OBC has consistently and continuously promoted the health of our employees from its founding in 1980 through the present. In recent years, we have welcomed a new phase in this initiative in the form of “Health and Productivity Management.” President and Representative Director, Shigefumi Wada answered about OBC’s approach to health management and various related policies.

Nurturing mental and physical health together with our stakeholders

“For employees to work in good health over the long term, I believe that mental healthcare is important. The reason is that the mind decides our actions, and our actions turn into good habits that help cultivate a healthy mind and body.”

This was Representative Director Shigefumi Wada’s immediate response when asked about his thoughts on promoting employee health.

Mental health issues in the workplace are growing more serious in recent years. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is also promoting policies to address mental health. In June 2014, a partially amended version of the Industrial Safety and Health Act was passed including stipulations mandating stress checks for workers.

“To cultivate a healthy mind and body, of course individual employees must care for their health, but shouldn’t companies also proactively pursue health management initiatives?”

In August 2018, OBC released the “Declaration of Health and Productivity Management.” OBC’s concrete initiatives to promote this declaration have been well received, and it has been certified as a KENKO Investment for Health Outstanding Organizations by METI and the Nippon Kenko Kaigi four times.

“We have pursued health and productivity management since 2018, but the policies were mostly internal, and we felt it was sufficient if employees understood the initiative. 2018 was when we declared these policies as part of IR activities.
By creating awareness of our health and productivity management initiatives externally, we hope to share knowhow on workstyle reforms and health and productivity management with partner companies and client companies to pursue health and productivity management together.”

Towards an open, fair, comfortable working environments

OBC’s goal is “well-being workplaces” designed for mental and physical health so that individual employees feel motivated in their work. OBC is currently striving to build these working environments.

One significant policy milestone within these efforts was the opening of the OBC In-House Health Clinic in 2022.
The OBC In-House Health Clinic offers broad support for employee health including consultations on physical ailments, first aid for injuries, mental healthcare, and vaccinations. The OBC In-House Health Clinic offers consultations for both employees and their families on health concerns and questions.

“In our Declaration of Health and Productivity Management, we have intentionally included the language ‘together with all of our employees and their family members.’ The Company is made up of employees, and the family members supporting those employees are also part of ‘Team OBC.’ There are also more women now flourishing within the Company, and our goal is to create working environments that are also open, fair, and comfortable for the family members of employees.”

“Team OBC” is one value that OBC has always held dear. He believes that the high level of team awareness and mutual respect that allows individual employees to exercise high-level performance as professionals is what has allowed the Company to grow to this extent.

“Employees cooperate and help each other as partners in our business. We have various policies in place to help employees understand their individual strengths and weaknesses as members of ‘Team OBC’ and to help them reduce stress.

One specific example is our initiative using the CliftonStrengths Test to clarify skills in which our individual employees excel. Through this process, we hope to deepen individual and mutual understanding and foster mental healthcare.

What is the reason for continuing the radio exercise and group affirmations?

“I see the Company as one big family. Just like parents wish for their children to be happy, I also hope for our employees to work for many years in good health. This approach has remained the same since our foundation.”

Since its foundation in 1980, OBC has continuously maintained two policies to promote good health. The first is the radio exercise routine.

“This policy began at the time of its founding when an acquaintance of mine told me that if we did a radio exercise routine every day, our future would change. From the time when we only had one row of employees until today 40 years later, mornings at OBC begin with our radio exercise routine.”

Another health policy at OBC is group affirmations practiced at morning assembly. He believes that this initiative helps to maintain employees’ mental health.

“Although it seems like I say the same things all the time, to maintain good mental health while working, we must have good relationships among our team members. The goal of these group affirmations in which everyone recites the same message, such as words of thanks, is to set a cooperative tone for the day’s work.”

The importance of maintaining routines as experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic

Although he asks employees to care for their own health, what kind of health management does Wada practice? “Everyone tends to overexert themselves when they are young. I was no different and often overextended myself in work when I was young,” Wada reflected.

“When we first started the Company, every day was busy, and overtime and working overnight were the norm. When I got stressed, I would smoke cigarettes, burying myself in the management of the Company with my health as a second priority.
As I grew older, I stopped being able to overexert myself and started to understand the importance of health. Since the Company was publicly listed in 2004, I have paid more attention to my diet and sleep and have worked to quit smoking.”

Maybe because of those efforts, he was never once called for retesting during annual health checkups, despite overexerting himself when he was young. Despite this, President Wada faced a crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To ensure the safety of our employees, we switched over to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, due to this transition, our daily radio exercise routines were suspended. Most likely because I lost this regular exercise routine, while playing golf with my family, I felt pain and numbness in my leg during my swing. I was rushed to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with spinal canal stenosis. This experience helped me again to understand how important routines are in maintaining good health.”

After being diagnosed with spinal canal stenosis, the doctor recommended that surgery be performed the following week, but since there was no motor paralysis, I chose self-treatment instead. He added walking and stretching to his daily routine, which improved his condition to the point of having no issues even without surgery.

“As I began to commute to the office more regularly, I resumed radio exercise routine and continued with my walking and stretching. My walking goal should be 10,000 steps per day. These days, I have small blocks of time before and after work and during my breaks to walk and made more time to walk by leaving early for appointments with my business partners.
Looking at my schedule for the day to find time to walk is now something to which I look forward.”

His goal is to do ten minutes of stretching after waking up. Doctors say that stretching a body after it has grown stiff during sleep promotes good blood flow and improves symptoms of spinal canal stenosis.

“By creating exercise habits, our bodies both become stronger and easier to move. Our employees may be participating in our radio exercise routine now because it is part of the Company rules, but when they reach a certain age, I hope that they will understand the importance of this routine. In that sense, I think of our daily morning radio exercise routine as a gift to our employees.”

The Company can grow only when the employees are in good health.

Five years have passed since OBC announced its Declaration of Health and Productivity Management. How has health awareness within the Company changed?

“I feel that the awareness of health-focused workstyles has taken root as part of OBC’s culture.
Looking at both the rate of employees receiving health checkups and stress checks, we can see that our employees have a high level of health awareness. Health awareness throughout the world has also changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. To create a higher level of health awareness among both young and veteran employees, going forward I would like to share helpful information on health management through a blog.”

The Company is not only a place to work. He believes that the Company should also support employees’ lives and encourage their growth, and that the growth of employees will lead to success for the Company.

“Happily greeting others, smiling, and treating our team members with friendliness and warmth—this is where the health of the Company appears. OBC will continue to provide support for the foundation that allows all our employees to work energetically, namely their mental and physical health.”

【Interview Date: January 16, 2024】