Announcement of the launch of "TokoChalle 2024 Sleep+", a company-wide initiative to improve health and productivity management progress, exercise habits, and sleep, starting in Spring 2024 – including a
collaboration with the 8020 Foot Association's walking event.
May 17, 2024
ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City, President: Masafumi Sugimoto) has long promoted employee health activities based on the belief that "only when employees themselves are healthy can they provide good products and services to the world." As part of this effort, the company has set health targets since 2017 and has been working to improve the health of its employees.
We are pleased to announce the release of the results of the health indicators set in 2021 for 2023, and, based on current challenges, the first of our new initiatives for fiscal year 2024, "TokoChalle 2024 Sleep+" for all employees, which started on May 13, 2024. This initiative evolves "TokoChalle," a walking event for all employees that has been held regularly since 2017, and aims to improve exercise habits and sleep throughout the entire company.
Eight health indicators for 2023 and their results
In 2021, our company established health indicators for 2023. By clearly defining eight indicators that form the foundation of health, we aim to empower each employee to review their daily lives and take initiative toward achieving well-being, thereby promoting health and productivity management.
Through this three-year initiative, the percentage of employees whose healthy age is less than their actual age, the number of employees who exercise for 30 minutes at least twice a week, and the number of employees who walk 8,000 steps and take 20 minutes of brisk walking per day have all increased. As a result of promoting health and productivity management, increased activity levels and the establishment of exercise habits have been recognized.
Regarding "sleep," we consider it to be a major challenge, second only to smoking and metabolic syndrome prevention, and have been prioritizing and strengthening our efforts company-wide since fiscal year 2022. In addition to having all employees undergo sleep checks, we have implemented a sleep improvement program using wearable devices for those who wish to participate, and sleep satisfaction has improved for those with significant challenges. On the other hand, more than half of our employees still do not achieve the company-wide target of "6.5 hours or more of sleep," so the problem has not yet been resolved. Sleep is known to affect daytime concentration, creativity, and mental stability, and we continue to position it as an issue that must be addressed as a priority in order to improve work performance and enable employees to work vibrantly.
Health indicators and performance trends for fiscal year 2023
*1: Anemia is defined as a hemoglobin level of less than 12.0 g/dl.
*2: Healthy age < Actual age is defined as having physical fitness test results (physical fitness age, walking age, brain activity age) that are younger than one's actual age.
*3: Defined as a single serving of less than 2 go for men and less than 1 go for women.
*4: Average over the period of the walking event "TokoChalle" in the fall of 2021 (3 weeks)
*5: Average over the period of the walking event "TokoChalle" in Winter 2022 (3 weeks)
*6: April 2023 to March 2024
Specific health and productivity management initiatives up to 2023 can be found here.
About "Toko Challenge 2024 Sleep+"
Spring is a season when sleep rhythms tend to become unstable due to increased mental stress from starting new organizations and new lifestyles, as well as shallow sleep caused by hay fever.
Our company has been regularly holding walking events called "TokoChalle," where teams, primarily based on individual departments, encourage each other to establish exercise habits. We have found that this approach leads to increased activity levels and improved communication compared to individual efforts.
This time, by combining sleep with "TokoChalle," we aim to increase the rate of behavioral changes related to sleep and revitalize the new organization.
Initiatives
| period |
May 13th to May 31st, 2024 |
| Total participants |
1,983 people (highest number ever) |
| Content |
The following objectives will be used to award points, and teams of 7 to 20 people will be formed in each category to aim for the highest possible points.
- Walking Challenge (achieving an average of 8,000 steps per day, including 20 minutes of brisk walking)
- Improve your sleep literacy (answer daily health quizzes about sleep, watch sleep seminars by occupational physicians)
- Practice good sleep habits (complete two sleep missions every day)
In addition, a limited-time campaign is being held where employees can exchange products related to improving sleep quality for in-house health currency (ARUCO).
|
Collaboration with the 8020 Foot Care Association's walking event
Our company is a sponsor of the General Incorporated Association Ashi no 8020, which is currently holding its "2nd Ashi no 8020 Walking Event." This time, we are collaborating with the association's walking event and will donate 20 yen to children suffering from poverty in Japan for every 8,000 steps walked per person per day. We will continue to focus on "creating opportunities" for our employees to proactively maintain their health, and expand the circle of health towards an even more well-being society.
Homepage of the General Incorporated Association for 8020 Legs
Reference: Our company's page on "health and productivity management "