Human Capital

Initiatives to Increase the Health of Employees

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Konica Minolta's Approach

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Promoting Sound Management through the Fostering of a Culture Committed to “Health-First”

Striving to create workplaces where employees can work with enthusiasm

Konica Minolta has issued a statement on health, the Konica Minolta Group Health Declaration, which sets out the principles for promoting health management. Based on this declaration, it plans and implements policies under a single management structure (collaborative health) so that the best use can be made of Company resources and its Health Insurance Association. The Company is enthusiastically implementing health-promotion measures while practicing swift decision-making on important issues in cooperation with the health promotion group leader in the Human Resources Department, the executive director of the Health Insurance Association, and other management personnel, with the Corporate Human Resources General Manager acting as managing director of the Health Insurance Association.

• Konica Minolta Group Health Declaration (PDF) (311KB)

Organizational (Collaborative Health) Structure for Promoting Health Management

In order to achieve the principles of the Health Declaration, Konica Minolta linked it to the Company’s medium-term management plan and established the Health Challenge 2019, a new medium-term plan that started in fiscal 2017 and which carries on from the three-year medium-term health plan, Health KM2016, which ran from fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2017. The new plan's priority is lifestyle modification (fostering a "health movement") by minimizing the number of persons with health risks and visualizing their health status.
From fiscal 2020, in its new medium-term plan, the Company decided to become the “Happiness Company 2022,” and expanded the scope of its initiatives from risk management to improving productivity and dynamism and from individuals to the organization in the belief that this will lead to the Company’s sustainable growth.

Comparison of the positioning of the previous medium-term plan (fiscal 2017 to fiscal 2019) and the new medium-term plan (fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2022)

Framework for new Medium-Term Plan for Health

After fiscal 2020, based on the innovative approach of health investment management accounting, Konica Minolta created a strategy map that systematically organizes how the measures implemented to enhance health (health investment) have affected improvements to employees’ health and productivity, and how they led to resolutions to management issues. Konica Minolta is addressing health management while linking it to corporate strategies.

• Strategy Map for Health Investment Management Accounting(290KB)

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Minimizing the Number of Persons with Health Risks

Konica Minolta is committed to improving the health of its employees in order to strengthen its talent pool, which is vital to achieving its management strategy. The Group companies in Japan and the Health Insurance Association work together to plan and implement various measures. They categorize those with health risks according to physical and mental health risks and set numerical targets with the aim of reducing the number of people in each category through employee-centered measures.
For physical health management, Konica Minolta is focusing on preventing the development of serious illness for all Group employees in Japan. In particular, as Konica Minolta bolstered efforts by occupational health staff to respond employees with the highest health risks (health guidance and checkup recommendations), the number of such employees in fiscal 2021 was down by more than 90% compared to fiscal 2013. Accordingly, hospitalization costs by employee increased only 19% for Konica Minolta while the average in Japan increased 35%. In fiscal 2022, the Company will further strengthen its efforts, for instance by having occupational health staff provide health guidance throughout the year, in order to further reduce the number of employees who suffer from disease.

Employees with the Highest Health Risks
(Indexed with FY2013 as 100)

Status of Response to Employees with the Highest Health Risks

	FY 2019	FY 2020	FY 2021
Rate of response by occupational health staff	100%	100%	100%
Rate of checkups at medical facilities	100%	92%	95%

Trends in Hospitalization Expenses per Employee
(Indexed with FY2013 as 100)

In fiscal 2021, despite the continuing spread of COVID-19 since 2020 and the difficulty it has caused because people do not want to get medical examinations, the regular health checkup attendance rate was maintained at 100%. The secondary checkup participation rate after health checkups for the employees with the highest health risks was 95%. In fiscal 2022, occupational health staff have redoubled their efforts to encourage health checkups in coordination with workplace managers as necessary, and are working to improve the hospital checkup rate.
The status of health-related indicators (percentage of employees maintaining appropriate weight, percentage of employees at risk for high blood pressure or hyperglycemia) and the rate of cancer screening aimed at early detection and prompt treatment of cancer are given below.

Status of Health-Related Indicators for Past Two Years

Health-related indicators	FY 2019	FY 2020	FY 2021
Percentage of employees maintaining appropriate weight (BMI of less than 18-25)	70.7%	67.2%	69.1%
Percentage of employees at risk for high blood pressure	0.3%	0.4%	0.3%
Percentage of employees with hyperglycemia risk	0.2%	0.1%	0.1%
Percentage with poor diabetes management	0.6%	0.4%	0.3%

Note: Percentage of all employees of Konica Minolta, Inc.

Cancer Screening Uptake Rate in the Past Two Years

Area examined	FY 2019	FY 2020	FY 2021
Lungs	99.1%	99.3%	99.0%
Stomach	95.8%	87.9%	90.5％
Large intestine	94.1%	94.4%	94.9％
Prostate	97.6%	99.0%	99.1％
Breasts	66.0%	60.5%	67.8％
Uterine cervix	40.9%	36.4%	43.8％

Note: Figures are for all employees of the Konica Minolta Group in Japan

Konica Minolta works with the Health Insurance Association to conduct specified health checkups, and health recommendations are provided based on the results, for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. Conventionally, specific health guidance was given by public health nurses commissioned by the Health Insurance Association. From fiscal 2018, however, some of this work is being commissioned to external specialist providers. Konica Minolta’s public health nurses focused on health guidance for employees with a higher health risk. Employees subject to specific health guidance due to being at the pre-lifestyle-related disease stage were given finely tuned assistance drawing on the expertise of the specialist providers. As a result, in fiscal 2021 (data compiled as of August 2022), the initial interview rate and interview completion rate both improved substantially compared to fiscal 2016.

The Initial Interview Rate and Interview Completion Rate in Specific Health Guidance

As part of mental health management, stress checks are conducted twice a year for all employees of the Konica Minolta Group in Japan, and more than 90% of employees participate every time (in fiscal 2021, 92% received stress checks). While allowing employees to utilize their results for self-care, Konica Minolta also classifies workplaces into four levels of stress based on the results of the stress checks and shares this status with organizational heads. Improvement measures are then devised and implemented for workplaces at Level 4, the highest level of stress. As a result, the number of Level 4 workplaces was only four in fiscal 2021, down 50% from eight workplaces in the previous year, and the percentage of high-stress employees was 8.4%, down 1.3% from the previous year. In conjunction with this, all Group managers participated regularly in an e-learning program to promote early detection and prompt response for those suffering from mental health issues through a reinforcement of managers’ employee oversight function. The participation rate was maintained at around 95%. Survey results showed that 90% of the participants responded that e-learning was beneficial. Konica Minolta plans to expand from a defensive approach to mental health education, focused on reinforcing managers’ oversight, to an offensive approach aimed at improving the workplace culture. Moreover, beginning in fiscal 2020, an organization health survey, whose scores have a strong correlation with productivity, was carried out, and the results of analyzing this survey were utilized in workplace improvement activities.

Konica Minolta has also established a reinstatement preparation program for employees returning to work from leaves of absence taken due to mental health problems. People in the program are provided with careful support to facilitate a smooth return to work, including at least three interviews with an industrial physician, workplace head, and the HR department during the rehabilitation period, which lasts up to three months.
As a result of these measures, in fiscal 2021, the total number of leave-of-absence days taken due to mental health problems by Konica Minolta Group employees in Japan was down 4.3% compared to fiscal 2020, despite a 10% increase compared to fiscal 2019. In 2021, the Company is working to further reduce total number of leave-of-absence days taken due to mental health problems through self-care education (e-Learning) and detailed operation of the return-to-work preparation work system, based on a work environment of increased remote work due to the pandemic.

In the Global Employee Survey (GES) that the Konica Minolta Group routinely conducts, in fiscal 2022, the average score for the statement “My work is meaningful to me and contributes to customers” was 6.3 out of 10 points (6.2 in previous fiscal year), while the average score for the statement on “engagement” was 5.4 points, the same as the previous year, showing that many employees feel engaged with the Company. We will continue to encourage our employees to bring about change for growth and further increase their engagement.

Days of Leave and Percentage of People Taking Leaves of Absence Due to Mental health Problems (as of April 1 of each year)

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Measures to Address Overwork

Since fiscal 2007, in order to prevent health problems due to overwork, Konica Minolta has been sending guidance on reducing overtime via email to employees and their supervisors when the employees’ overtime work has exceeded 30 hours or more hours.
When employees have logged more than 80 hours of overtime work in a month, they are required to have a medical checkup administered by an industrial physician during the following month to ensure their health. Their supervisor is required to submit a work improvement plan in a thoroughgoing effort to prevent employees from working long hours two months in a row.
Furthermore, as of fiscal 2016 the health checkup standards have been revised. Now, employees who have logged 60 or more hours of monthly overtime work three months in a row and employees who have logged 45 or more hours of overtime work in the previous month can opt to have a medical checkup by an industrial physician. In this way, Konica Minolta is improving the prevention of health problems caused by overwork. As a result of these countermeasures, total annual hours worked per employee have been maintained at the 1,700 hour level each year, curbing employee overwork and creating a healthy and comfortable workplace that allows for good work-life balance. In fiscal 2022, the Company aims to further reduce the number of employees working long hours, while revising the medical checkup appointment system to facilitate medical checkups for those who work long hours.

Employees’ work conditions, such as the average number of years of continuous employment, total actual working hours and percentage of employees taking paid vacations, are shown below.

Employees’ Work Conditions

	FY 2019	FY 2020	FY 2021
Average number of years of continuous employment	21.1 years	20.9 years	21.5 years
Total actual working hours (monthly average) *1	157 hours	161 hours	169 hours
Overtime working hours (monthly average)*1	13 hours	20 hours	26 hours
Percentage of paid leave taken	75.0%	51.7%	56.4%
Voluntary employee turnover rate	3.1%	2.7%	3.1%

*1. In the case of discretionary workers, excess hours for actual working hours rather than deemed working hours were calculated.
Note: Figures are for employees of Konica Minolta, Inc.

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Promoting Health through Visualization of the Level of Employees’ Health

Konica Minolta has established indicators that show the level of employees' health visualizing the daily lifestyle increases in health awareness. The Group companies in Japan also implemented assistance programs aimed at promoting health to raise the level of employees' health.
In Japan, the Group holds walking events in which teams compete against each other in order to instill exercise and walking habits among employees, as well as exercise workshops with outside instructors. It also offers healthy menu choices in cafeterias to improve eating habits and raise awareness. Because raising immunity is also an effective measure against COVID-19, we collaborated with Green House Co., Ltd. and Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. to hold events for improving intestinal health and online seminars for maintaining a healthy gut by utilizing Company cafeterias.

Event for improving intestinal health in collaboration with other companies

More than half of our employees participate in events that encourage walking, which are held throughout the year with the aim of making walking an established habit, and the participation rate was 51.3% in fiscal 2021.
The implementation of a wide range of health promoting events has led to a yearly increase in the “percentage of employees already working to improve lifestyle habits (or who want to begin working on this in the future).” In addition to improvements in health literacy, there have been many improvements in lifestyle habits such as exercise, sleep, diet and smoking, which are the basics of health.

Percentage of Employees Who Want to Improve Their Lifestyles

Note: Figures are for employees of Konica Minolta, Inc.

Lifestyle Habits of Employees

Note: Figures are for employees of Konica Minolta, Inc.

*1. Percentage of employees who have a habit of “exercising for 30 minutes or more two or more times per week” or “walking for one hour or more every day” (the higher the better)
*2. Percentage of employees who feel they are not getting enough sleep
*3. The percentage of employees for which three or more of the following apply (the lower the better): “I do not consider nutritional balance,” “I eat fast,” “I eat dinner two hours before I go to sleep,” “I snack,” and “I skip breakfast.”

On a website designed to encourage employees to stay healthy, Konica Minolta shows employees a comparison of the average incidence of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and ischemic heart disease within 10 years for their specific age group based on their latest medical examination results. In this way, the Company encourages employees to improve their lifestyle habits. This system can also be accessed and utilized by employee spouses who are health insurance dependents.

Example presentation of future disease risk on the website

Moreover, as a measure against passive smoking, in the past, Konica Minolta has gradually cut back on indoor smoking areas, moved indoor smoking areas outside and held no-smoking days on the premises. In addition, the company recommends that smokers participate in smoking cessation support programs. In light of the strengthening of legislation related to smoking, Konica Minolta prohibited all smoking on its premises and during designated work hours across all group companies in Japan, in April 2020, in order to strengthen measures against second-hand smoke and further reduce the smoking rate.
These measures have been successful, and the smoking rate has been decreasing year by year.

Reduction in the Number of Smoking Areas and the Smoking Rate

Note: Results for Konica Minolta Group companies in Japan

Based on an analysis of survey results to determine the main causes behind presenteeism^*1, we have taken measures to address back problems, promote individual guidance from experts for people with sleep problems, and measures to promote mental health. However, as we could not completely eliminate factors that reduce physical activity and communication due to changes in workstyles, the amount of presenteeism loss per employee^*2 (monthly average) was 71,824 yen in fiscal 2021, an increase of about 7% year on year.
Therefore, an ICT-based improvement program (investment: 9,975,000 yen), which is recommended by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, was conducted for three months intensively on a trial basis. As a result, we confirmed that the program could alleviate symptoms, improve exercise habits, and reduce mental risk, which is equivalent to a profit contribution of 17.5 million yen in terms of monetary value. Therefore, we expect the program to improve (reduce) the amount of presenteeism loss in the next fiscal year as we continue to implement it.

Loss due to Presenteeism per Employee
(yen / person)

*1

Presenteeism refers to productivity loss resulting from health problems.

*2

Method of calculating presenteeism loss (per employee)
Loss = 3,300 yen x 8 hours x number of days with symptoms x performance decline
Performance decline = 1 (decline in amount of work) x (decline in quality of work)

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Supporting Women’s Health

With a view toward promoting women’s advancement in the workplace and enhancing support for their health, Konica Minolta strives to increase the rate of cancer screenings, with the aim of early detection of and prompt response to cancers that affect women. It took steps to make it easier to get screened, including bringing screening trucks onto company premises and increasing the number of cooperating medical institutions, in addition to subsidizing screening costs through the Health Insurance Association. As a result, the screening rates for breast cancer and cervical cancer in the Konica Minolta Group in Japan in fiscal 2021 have increased significantly compared to the previous year.
In fiscal 2021, the Company achieved a record-high screening rate by widely publicizing the implementation of infection prevention measures within screening facilities so that employees could get checkups with peace of mind, even during the pandemic. Going forward, the Company will continue with these initiatives and strongly support the promotion of women's health.

Screening Rates for Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer

*Percentage of all employees of Konica Minolta Group companies in Japan receiving screening

As part of its awareness-raising efforts aimed at further increasing the screening rate, Konica Minolta invited the actress Kuniko Asagi to give a talk in September 2019 about the importance of getting screened for the purpose of early detection, in light of her own experience with breast cancer. The talk was attended by close to 500 employees.
In November 2019, Dr. Tomoko Shibayama of the Breast Oncology Center, the Cancer Institute of JFCR was invited to give a talk on the current status of cancer in Japan, types of breast cancer and changes in treatment, mechanisms behind hereditary cancer and methods for preventing cancer. More than 200 employees attended the talk.

Konica Minolta also holds Energetic Health Seminars for Women taught by outside experts to help maintain and raise performance by learning methods to deal with women’s health issues such as menopausal disorder and premenstrual syndrome, not just cancers particular to women.

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Measures to Prevent the Spread of the Novel Coronavirus

As part of its efforts to improve the health of its employees, Konica Minolta has always endeavored to prevent infectious diseases. In Japan, the Company provides information on influenza outbreaks, encourages employees to get vaccinated, and provides information on malaria, hepatitis, HIV, and other infectious diseases to employees posted outside Japan and their accompanying family members, as well as to employees traveling abroad on business. In addition, Konica Minolta strives to prevent infectious disease by quickly identifying cases of tuberculosis via chest X-rays in its health checkups for employees and taking the necessary steps in response.
As such, when COVID-19 began to spread, Konica Minolta’s first priority was the health and safety of employees and their families, and the entire Group was devoted to countermeasures to prevent infections and the outbreak’s spread.
At the time of the outbreak’s growth in Japan, Konica Minolta asked employees to check their temperatures and general physical health before coming to work, to wash their hands carefully and use an alcohol-based disinfectant on their hands, and to wear a mask and avoid crowded spaces. In workplaces, the Group took measures such as staggering the work times at which employees arrive and utilizing remote work, ventilation of rooms, staggering use of the cafeteria (three time slots of 30 minutes each) and having employees sit facing in one direction.
Furthermore, since there is a risk that the increase in the flow of people before the major holidays will lead to an increase in the number of new infections, we requested that all employees take infection prevention measures. Should they notice any symptoms such as fever before going outside or returning home from work, we asked that they not hesitate to cancel or postpone these trips and be responsible for taking basic infection prevention measures.
At the same time, although the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the establishment of remote work from home as a new way of working, it has also highlighted issues such as lack of exercise and mental health. Therefore, the Company sent e-mails to all employees on subjects such as “Fitness Video for Easy Home Exercises,” “Ways to Address Mental Health Issues Resulting from Remote Work at Home and Consultation Services,” and “E-Learning on Self-Care (15-minute video)” to encourage their use as needed in support of their mental and physical health.
In August 2022, when the seventh wave of the virus peaked, we confirmed that a record number of Group employees in Japan had caught COVID-19. However, thanks to strict infection prevention measures at each workplace and by each employee, there has not been even a single cluster of infections within the Company since early 2020, when the virus first spread.
Although the COVID-19 virus repeatedly mutates and the rate of infection and severity fluctuate greatly, the Konica Minolta Group is proceeding with its business activities amidst the pandemic while revising and applying the Action Guidelines for COVID-19 created by the Group to minimize the impact on its business while placing priority on employee health.

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Evaluation by External Parties

Konica Minolta Included in Health and Productivity Stock Selection

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Stock Exchange jointly work on the Health & Productivity Stock Selection. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been selected seven times—in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Konica Minolta had been aggressively recruiting mid-career workers to secure work-ready personnel, instead of relying solely on the traditional mass hiring of new graduates. The inclusion of Konica Minolta in the Health & Productivity Stock Selection along with other external recognitions such as winning the Grand Prize in the Smart Work Awards were publicized in various media, showing that Konica Minolta is a company that promotes health management by fostering a health-first culture, based on the recognition that the health of its employees is the foundation for everything it does. As a result of strengthening its general recruitment activities, the number of mid-career hires in fiscal 2021 increased 146.6% compared to fiscal 2021, and 293.1% compared to fiscal 2020 amid particularly intense competition for personnel who are work-ready, especially in the IT field.
In addition, managers in Konica Minolta’s Health Promotion Division took the Company’s inclusion in the Health & Productivity Stock Selection as an opportunity to listen to the issues of many client companies and begin giving advice based on the measures that the Company is implementing and the results of an examination of their effectiveness. Helping companies resolve issues at their request in a support role as they address health management is expanding interaction with client companies.
As a result of the various measures implemented cooperatively by Group companies in Japan, the number of Group companies chosen as “2022 Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations” by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry increased from nine to 12. Six companies were selected for the “White 500 Companies” in the large corporation division; one in the large corporation division; two were selected for “Bright 500 Companies” in the small- and medium-sized organization division; and three companies was recognized in the small- and medium-sized organization division.