapporo Lion's restaurants with information on heat stroke, influenza, noroviruses, and other health-related topics from the perspective of occupational health physicians. Through such initiatives, the company is working hard to improve the knowledge of employees when it comes to preventing heat stroke at our beer gardens, and other issues.

Initiatives for Lifestyle-Related Disease Health Checkups

Early-stage lifestyle-related diseases often do not exhibit noticeable symptoms, which poses a risk of the disease progressing unnoticed. Therefore, we emphasize early detection and treatment, aiming to eliminate risk factors for diseases so that employees can work healthily for a long time. The Sapporo Group has also established a subsidy system, providing robust support to make it easier for employees to undergo health checkups. As a result, the participation rate has been increasing year by year, reaching 97% last year.

Prevention, early detection and response to stress-related diseases such as mental health problems

In the food and beverage industry, we have seen an increasing trend of mental health issues across all age groups following the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Sapporo Lion established the 'Work Style Reform Promotion Committee' in 2018, and has been working to improve the company's overall culture, enhance work engagement, and implement preventive measures against mental health issues. Additionally, since last year, we have introduced a health management system to improve our employees' health literacy. The app acquisition rate stands at 83.6%. Participation in health events through the app, which can be easily accessed, has increased about fivefold compared to the previous year. We regularly distribute health videos and send out a daily health quiz. At the same time, the app allows for managing sleep quality and diet, all in one place. Through the app, we are not only expanding communication opportunities among employees but also preventing mental health issues. In addition, industrial physicians and public health nurses always provide support and interviews with workers to clarify stress factors and give guidance for gradual improvement.
The response value of the stress check is also gradually decreasing. Sapporo Lion 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.

Return to work after a leave of absence, balancing work and treatment

Some employees with a mental injury, illness or disorder have the desire and capacity to work but have difficulty balancing work and medical treatment, including hospital visits. That often prevents them from continuing to work or going back to work.
Sapporo Lion aims to achieve a 100% return to work after a leave of absence by conducting thorough consultations with occupational physicians and occupational health nurses regarding the timing of return to work.
In addition, by sharing the necessity and significance of the company's and organization's efforts, we create a workplace culture that facilitates a balance between treatment and work.
The company also ensures that its occupational health nurses regularly follow up with employees after they return to work. In addition to illnesses, some employees also return to work after taking leave for childcare or caregiving. To provide employees with useful knowledge, we have incorporated the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's caregiving leave seminar at the end of our HR training. Furthermore, we have implemented e-learning on paternity leave and caregiving leave, with a completion rate of 95.6%.
We have created a platform (discussion meetings) for female employees who have taken maternity leave to share their experiences. By sharing various work styles, we have established a support system to help them balance work and childcare after returning to the workplace.

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.

Additionally, within our Regional Development Projects, we place strong emphasis on the safety and quality of ingredients and are working on initiatives to offer healthy menu options for our customers.

Creating an Age-Friendly Workplace - Health Measures for Senior Citizens

The Health Check for Seniors initiative was launched in FY2022, primarily for rehired employees 60 years of age and older. This year marks the second year of the program.
It is a reality that, compared to younger workers, senior employees have less muscle strength, agility, and other physical abilities, less vision and hearing, and a higher percentage of them have diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
The Health Check for Seniors is conducted in person or remotely at the Health Consultation Office every year in their birthday month, based on the opinion of occupational physicians.

★Health checkup items

1. Confirmation of health checkup results and disease treatment status
2. Hearing about self-perceived symptoms and work-related problems
3. Eye-opening one-leg stand test and 5-fold stand test (as physical fitness check and fall risk assessment)
4. On-site interview (opinions of other employees)

Sapporo Real Estate's Health Management Initiatives

Certification of Excellent Health Management Corporation 2024 (Small and Medium Sized Corporation Category (Bright 500))

In recognition of its proactive efforts in health management, SAPPORO REAL ESTATE was certified as an Excellent Health Management Corporation 2024, following the 2023 certification. The company will promote and continue various initiatives to improve the health of its employees.

Silver Certification as Excellent Healthy Company

In October 2022, SAPPORO REAL ESTATE received the Silver Certification as a company with excellent health management and has already been re-certified in FY2023. On an ongoing basis, each employee is raising awareness of their physical and mental health and working to maintain and promote good health.

In addition to the health improvement measures implemented by the Sapporo Group, SAPPORO REAL ESTATE promotes 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 employees.
The company has also introduced flextime, teleworking, and paid leave on an hourly basis; these measures are aimed at enabling each of employees to adopt flexible work styles that suit their lifestyles.
Every month, SAPPORO REAL ESTATE convenes 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.
The company also promotes 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.

Initiatives aimed to promote communication in the workplace

SAPPORO REAL ESTATE is working to improve psychological safety, employee engagement, and presenteeism to become a company that takes on the challenge of creating future value. Workplace communication is the basis for these initiatives. With the increase in remote work and online interactions, the company has identified the promotion of communication as one of the most important issues to be addressed.

In 2021, the company introduced the Thanks Points scheme. Employees give each other “Thanks Points” as an expression of gratitude and praise to increase mutual interest, communication within the company, and their motivation.
To create opportunities for communication, the company also administers employee profiles and an in-house blog and holds online exchange meetings and year-end parties between Ebisu office and Sapporo office.
SAPPORO REAL ESTATE will continue to promote communication by holding face-to-face president's caravan meetings to be a company that can mutually work for the benefit of its colleagues.

Sapporo Field Marketing's Health Management Initiatives

Certified as Excellent Health Management Corporation 2023 and 2024 for two consecutive years (Small and Medium Sized Corporation Category (Bright 500))

Sapporo Field Marketing was certified as an Excellent Health Management Corporation 2024 by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Japan Health Council, which select corporations that practice excellent health management. At the same time, the company also received the Bright 500 certification, which is given only to the top 500 corporations in the health management survey results among corporations certified in the small- and medium-sized corporations category. After the certification, the company will continue to strengthen activities to promote health in cooperation with other Sapporo Group companies.

Sapporo Field Marketing was featured in the 2024 Case Studies of Small and Medium-Sized Corporate Initiatives.

Case Studies of Small and Medium-Sized Corporate Initiatives (Japanese)

“Silver Certification” for Excellent Corporate Health

SAPPORO FIELD MARKETING received the “Silver Certificate” for Excellent Corporate Health in October 2022 and has been re-certified in FY2023. We are continuously working to raise the awareness of each and every employee regarding their physical and mental health, and to promote the maintenance of good health.

Active Support for Initiatives to Promote Employee Health

Sapporo Group Logistics' Health Management Initiatives

“Silver Certification” for Excellent Corporate Health

In April 2021, we started health management and in July 2022, we received the "Silver Certification" as an excellent healthy company. The certification was also granted in 2023 and again in 2024. The entire company is working together to actively promote health management.

Certified as Excellent Health Management Corporation 2024 (Small and Medium Sized Corporation Category (Bright 500))

Sapporo Group Logistics was certified as an Excellent Health Management Corporation 2024 by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Japan Health Council, which select corporations that practice excellent health management. At the same time, the company also received the Bright 500 certification, which is given only to the top 500 corporations in the health management survey results among corporations certified in the small- and medium-sized corporations category. After the certification, the company will continue to strengthen activities to promote health in cooperation with other Sapporo Group companies.

Sapporo Group Logistics Co., Ltd. aims to be a company where each employee can work lively and healthily, both physically and mentally, as stated in the Declaration of Health and Wellness Creation.
Regarding physical health, we have established health ambassadors to promote health initiatives, and under their leadership, we are raising awareness of lifestyle-related disease screenings and planning and executing various health-related events.
The participation rate in lifestyle-related disease screenings exceeds the group average, and interest in health is gradually increasing. We are also conducting activities to promote exercise habits, such as walking campaigns.
However, the rates of individuals with abnormalities in blood pressure and blood glucose levels remain high. We will continue our efforts with the goal of improving these figures through better health habits.
We recognize the challenges regarding mental health. In recent years, the logistics environment has undergone significant changes, particularly in response to issues like the '2024 Issue.' Companies categorized within the logistics sector, such as Sapporo Group Logistics Co., Ltd., are required to implement various operational improvements and transformations to 'maintain and establish a sustainable logistics system' in response to changes in the logistics environment.
Sapporo Group Logistics is focused on initiatives related to mental health, such as creating opportunities for communication among employees and fostering a culture of appreciation for one another. We aim to reduce the mental burden on each individual, enhance work engagement, and improve presenteeism.
Additionally, we are working to establish an environment that makes it easier for employees to take paid leave, which will contribute to their mental well-being.

Health Management Initiatives of SAPPORO LOGISTICS SYSTEMS

SAPPORO LOGISTICS SYSTEMS is the distribution unit of the Sapporo Group and consists of four offices that own their own trucks. Three of the offices met the standards of the following three evaluation criteria set by the All Japan Trucking Associations: 1. compliance with safety laws and regulations, 2. no accidents or violations, and 3. proactive safety initiatives. As such, these offices have been certified as an Excellent Safety Business Office (G-Mark)^*.
Specifically, these offices are implementing measures to prevent loads falling from vehicles, requiring blood pressure measurements before operations, and reviewing the process of loading products onto vehicles.

* Business offices that have been duly evaluated and certified for safety by the All Japan Trucking Association. The purpose is to make it easier for shippers and consumers to choose trucking companies with higher safety standards and to raise awareness of safety improvement.

YASMA’s Health Management Initiatives

Certified as Excellent Health Management Corporation 2024 (Small and Medium Sized Corporation Category)

YASMA has been certified as Excellent Health Management Corporation for eight consecutive years. The company will continue to actively implement initiatives to promote the health of its employees.

Silver Certification as Excellent Healthy Company

YASMA has made a Healthy Company Declaration to the Tokyo Branch of the National Health Insurance Association and has received the Silver Certification as a company with excellent health management for eight consecutive years since 2016.

Certification as Tokyo Sports Promotion Company and as Sports Yell Company (Silver)

As a company that is actively engaged in the promotion of sports to promote employee health, YASMA has been certified as a Tokyo Sports Promotion Company (for 9 consecutive years) since 2015 and as a Sports Yell Company (for 7 consecutive years) since 2017. The company will continue to implement activities to promote good health through radio calisthenics and walking events every morning.

Initiatives to maintain and promote employee health

• The medical checkup rate at YASMA is 100% every year. In addition, the company has industrial physicians diagnose the results of the medical checkups and recommend that all employees who require medical treatment or need close examination undergo a secondary examination.
• YASMA conducts radio calisthenics every morning at all offices. Radio calisthenics helps exercise the muscles and joints of the entire body in a well-balanced manner, which helps prevent stiff shoulders and lower back pain, and also reduces the lack of exercise. After exercising, employees feel refreshed and ready for work. In addition, the company promotes exercises that can be easily done during work hours, such as stretching exercises that can be quickly done in the office when standing or sitting at one's own seat.
• All employees set individual health goals each year, work toward achieving them for one year, and confirm their achievements. They have various goals that they can achieve individually, such as losing 3 kg, eating less between meals, or running 10 km per week.
• Walking competition is held as a health event at the head office. In the team competition, each team worked together to achieve a higher rank. It helps to promote employee health as well as to stimulate communication among employees.

Sapporo Group Logistics' White Logistics Initiatives

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

Product codes used to identify cartons at distribution sites have been made more visible by aligning the display position. The Group companies 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 Group network of distribution bases

To shorten the transportation distance from factories to delivery destinations, Sapporo Breweries established new distribution bases in the Tokai area and Kita Kanto area, and POKKA SAPPRO Food & Beverage proceeded with a new production consignment in the western Japan area. The Group will continue to review its network of distribution bases to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and to further reduce the burden on truck drivers.

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 regarding health via the company newsletter and other means
• Information on mental health, introduction of consulting organizations, and seminars are provided
• Mentor-ship Program was launched, focusing on maintaining mental health through a mentor-mentee pairing system

Sapporo Stone

• Safety committee meetings are held daily at each workplace.
• Set up a mental health awareness month to educate employees about mental health.
• Established a system in which all employees can receive mental health support through external resources.

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

POKKA

• All local employees undergo regular health check-ups once a year
• The Personnel Department shares information regarding health

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 SAPPRO Food & Beverage:
  Established and updated COVID-19 safety management measures in the workplace, informed employees and provided necessary support.
• North American businesses of Sapporo Group:
  Recommended remote work in both the U.S. and Canada based on each country's policy.
• Sapporo Stone:
  Conducted remote work when infected or when contact with an infected person is confirmed.
  Required prior antibody testing for participants in company-wide gatherings.
• Sapporo Vietnam:
  Since the last directive from the Prime Minister's Office on May 13, 2022 to ease inspections for those entering Vietnam, the Vietnamese government has now switched from a former system involving various requests and involvement by the government and localities in accordance with laws and regulations to voluntary approach-based responses. The government is no longer uniformly requiring basic infection control measures on a regular basis.
  In accordance with this government policy, necessary measures at production sites and offices (including non-plant sites) are left to the voluntary judgment of employees.

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:
  Hold the Health and Safety Committee once a month
• Sapporo Stone:
  Hold monthly safety committee meetings
• Sapporo Vietnam (Long An Brewery):
  Hold the Labor Health and Safety Meeting once a month
• POKKA SAPPRO Food & Beverage:
  • Hold the Safety Committee once a month,
  • Implement a Management Program as part of management's commitment to health and safety,
  • Conduct the firefighting and hazardous material spill containment training for employees on the emergency response team,
  • Conduct Evacuation drills twice a year

Environmental Sustainability

• Pokka:
  • Biannual implementation of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities
  • Employee volunteer activities include:
    • Cleaning up waterways
    • Donating essential living supplies
    • Supporting the maintenance of orchards

SAPPORO BREWERIES

The labor agreement between the Sapporo Breweries Labor Union and the company 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. For the wellbeing of employees, initiatives in health and safety, work style reforms, and health management are developed within the company through close exchange of opinions between the company and the labor union.
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.

Pokka Sapporo Labor-Management Relations

The POKKA SAPPORO Labor Union is a union workplace, and all regular employees are members, except for managers and non-union employees as defined in the collective agreement.

The collective labor agreement stipulates that "the company and the union shall mutually respect each other's fundamental rights based on the principles of fair understanding and good faith, and shall establish working conditions on an equal footing and make efforts to maintain and improve them, with the aim of contributing to the achievement of the social mission of the beverage and food business," and "the company and the union shall ensure that this agreement is observed and faithfully performed. The agreement specifies the purpose of the agreement and the obligation to comply with it, and clearly defines the right to collective bargaining and the prohibition of disadvantageous treatment.

In order to create a better working environment for labor and management, the company and labor union representatives hold monthly labor council meetings to exchange opinions on the operation of various systems, occupational health and safety, health management initiatives, and other issues. In addition to the monthly labor council meetings, management council meetings are held twice a year to provide an opportunity for management and labor union representatives to exchange opinions on management policies, management details, and other issues.

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 Breweries Labor Union became an independent organization as the labor union of Sapporo Lion; today, some 30 years after its foundation, the union has approximately 280 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 Breweries Labor Union, continues to be held every year on Culture Day, on November 3. Every year, the event attracts more than 100 participants, including company employees and their families, as well as company officers. Sapporo Lion also holds a variety of other welfare activities.
In addition, starting in 2023, the "Personnel and Wage System Review Committee" will be held regularly by labor and management to exchange opinions on how to create a comfortable workplace and stable living environment.

Sapporo Breweries' Initiatives to Reform Work Styles

In 2017, Sapporo Breweries launched Work Style Reform 2020 aimed at improving productivity, physical and mental health, and promoting a fulfilling lifestyle. As a four-year initiative until 2020, each employee prioritized their own tasks and made choices while incorporating the telecommuting system, hourly paid holiday system, super flextime system, and interworking interval system to expand work-style options and create more private time. In this manner, the company has implemented reforms that allow for more flexible and productive work styles. In 2021, to support personal growth and career development through new experiences, the company launched an external side job system, an internal side job system, and an internal internship system.

In 2022, to further promote the Work Style Reform in response to changes in the environment and diversification of work styles, the company started “Sapporo Workstyle” based on the concept of “face-to-face interaction.” Through this initiative, the company aims to implement autonomous work styles, work styles that achieve results through teamwork, and work styles that provide a high quality of work-life balance.

In 2024, Sapporo Breweries added ""living with spouse"" as a reason for eligibility for the system introduced in 2016, which allows employees to work in a limited residential block for a certain period for reasons such as ""childcare"" and ""nursing care."" In addition, the company further expanded work-style options by introducing a “work-anywhere system for regional employees” and a system that allows sales staff who frequently travel on business to choose working apar from their family or commuting from home.

Sapporo Breweries is also making efforts to create a comfortable working environment for women. The company has changed the name of menstrual leave to ""M leave"" so that it can be used flexibly, and has made it possible for employees to take leave when they feel ill due to premenstrual syndrome (PMS)."

Drinking alcohol has the power to bring people together. The company has a long history and culture with alcoholic beverages, and it is committed to a work style that emphasizes face-to-face interaction to connect people with each other and realizes a work style that allows people to demonstrate their abilities whether they come to the office or telework. By doing so, Sapporo Breweries aims to increase organizational and individual productivity and engagement.

Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage's Workplace Reforms

POKKA SAPPORO Food & Beverage aims to be a company where 'self-reliant and continuously challenging human assets find their work rewarding,' as stated in its HR policy. To achieve this, the company is actively engaged in work style reforms to enable employees to continue working through various life stages and pursue careers that suit them.
In 2018, we introduced systems such as flextime without core hours, teleworking, and work-interval systems to effectively utilize time and space, and have been working to create an environment where diverse employees can work comfortably.
In 2021, we launched a side job system and an in-house internship system to support personal growth and career development through new experiences, providing opportunities for employees to shape their own careers.
In 2023, we introduced the 'Area Card' for employees who have been with the company for five years, allowing them to fix their work location for a certain period, regardless of specific requirements. This initiative supports employees in achieving their desired work-life balance and provides them with an opportunity to design their future career plans.
We will continue to actively promote work style reforms, creating an environment where each employee can maximize their potential and work to improve productivity.

Sapporo Lion Workplace Reform Initiatives

Sapporo Breweries Efforts to Reduce + Manage Working Hours and to Promote Paid Leave Usage

Pokka Sapporo Efforts to Reduce + Manage Working Hours and to Promote Paid Leave Usage

Sapporo Lion Efforts to Reduce + Manage Working Hours and to Promote Paid Leave Usage

Sapporo Real Estate Efforts to Reduce + Manage Working Hours and to Promote Paid Leave Usage