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Employee Health

As part of the initiatives for employee health, Nissui recognizes the maintenance and promotion of health as a management issue and announced the Employee Health Declaration on February 23, 2017. Based on this declaration, various initiatives are carried out so that employees and their families can live healthy and energetic lives.

Employee Health Declaration

At the Nissui Group, we consider our employees to be our most valuable asset, and we want to see all employees be able to fully demonstrate their abilities. We also aim to improve the quality of life of our employees and their families by ensuring proper workplace conditions and by actively supporting both mental and physical health.
As a company that works with resources from the sea, we offer suggestions for healthy diets, try to maximize the use of functional components derived from seafood, and aim to contribute to the healthy lives of people everywhere, from our employees and their families to customers around the world.

In addition to following up with family members to alleviate anxiety and burdens in their health and personal lives to enable individuals to work with peace of mind, the Employee Health Declaration aims to create new value and enhance productivity by improving the workplace and systems environment so that diverse human capital of different genders, nationalities, and ages can work comfortably. In this way, a virtuous cycle can be generated in which the company can secure excellent human capital, and these excellent human capital can in turn help the company grow further. Nissui believes that the implementation of the Employee Health Declaration will shape the future of Nissui, and Nissui will place a high priority on investing in the initiatives associated with this declaration.
In implementing the declaration, Nissui will be focusing on the three approaches to individuals and the work environment below.

Three Approaches to Develop an Environment Where Employees Are Healthy and Can Maximize Their Potential Leading to Increased Productivity

<Promoting the health of individuals>

Major measures: Campaign to improve lifestyle habits, increase the ratio of EPA/AA, promoting no smoking and separation of smoking areas, mental health examination, etc.

<Supporting the balance between work and personal lives>

Major measures: Childcare and nursing care support, the employee benefits system, adoption of the cafeteria plan “N Café,” etc.

<Providing a comfortable and rewarding workplace>

Major measures: Eliminating long working hours, promoting the taking of leave, adoption of the teleworking system, etc.

system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Promotion Framework - The Employee Health Working Group

Monthly meetings are held with the Human Resources Department's Labor and Health Planning Section (secretariat), Health Management Center (industrial physicians and health nurses), the corporate health insurance society and each department. And by coordinating with the cooperate health insurance staff of each business location, we are engaged in initiatives to ensure the health and work-life balance of its employees and to create a workplace culture that is pleasant and offers a fulfilling place to work.

Employee Health Promotion Framework

system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Targets and Results

The targets and results specified in the mid-term business plan, “Good Foods Recipe1,” are as follows.

Values/Themes Indicators Scope Target by 2024
Mid-Term Business Plan
"Good Foods Recipe1"
(FY2022-FY2024)
Target by 2030
Long-Term Vision
"Good Foods 2030"
(-FY2030)
FY2022
KPIs KPIs Results
Value in
Human
Capital
Employee Health EPA/AA Ratio Nissui Corporation 0.6 0.31
Smoking Rate 15% - 21.4%
Obesity Rate Male: 30%
Female: 17%
- Male: 34.1%
Female: 20.4%
system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

External Recognition

In 2023, Nissui was one of the enterprises selected under the 2023 Health and Productivity Stock Selections Program. It is the fifth consecutive year being acknowledged after being chosen as the first company in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries to be selected for that in 2019. Under the Health & Productivity Stock Selection program, companies are chosen from among the companies, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange as a company focusing on employees’ health from a management perspective and strategically carrying out efforts toward employee health. Nissui has been highly evaluated for our employee health promotion focusing on the functions of marine products such as EPA or protein of fast-twitch skeletal muscles, expanding flexible work style systems such as hourly paid leave, and reducing the smoking rate through measures to stop smoking.

The Nissui press release (in Japanese)

Logomark 2023 Health and Productivity Stock Selections Program
system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Setting KPIs for Health Numbers

KPIs for promoting personal health include three points: "smoking rate," "obesity rate," and "percentage of EPA/AA." The health figures of employees, which are measured through periodic health checkups, all have an impact on daily performance due to their worsening, and the worst can lead to absenteeism, leave, or retirement. In particular, smoking rate and obesity rate were not favorable compared to the national average figures published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and according to the medical cost data of Nissui Health Insurance Society (medical cost per insured person, 2017), hypertension is higher than the association average among diseases related to lifestyle-related diseases. In order to improve these two KPIs, Nissui has positioned these two KPIs in particular as those on which Nissui should focus its efforts, and the Company will set targets that look ahead to the national average and take priority measures.

Measurement of the EPA/AA Ratio and Health Ranking

As a preventive measure against lifestyle-related diseases, Nissui takes advantage of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), which is the core product of the Fine Chemicals Business, one of Nissui’s main business. Regular physical examination starting fiscal 2016 contain an exam to test the EPA/AA ratio. So far, we have set 0.4 as the EPA/AA ratio target, which is the indicator suggested to be related to the onset of cardiovascular diseases, and have taken measures to achieve the target. In fiscal 2022, we have set 0.6 as a new target for fiscal 2024 of the company-wide EPA/AA ratio.
Since fiscal 2018, to encourage voluntary efforts among each of their employees to improve their diet, Nissui offers a health subsidy for those who reach an EPA/AA ratio of 1.0 or more. Each employee is notified of their measurement results, and data is tallied within the departments, which are then ranked in order and announced. Additionally, the “Fish Consumption Promotion Campaign” was launched to actively promote the health benefits of fish consumption among employees by encouraging them to take photos of the fish dishes they eat and share them during the campaign period, with the goal of encouraging employees to eat more fish and improve their health.

Measurement of the EPA/AA Ratio

Scope: Nissui Corporation

Health Ranking

Health Ranking

[Picture] Pictures from “Fish Consumption Promotion Campaign”

Pictures from “Fish Consumption Promotion Campaign”

system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Initiatives to Educate People About the Benefits of Quitting Smoking

To prevent health problem from smoking and passive smoking, Nissui is promoting initiatives to help smokers to stop smoking and to separate the smoking areas at the business locations.

Awareness Initiatives Targeting Smokers

We are carrying out a variety of initiatives to encourage smokers to quit. For example, we provide individual instructions by public health nurses at regular physical examination sites, measurements of carbon monoxide levels using “smokerlyzers,” and the distribution of nicotine gum samples. in addition to these, we support efforts to quit smoking by covering half of the treatment costs for employees who have successfully quit smoking through programs offered at hospitals. The President himself declared that he would quit smoking in January 2019 and nearly 30 employees followed suit by taking on the no-smoking challenge.

Promoting the Separation of Smoking and No-Smoking Spaces

In 2018, the smoking areas of the head offices and branches were shut down, and smoking was banned in all company cars. The other business locations are also promoting the closing and reduction of smoking areas.

Going Smoke-Free during Working Hours

Nissui has been reinforcing its no smoking measures through No Smoking Days and No Smoking Weeks, and in March 2023, it began the "Going Smoke-Free during Working Hours 365 Days of the Year" campaign.

Changes in Smoking Rate Over Time
[Graph] Smoking rate over time

Scope: Nissui Corporation

[Figure] Nissui's no smoking DAYS poster

“Going Smoke-Free during Working Hours 365 Days of the Year” campaign poster

system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Initiatives to Improve the Lifestyle Habits

Health Plus (+) Storage Campaign

Nissui has been conducting the “Health Plus (+) Storage Campaign” as an initiative to improve the lifestyle habits of its employees from fiscal 2018.
This campaign awards bonus points, which may be used in the employee benefits program, to employees who have achieved a given level in new positive (plus) activities in an effort to re-examine the daily lifestyle habits of each employee.
In fiscal 2022, the campaign was set to be a voluntary 60-day challenge from April to September; 361 people (decrease of 4 from the previous year) signed up for a total of 1,583, out of whom 277 people achieved the standards. Through this campaign, 83% of those who achieved the campaign answered that their awareness had changed, and the percentage of those who had no exercise habits showed an improving trend. These and other results are beginning to appear.

Healthy Boxed Lunches

Healthy boxed lunches were introduced at Nissui’s head office starting in December 2019. It was a measure to address one of the company’s health issues, a higher obesity rate than the national average, aiming to improve the diet and sodium intake of employees.
The healthy boxed lunches were given the “Smart Meal” seal program approval as a nutritionally balanced meal with healthy consideration given to quantity and sodium content. Due especially to the fact that the head office does not house a company cafeteria, the boxed lunches play a key role in employees’ consuming healthy meals that are ideally balanced in nutrition. A lunch seminar was also conducted for employees in particular need to consider dietary improvements for their health, where they received guidance regarding nutritional balance and dietary habits by occupational health nurses. Comments received in post-seminar questionnaires included “it made me more mindful of choices” and “tasty options, I think I can keep this up.”

【Picture】Healthy Boxed Lunches

Healthy Boxed Lunches

【Picture】Lunch Seminar

Lunch Seminar

system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Improving Health Literacy

To improve the health literacy of employees, Nissui holds health improvement seminars, conducts health awareness surveys and e-learning annually.

Health Improvement Seminar

In fiscal 2022, health improvement seminars were held four times in total. These seminars were live-streamed online, making it possible even for teleworkers to participate. These seminars have been archived and made available for viewing at any time. At a later date, Nissui's products related to the theme were distributed to the participants. Participants gave many positive comments such as "I was able to participate with interest on themes of interest" and "I would like to convey what I learned to my friends and family."

  Seminar date Title Description Number of participants
No.1 May 19, 2022 Fish Seminar The amazing power of fish! Latest research on EPA and fast-twitch muscle protein. 74
No.2 May 20, 2022 Body Improvement Contest: RIZAP Seminar Get the body you want! Muscle building training by RIZAP 89
No.3 September 28, 2022 Self-Care Seminar Effective ways to manage stress and promote mental health: Building smooth interpersonal relationships through communication 96
No.4 January 26, 2023 Gut Health Seminar Improve your health by taking care of your gut! - Discover the secrets to boosting your immune system! 63

Target: Nissui employees (including employee's family and dispatched employees)

system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

"Collabo-Health" with Nissui Health Insurance Society

Nissui is engaged in “Collabo-health (Note)” in collaboration with the Nissui Health Insurance Society (corporate health insurance society).

(Note) Collabo-health: An approach whereby health insurance societies and other insurers and employers actively collaborate to effectively and efficiently implement prevention and health promotion initiatives for enrollees (employees and their families) under clearly defined roles and a favorable work environment.

Health Checkups and Efforts to Prevent Serious Illness

In cooperation with the Nissui Health Insurance Society, Nissui conducts regular employee health checkups and checkups for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, with an annual checkup rate of 100%. In fiscal 2022, we introduced the “WellBis” health management support system, which allows health checkup results to be viewed on PCs and smartphones, thereby enhancing health management support functions. Nissui requires all employees with any abnormal findings in their checkup results to submit a “Report on Results of Checkup with Findings” and have them report on the results of follow-up checkups with their family doctor, etc. The content of these reports is then confirmed by occupational health staff. Reports on the results of medical checkups with abnormal findings are available in four languages to facilitate reporting by employees whose native language is not Japanese.
In addition, as an effort to prevent serious illness, Nissui has created in-house health guidance guidelines and provide individual interviews and health guidance based on expert knowledge by occupational physicians or occupational health staff for employees with high-risk health issues.

FY2020 FY2021 FY2022
Management rate of high-risk groups 90.7% 90.0% 90.8%

Specific Health Guidance Initiatives

From fiscal 2020, Nissui switched from the conventional outsourced approach to the specified health guidance to one that is conducted in-house, essentially by nurses from the health insurance society. This has changed the awareness among the target group, and the implementation rate has increased significantly, partly because more people are receiving guidance and partly because the scheduling of initial interviews and so on has become more flexible. Furthermore, by having a nurse who is familiar with the company's health initiatives provide guidance, more effective guidance may be offered through the incorporation of these initiatives into the health-related instructions they give.

Specific Health Guidance Implementation Rate (Nissui Health Insurance Society: Insured individuals and their dependents)
Entity FY2020 FY2021 FY2022
Nissui Corporation 58.6% 58.0% 65.5%
All enrolled entities (including those insured on a voluntary basis) (Note) 55.8% 55.5% 62.8%

(Note) Five entities, including Nissui Corporation, Nissui Marine Industries Co., Ltd., etc.

system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Infection Prevention Measures

Having many overseas bases, the Nissui Group is aware of the importance of responding to global health issues such as infectious diseases. In addition to conducting pre-assignment education on vaccinations, medical care, and health management for employees assigned to overseas bases, we make it possible for employees to receive medical examinations and checkups by overseas travel specialists both before and during their assignment in Japan every year; based on the results of these examinations, interviews with industrial physicians and health guidance are also conducted.
In Japan, Nissui also works together with the Nissui Health Insurance Society to provide mass influenza vaccinations and subsidize the entire cost. In addition, Nissui has incorporated rubella antibody tests into our regular health checkups to make it easier for individuals to receive them. For those individuals who were considered to have low levels of rubella antibodies, awareness and education was provided, and more than 40% of the recommended recipients received an antibody test during their regular checkups. 

system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Mental Health Support

Once a year, Nissui conducts a mental health examination for its employees and is also making efforts to enhance mental health so that employees can engage in their work with a healthy mind. Based on the results, Nissui has established a support system that allows its employees to consult anonymously 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And provide feedback on organizational analysis results to each department, and is working to improve the work environment, such as by setting up a forum for exchanging opinions to solve problems in its department.
In addition, to prevent the occurrence of harassment, Nissui conducts harassment workshops (group seminars, e-learning, etc.), and has established an in-house Harassment Consultation Desk and a Harassment Consultation Hotline (external contact) to handle any problems that may arise.

An interview with the health nurse

An Interview with the Health Nurse

Percentage of employees undergoing “Kokoro no Kenko Shindan” (stress check) and high-stress employees

An Interview with the Health Nurse

Scope: Nissui Corporation

system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Effectiveness and Verification of Each Initiative

In the course of implementing initiatives, Nissui are striving to improve on health challenges with a focus on three KPI categories (smoking rate, obesity rate, and EPA/AA ratio). Nissui provide opportunities for management to directly communicate their thoughts on health to employees, and for occupational health staff to actively disseminate information and encourage employees to engage in health-related efforts. Through various measures taken by the sections in charge, each employee's health-related awareness level has been steadily increasing. In terms of the degree of improvement in actual business performance as a result of each employee becoming healthier, Nissui quantify presenteeism, absenteeism, etc., to confirm progress.

  Measurement method FY2020 FY2021 FY2022
Absenteeism (Note1) Attendance records 1.9day/person (Note3) 3.0day/person (Note3) 2.5day/person (Note3)
Presenteeism (Note2) Questionnaires 68.7point (Note4) 66.5point (Note4) 64.0point (Note4)
Work engagement Questionnaires 66.8point (Note5) 65.2point (Note5) 65.4point (Note5)
Number of employees on leave due to injury or illness - 20 24 17

Scope: Nissui Corporation

(Note1) Absenteeism: Sick leave/Absence due to illness.
(Note2) Presenteeism: A condition in which a person comes to work while suffering from some disease or symptom, resulting in a decrease in work performance and productivity.
(Note3): Average of the number of days absent from work due to injury or illness, the number of days on leave, and the number of days utilizing the sick leave system for all employees.
(Note4): The intermediate value of undecided is set at 50, and the higher the value above 50, the healthier and more energetic the employee is; the lower the value, the more clearly unwell the employee is.
(Note5): The intermediate value of undecided is set at 50, and the higher the value above 50, the more satisfied the employee is with their job; the lower the value below 50, the less satisfied the employee is with their job.

Number of People and Response Rate Measuring Presenteeism and Work Engagement
  FY2020 FY2021 FY2022
Number of people measured 1,762 1,765 1,670
Response rate 90.0% 93.7% 94.4%
system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Handling of Health Information, etc.

As part of our efforts to promote various health initiatives, we have established the “Regulations for the Handling of Health Information, etc.,” which stipulates the purposes, parties responsible for handling personal health information and the authority and scope they have in handling such information, as well as training for managers on how to handle the information properly.

system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Adoption of Employee Benefits System/Cafeteria Plan

As part of measures for “Employee health,” Nissui has adopted “N Café,” an employee benefits system/cafeteria plan.
Nissui proactively supports the employee’s mental and physical health and is strengthening initiatives to promote health and prevent diseases, while helping employees strike a balance between work and childcare/nursing care.
Employees are awarded a certain number of points that can be used in employee benefits programs of their choosing through N Café. The programs focus on childcare, nursing care, and health and contain a wide range of services including personal development, asset formation and life support.

N Café character “Nanda

N Café character “Nanda”

Cafeteria Plan Usage and Benefits (FY2022)
Category / Menu Usage (cases) Total benefits (thousand yen)
Childcare, nursing care and health 7,538 49,838
Work-life balance and life support 2,034 27,542

Scope: Nissui Corporation

system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課

Initiatives in Fiscal 2023 (New and Expanded)

In fiscal 2023, Nissui is implementing new and expanded initiatives for the following items.
  • Prohibition of smoking during working hours 365 days of the year
  • Implementation of EPA/AA ratio improvement campaign (promotion of fish eating and intake of EPA products)
  • Implementation of the “WFP Walk the World” event
  • Introduction of the exercise habit support app Beatfit and implementation of exercise events utilizing its features
  • Expansion of counseling services for employees (such as consultation through social media and multilingual support)
  • Health Improvement Seminars (on topics such as sleep, eye health, and dental health, and a talk by an industrial physician)
  • Health education for new employees and individual interviews by the cooperate health insurance staff
system, 株式会社ニッスイ サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 株式会社ニッスイ コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 株式会社ニッスイ 人事部人事課