Based on the MCG Group’s Basic Policy on Health and Productivity, the MTPC^* Group has defined the following health policy, which it is working to implement.

MTPC Group Health Policy

1. We will strive to maintain our own health so that we can contribute to the health of people around the world.
2. We will leverage our own capabilities and advance the establishment of an environment in which we can work.

Social recognition

In fiscal 2023, as the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group we were certified by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s “Outstanding Enterprise in Health and Productivity Management – White 500” (large enterprise category). Although this was the eighth consecutive year we had been certified since fiscal 2017, it was the first such certification for the MCG Group. Companies are evaluated on “Management Philosophy and Policies,” “Organizational Frameworks,” “Implementation of Systems and Measures,” and “Evaluation and Improvement.” The Group exceeded the industry average for all evaluation items, particularly in the “Management Philosophy and Policies” field.

MCG Group health and productivity management is defined as an initiative that maximizes the vitality of people and organizations, improving the well-being of each employee who is tasked with the purpose by supporting them from a health-based perspective. This system is being developed based on the MCG Group Basic Policy on Health and Productivity. Activities are focused on three pillars: a healthy lifestyle, mental health, and a comfortable working environment, and are intended to improve presenteeism and absenteeism^* and engagement with work.

• *Presenteeism is a term for the state in which a person is working with reduced productivity due to health problems they face, while absenteeism refers to the state of being absent from work.

The MCG Group has been designated as a “Sports Yell Company 2024” (Japan Sports Agency), which recognizes companies that support and promote the sporting activities of their employees.

Every year, in cooperation with the health insurance association, we have held a walking campaign and health-related events that utilize wearable devices, in an effort to encourage people to exercise. Additionally, from fiscal 2020 onwards, we have continued with multifaceted efforts to address physical issues stemming from reduced physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraging people to exercise voluntarily through measures such as distributing stretching videos made by in-house massage therapists and offering exercise seminars from sports club trainers in a hybrid online/in-person format. We are also undertaking a range of initiatives that take other angles to this issue, such as offering discounts that families can use at sports gyms.

We were selected under the Action Plan for the Promotion of Cancer Control, a project commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, for recognition and commendation as a “Cancer Control Promotion Excellent Company” for the fourth consecutive year in recognition of our cancer prevention efforts on behalf of our employees.

We are improving measures to combat cancer for our employees, such as subsidizing fees for comprehensive medical checkups through the health assurance association, encouraging employees to undergo cancer screening by switching to regular health checkups, introducing systems to support a balance between work and medical treatment, and holding in-house cancer support groups. From fiscal 2021, we introduced cancer preventative e-learning for all employees, with a participation rate of 92.7% in fiscal 2021, and 96.2% in fiscal 2022. In fiscal 2023, we conducted e-learning sessions on the cervical cancer vaccine, with a 96.6% participation rate.

To maintain the mental and physical health of our employees and live a fulfilling life with a good work-life balance, the Company views the prevention of excessively long work hours and the taking of sufficient paid time off as important issues for the realization of health and productivity management.

The health of employees is an important asset for the Company, and even in an era of changing workstyles, we believe that having each employee live a healthy life full of vitality every day helps bring about new ideas, higher motivation, and greater engagement. Therefore, based on the progress of the TM Campaign^* in fiscal 2023, we will implement it throughout the domestic Group in fiscal 2024, focusing on ensuring that people take paid leave and maintaining an appropriate number of total working hours.

Fiscal 2023 TM Campaign results

That target of 70% or more employees taking paid leave was achieved, with 77.9% of people taking leave. The number of employees working long hours (overtime in excess of 360 hours per year), including managers and supervisors, was up 15.1% year-on-year, failing to meet our fiscal 2023 target of a year-on-year reduction, with total annual working hours increasing by 2.9%. A change in working systems in some organizations had a significant effect, and so while actual working hours did not increase significantly, we will continue with our efforts towards reduction.

We are prioritizing measures to counter high blood pressure and support people in their efforts to stop smoking as part of our endeavors to prevent lifestyle-related illnesses. As a measure against high blood pressure, we have run a risk-group specific blood pressure management program since fiscal 2017. This program is intended to encourage improvements to lifestyles, first stratifying the risk of developing brain or cardiovascular disorders over the next ten years based on medical histories and medical examinations, and then dividing sectors targeted for support into three categories (high-, medium-, and low-risk), and checking control status based on blood pressure. Participants are surveyed to assess their current treatment status, interviews with industrial physicians conducted as needed, and lifestyle improvement seminars held to manage blood pressure. In fiscal 2023, 75.3% of people at high risk attended seminars, with 24.4% of medium-risk people attending (voluntarily), and thus these seminars provided an opportunity to acquire knowledge on preventing high blood pressure. In terms of improvement in program participants for fiscal 2022, the ratio of people at high risk decreased from 4.1% to 3.8%, while medium-risk numbers dropped from 24.1% to 23.8%.

Starting in fiscal 2017, we have promoted a three-year program to help people stop smoking, and our working rules state clearly that smoking is prohibited on company premises at all times. From fiscal 2020, the Company, health insurance association, and labor union have worked as one to create a framework to encourage people to stop smoking and are aiming to reduce the smoking rate, with top management (the representative director and the chairman of the labor union) offering messages every year on May 31st (World No-Tobacco Day), to encourage people to stop smoking, with the goal of creating a smoke-free culture. In fiscal 2023, the Company and the health insurance association worked together in a collaborative health initiative, conducting a survey to identify smokers who are considering giving up smoking, holding a “One Team Campaign” to encourage people to take up the challenge of quitting with the assistance of their supporters. Moreover, each business site also holds its own events to help people stop smoking, offering caring, nuanced support that only a local site can provide. From fiscal 2023, we have conducted a survey on the ratio of smokers for the entire MCG Group, with the smoking ratio for the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group standing at 9.7%. Looking to the future, we will aim to achieve a smoking rate of 5%, and will leverage the strengths of each organization as we work together to help people give up smoking.

The Group has conducted stress checks once a year since 2010. The percentage of employees undergoing stress checks increases every year, reaching 99% in fiscal 2023. In stress checks, organizational analyses are conducted to improve work environments, and the issues identified are provided as feedback to human resources managers at each department and affiliate in Japan in the form of reference materials for improvement.
Moreover, as a result of these stress checks, we have introduced a program that addresses stress in terms of relieving pain for those people designated as having high levels of stress who suffer from sore shoulders, back pain, or headaches. Program participants have been able to alleviate their pain and improve stress levels.

We are implementing e-learning-based training for all MCG Group employees to promote self-care. Themed around the idea of seeking advice early rather than struggling on one’s own, participants learned how to seek advance and the benefits to be gained by consulting others. This training had a high participation rate of 97.3% in the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group. Moreover, e-learning training focusing on key points of listening to one’s subordinates and connecting them with specialists was provided to management staff at Mitsubishi Chemical and the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group as Line Care,^* with a participation rate of 97.6% at the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group.

Additionally, we have created and distributed a mental health guidebook that covers our internal operations, detailing how to respond when someone in the workplace suffers from mental health issues. We also distribute an “Absence from Work Guide” to employees taking a leave of absence due to mental difficulties, which explains the procedures necessary to take a leave of absence, how time should be spent during such an absence from work, and preparations for returning to the workplace, providing support for a trouble-free return.

Source: BackTech Inc.

Because many sales personnel at the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group visit medical facilities frequently, we are working to improve measures to counter infectious diseases. In fiscal 2023, our focus was on three core activities: (1) promotion of additional measures against rubella, (2) promotion of vaccination against influenza, and (3) enhanced literacy with regard to infectious diseases.

Going forward we will continue to work from a range of different perspectives to promote awareness of infectious diseases, which will help to create an environment in which employees can work with peace of mind.

The Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group conducted an awareness survey of all employees on women’s health in fiscal 2021. The results of this survey showed that the Group has a lack of understanding of the effect that women’s health issues have on work productivity, and of the fact that symptoms and illnesses associated with pregnancy and giving birth are factors in women giving up their careers, taking leaves of absence, and retiring. Based on these conclusions, in fiscal 2022, we held online seminars for all employees on themes such as women’s health issues and menopausal syndrome, which proved to be opportunities to deepen understanding of women’s health, and in fiscal 2023, the entire MCG Group began initiatives related to these issues. We conducted a survey of all employees (LunaLuna Office^* Check) in fiscal 2023, which found presenteeism and absenteeism were occurring, brought on by menstrual difficulties and menopausal symptoms suffered by female employees of the Group. In addition to addressing these issues, we hold online seminars and provide information on a range of women’s health issues, including gynecological cancers and pregnancy and infertility treatments. In October 2023, Pink Ribbon Month (Breast Cancer Awareness Month,) we invited Dr. Toshimi Takano, a breast oncologist from The Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR, to give a lecture at the first online breast cancer seminar held by the MCG Group, which was attended by many employees.

The MCG Group promotes two main initiatives as occupational accident countermeasures focusing on human factors: Mitsubishi Chemical Group Exercises intended to maintain and improve physical capabilities and prevent falls, and safety fitness tests that allow people to understand their risk of falling.
Preventing work-related falls and accidents is now a worldwide concern, with businesses being asked to actively work to ensure safety and create age-friendly workplaces where older employees can continue to play an active and vital role as they age.

In November 2023, the MCG Group conducted e-learning for all employees worldwide to deepen their understanding of measures to prevent work-related falls and accidents.
And 95.8% of employees at the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group participated, making this an opportunity to learn for many employees.
Going forward, the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Group will evaluate and promote effective management and development methods suited to working conditions at a variety of sites, including manufacturing, research, and office sites, basing these evaluations on diversifying work styles and the level of risk for falls.

The Group is promoting collaborative health efforts with the health insurance association, and the two are working together on initiatives intended to encourage participation in a variety of healthcare programs, including a three-pronged approach to quitting smoking, and improving participation in cancer screening and special health instruction.