Treating Health as a Management Issue

INPEX Group Health Statement

INPEX believes that the mental and physical health of all employees is fundamental to the well-being of the company and regards health maintenance as a material issue for management. The INPEX Group Health Statement released in September 2018 sets out the company’s position to support and improve the health of employees and their families with the appointment of the President and CEO as Chief Health Officer.

The statement declares that: the company will maintain and improve the physical and mental health of employees as well as their families; the company aims to build a vibrant corporate culture by creating a work environment to maximize the potential of all employees; and employees should recognize their own responsibility in improving their lifestyles and proactively strive to maintain physical and mental health.

Approach to Health as a Management Issue

Under the leadership of the INPEX President as Chief Health Officer, we are working with our labor union, health insurance union, and occupational physicians to maintain and improve the health of our employees and to create a healthy workplace. For this purpose, we have set up a committee to address health as a management issue (hereafter, the “Health Management Committee”). This committee meets regularly to identify employee health issues and consider relevant solutions, while implementing ongoing improvements through the PDCA cycle. To improve the expertise of the committee, the headquarters medical officer is also a member.

Health Management Committee

Measures to Maintain and Improve Health

INPEX believes that healthcare administration is a material issue for management. The INPEX Group Health Statement states that the company aims to build a vibrant corporate culture by creating a pleasant work environment that is conducive to improving the health of employees and their families and enables all employees to maximize their potential.

We have established a centralized database to manage the results of employee health checks, and have stationed nurses on a permanent basis at headquarters and at offices with more than a certain number of employees. As part of a systematic effort to manage mental and physical health, the medical staff in each office collaborate on delivering health guidance and dealing with mental health issues.

To maintain and improve the health of employees, we have implemented a range of measures, such as: 100% participation in annual health checks; measures related to mental health and overwork; establishment of separate smoking areas; introduction of health apps; and events to promote health. To further these initiatives, we have established specific targets for participation in health checks and stress checks, average overtime hours, rate of taking paid leave, as well as participation in government-sponsored specified health checks and specified health guidance programs. Employees posted to positions outside Japan are provided with immunization against infectious diseases and annual health checks in Japan. They also receive information on medical care in their assigned localities, and are covered by emergency transportation arrangements, which includes international transportation in case of injury or sickness.

Through initiatives such as these, we aim to create a vibrant corporate culture by reducing the incidence of disorders caused by stress or poor physical condition.

Mental Health Initiatives

We conduct employee stress checks once a year to ascertain the mental and physical condition of each employee, and analyze the organizational environment to enable workplace improvements. The checks allow us to monitor the mental health of employees at regular intervals, with a high 91% of employees completing the check in FY2021.

For those with mental health issues, the primary physician, occupational physician, nurse, HR department and the individual’s manager/supervisor act in concert to provide follow-up care while the employee is on leave and after their return to work.

To prevent employees from feeling isolated during the drawn-out pandemic, we conducted one-on-one meetings and weekly pulse surveys for new graduates in FY2021, while adding the services of mental health counselors to provide consultation to employees stationed overseas and to accompanying family members. The system under which employees in training receive operational guidance and mental support from older workers—referred to as “mentors” for employees in their first year and as “supporters” for those in their second and third years—is now well established.

Initiatives to Tackle Global Health Issues

Measures to maintain and improve the health of employees include influenza vaccinations, group health checks, health checks before and during overseas assignments, financial assistance for complete medical examinations, and actions to familiarize everyone with overseas medical risks, such as the risk of infection from malaria and zika virus.

In 2021, the company also arranged COVID-19 vaccinations for employees and their families at multiple sites.

INPEX Recognized as Health & Productivity Stock and “White 500” Organization in 2022

In 2022, INPEX was recognized for the third consecutive year under the resources category of the Health & Productivity Stock Selection Program jointly operated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). We have also been recognized for the fourth consecutive year as a White 500 organization in the large enterprise category of the Certified Health & Productivity Management Organization Recognition Program. The Health & Productivity Stock Selection Program selects listed companies for exceptional performance in their strategic focus on employee health from a management perspective. In the White 500 program, METI and Japan Kenko Kaigi (Japan Health Council) jointly select outstanding enterprises involved in efforts to address health and productivity management.⁴

INPEX was recognized for its efforts to identify and tackle employee health issues, and for the specific steps it has taken to create a framework for treating health as a management issue and to boost the mental and physical health of employees.

4 The term “health and productivity management” is a registered trademark of the Workshop for the Management of Health on Company and Employee.