Chugai Pharmaceutical contributes to the health of people across the world through its innovative pharmaceuticals and services. Essential to fulfilling this mission is the health of each and every one of its employees. In this article we speak with Shuichi Yamamoto of the Employee Support Group in the Human Resources Management Department about the company’s advanced initiatives for health and productivity management, including the improvement of cancer screening uptake rates, utilization of a health support app, and the enhancement of mental health care.

Creating an Environment in Which Every Employee Can Generate Innovation

The importance of health and productivity management for corporate growth is rising. Chugai Pharmaceutical is focusing on health and productivity management through the pursuit of both individual health and organizational health, and is promoting the creation of environments that allow employees to maximize their capabilities.

 

Yamamoto says, “Corporate growth requires every employee in the organization to generate innovation. To create an environment in which this is possible, it is important that every employee is in a condition that allows them to shine. The foundation for this is a healthy body and mind.”

Chugai Pharmaceutical’s Unique Measures for Health and Productivity Management

Yamamoto tell us about three specific company measures for health and productivity management: the improvement of cancer screening uptake rates, the utilization of a health support app, and the enhancement of mental health care.

 1. Improvement of cancer screening uptake rates: In addition to uptake rates of more than 90%, follow up with employees requiring detailed examination

In the nation’s 4th Basic Plan to Promote Cancer Control Programs (2023), one of the individual targets is to achieve an uptake rate of more than 60%. Chugai Pharmaceutical has achieved around a 90% uptake rate for stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and breast cancer screenings. In 2022, the company launched a new service for employees that allows them to engage in online consultations with nurses with experience in clinical oncology. This initiative aims to improve the uptake rate among employees who have been judged to require detailed examination in initial cancer screenings.

 

Yamamoto says, “This initiative is separate to the existing medical consultations available to employees with internal physicians and nurses. To lower the psychological barrier to attending detailed examinations, this initiative provides employees with an opportunity to receive specialist cancer-related advice to provide peace of mind.”

 

An in-house survey in 2021 revealed that the uptake rate among employees requiring detailed examinations was around 67%. Following the introduction of this service, however, in 2024 this had risen to 81.3%.

 2.Utilization of health support app &well: Staying healthy while having fun

The &well health support app was introduced at the end of 2023 and aims to promote voluntary employee participation in health activities. Around 60% of employees had begun using the app a year after its introduction, taking part of various initiatives such as team walking tournaments, diet programs, and sleep improvement programs.

 

“Members of the management team have also taken part in the team walking tournament, joining each team to work with employees to log the greatest number of steps. It became a topic of conversation in-house and helped to motivate other employees to take part,” says Yamamoto.

 

Management’s participation in these activities not only helps to demonstrate how health and productivity management is a companywide initiative, but also helps to motivate employees to take part. Yamamoto says that having management take the lead in participating in these activities communicates the importance of health and productivity management among employees.

 3.Enhancement of mental health care

The company also prioritizes stress checks. In 2024, the uptake rate for stress checks was 92.2%. These checks are helping to ensure the early detection and response for any mental health issues.

Moreover, while previously it took several months to provide feedback after responses to stress check surveys, this has been reduced to just one week. Speeding up the provision of feedback has increased the number of employees expressing a desire to speak with specialists. In this way, positive results from initiatives to protect employees’ psychological health are gradually increasing.

An Autonomy-focused Corporate Culture to Support Health and Productivity Management

Yamamoto says that one of the main features of Chugai Pharmaceutical’s health and productivity management is that it values employees’ autonomy.

 

He says, “None of the initiatives are forced on employees. Ultimately, employees can choose whether to take part. The fact that we are still achieving high uptake and participation rates shows that employees see health as something important to them and that they are taking a sincere approach to bettering their health. This I think is unique to Chugai Pharmaceutical.

 

A future challenge will be to reinforce our collaboration with affiliated companies overseas. Our aim is to foster a sense of Groupwide togetherness in our health and productivity management by hosting joint health-themed initiatives such as global walking campaigns.”

 

Chugai Pharmaceutical’s health and productivity management does not only seek to maintain and improve employees’ physical well-being; it is also closely related to developing employees’ autonomy and careers. The company’s promotion of diversity and inclusion and the new personnel systems introduced in January 2025 that aim to enhance opportunities for job-based employment are part of its efforts to create an environment where employees can maximize their capabilities to generate innovation.

 

“Chugai Pharmaceutical is a warm-hearted company that values its people. In an era of constant change, not everyone can smoothly adapt to new personnel systems and operational conditions, for example. In cases like this, it is a thorough support structure that can create an environment for employees to continue working with peace of mind. Our role is to function as something akin to a safety net, creating workplaces where every individual can shine,” says Yamamoto.

 

Developing a foundation for innovation through health and productivity management and linking this to sustainable corporate growth. It is these health and productivity management initiatives that are at the center of Chugai Pharmaceutical’s efforts to achieve sustainable growth and develop innovative pharmaceuticals.