In brief
Kao Corporation says it was chosen by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Stock Exchange as a 2024 Health & Productivity Stock Selection brand. The company says this is its ninth selection. It also received recognition from the ministry as a Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization in the Large Enterprise Category (White 500), marking the eighth consecutive year. Kao describes measures that include health support for employees and families, local health consultation centers, and online services through its GENKI-WEB platform. The company says its health initiatives are part of its wider Kirei Lifestyle Plan and its efforts to support employee wellbeing and safety.
Key takeaways
- Kao was selected as a 2024 Health & Productivity Stock Selection brand for the ninth time.
- The company received White 500 recognition for the eighth consecutive year.
- Kao says its health programs include support for employees and families, as well as 21 consultation centers in Japan.
- The company links employee wellbeing efforts to its Kirei Lifestyle Plan.
Also Recognized as a Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization under the Large Enterprise Category (White 500) for the Eighth Consecutive Year
March 15, 2024 -- Kao Corporation was selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) as a Health & Productivity Stock Selection brand 2024 among listed companies in recognition of its outstanding health and productivity management. Kao was also recognized by METI, for the eighth consecutive year, as a Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization (White 500) for its outstanding practice of health and productivity management.
Health & Productivity Stock Selection brands are those in which listed companies focus on and strategically carry out efforts with regard to their employees’ and other workers’ health from a management perspective, selected among those with outstanding achievements in this area and recognized jointly by METI and TSE under the Health & Productivity Stock Selection. The program was launched in 2015, and Kao was selected for the ninth time.
Kao was also recognized as a Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization under the Large Enterprise Category (White 500). This joint program by METI and the Nippon Kenko Kaigi, begun in 2017, recognizes businesses that, working together with health insurers, implement outstanding health management.
The Kao Group’s Activities
To advance Group-wide health and productivity management, Kao provides equitable opportunities for its employees and their families to receive health support under medium-term five-year health plans to ensure a systematic approach to health and productivity management. Health administration staff and persons responsible for health administration are assigned to each business location and branch office and coordinate with industrial health staff. Kao’s Health Promotion Management System, in operation since fiscal 2009, compiles anonymized statistical health data (on medical interviews, health check-ups, occupations, illnesses, etc.). This data is also provided to 21 health consultation centers throughout Japan to help enable drafting and implementing plans based on actual conditions and issues in each area.
Based on changes in work style and lifestyle today, Kao is helping create a “new normal” of using a hybrid of in-person and online services. Kao also suggests activities personalized for individuals and utilizes the online community to advance efforts to connect people in far-away places and increase mutual wellbeing through its own GENKI-WEB health platform.
In addition, Kao’s health solutions program, the Kao GENKI Project for Everyone, brings together in-house health care knowledge and visualization technology. The project also offers partial services outside the company and is being used to improve the health of local communities and of other companies.
* Health and Productivity Management is a registered trademark of Non-Profit Organization Kenkokeiei.
As part of the Kao Group’s ESG strategy, the Kirei Lifestyle Plan launched in April 2019, Kao promotes “employee wellbeing and safety,” which is one of the leadership action themes in the Kirei Lifestyle Plan. In the Kao Group Mid-term Plan with its vision of “protecting future lives” and “sustainability as the only path,” the mental and physical health of its employees, without whom Kao’s business activities would not be possible, is a vital element for creating an environment conducive to working better. By continuing to carry out health and productivity management, Kao will advance maximizing the power and potential of employees, which is one of its fundamental policies.
About the Kirel Lifestyle Plan
Over the past 130 years, Kao has worked to improve people’s lives and help them realize more sustainable lifestyles—a Kirei Lifestyle. The Japanese word ‘kirei’ describes something that is clean, well-ordered and beautiful, all at the same time. The Kao Group established its ESG strategy, the Kirei Lifestyle Plan in April 2019, which is designed to deliver the vision of a gentler and more sustainable way of living. By 2030, Kao aims to empower at least 1 billion people, to enjoy more beautiful lives and have 100% of its products leave a full lifecycle environmental footprint that science says our natural world can safely absorb.
Please visit the Kao sustainability website for more information.
About Kao
Kao creates high-value-added products and services that provide care and enrichment for the life of all people and the planet. Through its portfolio of over 20 leading brands such as Attack, Bioré, Goldwell, Jergens, John Frieda, Kanebo, Laurier, Merries, and Molton Brown, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people in Asia, Oceania, North America, and Europe. Combined with its chemical business, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,530 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 34,300 people worldwide and has 137 years of history in innovation.
Please visit the Kao Group website for updated information.
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Kao Corporation
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Questions around this news
What does the Health & Productivity Stock Selection recognize?
The selection highlights listed companies that treat workers’ health as part of management and demonstrate notable efforts in that area. METI and the Tokyo Stock Exchange jointly run the program. Kao’s 2024 selection was its ninth, according to the release.
How does Kao support employee health across its workplaces?
Kao says it uses medium-term health plans and assigns health administration personnel at business locations and branch offices. Its system gathers anonymized health statistics and shares information with consultation centers around Japan, supporting locally tailored plans. The company also describes offering a mix of in-person and online support and using an online community to connect people.
What is health and productivity management?
Health and productivity management is an approach in which an organization considers employee wellbeing as part of its management practices. It may involve measures such as health education, workplace support, and access to health services, with the aim of supporting workers while also addressing the organization’s operational needs.
What does anonymized health data mean?
Anonymized health data has identifying details removed or altered so that the information is not readily associated with a particular person. It can be used to examine patterns across a group, while reducing the exposure of individual identities. The protections and methods used depend on the context and applicable privacy rules.
