A review of government-led health and productivity management and disclosure practice in Japan

Abstract

The concept of occupational health and safety (OHS) is changing to include more job-related factors, resulting in an enlarged role for OHS management and a greater need for information disclosure in response to social expectations. It is vital for businesses to keep up with the new concept in health management and build a cohesive system if they are to achieve their sustainability goals. This paper examines current regulations and government initiatives to encourage health management and information sharing, as well as company practices in Japan, demonstrating that an increasing number of Japanese companies are adopting the new health management approach. We suggest a government-led H&PM model based on the model proposed by Johanson and Aboagye and best practices in Japan, demonstrating that legislation, policies, and implicit employee-centered stakeholder culture are important factors in the success of government-led projects. It also suggests that, to prevent window dressing and one-time booms, intrinsic motivation and psychological aspects should be researched and addressed more thoroughly.

Integrating business model for sustainability and performance management to promote occupational health and safety—A discussion of value

“…The monetary and non-monetary value provided to employees, health assurance association and society, the increased or decreased value creation capability by health improvement or impairment, the value captured by the company in terms of reputation, business performance and stock price or uncaptured because of lack of vitality. There are not many, but some of the companies in Japan have been telling their value creation story (the implicit sustainable business model) with OHS included (Yao and Johanson, 2022).…”

“…Most recently, Yao and Johanson (2022) have used the framework to analyze Japanese companies' OHS management. The best practices incorporate health and productivity management (H&PM) into the company code or norm, clarifying the value proposition to employees and society.…”