Promotion of Health and Productivity Management

Thus far, Advantest has implemented various initiatives for employee health and productivity, including measures on lifestyle disease prevention, mental health, and abstinence from smoking. To further promote these initiatives, we have decided to incorporate Health and Productivity Management, and in September 2019, we formulated a Declaration of HPM Policy.

Since establishing the Declaration of HPM Policy, Advantest, our domestic Group companies, the health insurance association, and labor union have come together to promote health check-ups, boost the implementation rate of specified health guidance, and introduce a health portal site, along with various other activities that directly affect employee health. These activities include online dieting/smoking cessation programs, encouraging exercise using a mobile app-based health promotion, and health literacy training.

We have also actively made efforts to encourage work-life balance. In November 2020, Advantest obtained the "Eruboshi" certification based on the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, and in February 2021, we obtained the "Kurumin" certification mark based on the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children. Advanfacilities Co., Ltd. also obtained the "Eruboshi" certification in July 2022.

Furthermore, we have taken thorough measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection, such as issuing notifications from top-level management to prioritize health, and thorough implementation of remote working. As a result of these efforts, Advantest has once again been recognized under the 2023 Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations Recognition Program, which is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Nippon Kenko Kaigi (Japan Health Council), as one of the organizations in the large enterprise category. At the same time, METI has certified Advantest as one of the "White 500"–the top 500 corporations recognized under the program–for the third consecutive year. In addition, all seven group companies in Japan have been certified as well for the first time.

Declaration of Health and Productivity Management Policy

In order to realize Advantest's mission, we will strive to create a workplace where every employee can work in good health, both physically and mentally, to contribute to the achievement of a sustainable society as a corporate citizen.

Based on HPM policy, promote HPM from the following three viewpoints.

Organization

Mental Health

At Advantest we believe that a vigorous workforce makes for a vigorous workplace. Accordingly, our Health Promotion Office supports efforts to ensure both the mental and physical health of our workforce, so that we can provide a safe and comfortable workplace environment. We introduced stress checks in FY2012 before they became required by law because we consider preventative measures as the key to our mental health activities. By quantifying stress (thus making it visible), we promote stress awareness among everyone in our workforce, which is useful for self-care.

In the 2022 stress check, which achieved 85% response rate, 6.6% of the employees with the highest diagnosed stress levels were referred to mental health consultations, and 5.2% of them actually received consultations. We also held seminars (during FY2022, e-learning seminars were held) to reinforce self-care, and the participation rate was 95%.

Organizational analysis stated that high stress workplaces decreased from 17.2% in FY2017 to the 2% range (2.2% in FY2022). From fiscal 2019, this initiative was narrowed down to target only managers in high stress workplaces and offered more practical training for workplace environment improvement. We continuously work on improving stress levels by following up on the implementation situation to create a workplace that mitigates the occurrence of mental health disorders.

We have also formulated recovery plans with occupational physician from the latest reports as well as provide support for employees to return to the workplace after taking a leave of absence, enabling them to take time off without worry if their mental state worsens due to a variety of stress. In addition, an eight-step process (which includes status reports, consultation with occupational physician, return to work planning, and follow-up interviews after returning to work) has been set up to avoid overstressing people and the workplace.

Health Consultations

At Advantest's Health Promotion Office, a comprehensive range of health professionals (including occupational physician, clinical psychologists, public health nurses, nurses, and industrial counselors) provide counseling services for physical and mental problems of all kinds. Applications for counseling can be submitted easily by telephone or e-mail, or via the company's intranet. In fiscal 2022, counseling services were provided on 835 occasions.

Health Check-ups and Health Guidance

Advantest and its domestic Group companies provide regular health check-ups to maintain and improve the health of employees in addition to regular physicals through subsidies from the health insurance association.
We provide health check-ups once or twice each year both in domestic and overseas bases. We have achieved a 100% health check-up ratio since FY2018 for domestic employees, with a 60.8% ratio of individuals undergoing thorough examination in FY2022 (55.6% in FY2021) and 76.0% ratio of individuals who received specific health guidance in FY2021 (67.0% in FY2020).
In FY2022, 97.7% of our employees received health literacy training (97.2% in FY2021), while 23.3% of our employees are using health promotion applications. Advantest is also promoting projects that allow employees who do not have the habit of exercising to start doing so (ratio of employees with exercise habits: 29.7% in FY2022) by holding walking events using this health promotion application.

The Health Promotion Office provides health guidance, email support, and staff/occupational physician consultations for employees who have received a diagnosis through checkups. Furthermore, employees with a history of brain and heart disease are interviewed regardless of their health check-up results, and work restrictions are put into place to ensure their safety.