Mental and Physical Health at Work: Corporate Facilities Keeping Globally Competitive Traders in Peak Condition

Many have surely heard that people are the prime assest of any integrated trading and business investment company. At Sumitomo Corporation, anticipating the changing times while creating new value each day requires tough negotiations and perseverance. With a global business model embracing over 1,000 employees located in some 60 countries with many others circling the planet, night and day seem interchangeable. Sumitomo Corporation strives to enable employees to work with energy (iki-iki), excitement (waku-waku), and in good health, taking on challenges to create new value. To this end, the company supports employee health based on three pillars: improvement of health literacy, reassurance in emergencies, and global medical support.

The SCG Counseling Center lies within Sumitomo Corporation’s head office. Occupying 200 square meters, the center is carefully conceived to serve Sumitomo Corporation as well as its 50 group companies, representing a total of 12,500 individuals. The reception area is framed in refreshing greenery, a reassuring welcome for each visitor. The two counseling rooms feature green and orange tones conveying a warm and gentle atmosphere. The rooms are arranged for personal comfort, with diagonal rather than opposed seating and separate entry/exit doors to safeguard employee privacy.

“We keep blankets on hand as some clients have low body temperatures due to stress,” comments Director Taeko Morikawa, who has been with the SCG Counseling Center since it opened in 2005. She has played a key role in the rising popularity of the center, which has grown from about 200 counseling requests in the first year to over 2,300 in 2022.

One employee commented that “there is often an unconscious bias attached to those who seek counseling, so I hesitated to visit, but hearing many positive comments about it convinced me to reconsider. It has changed my view of counseling.” Another explained that, “It helps me organize my thoughts and feelings. I use it as time to gain a bird’s-eye view of myself and my situation.” Remarks such as these point to an increasing in-house awareness of the center’s effect.

Morikawa Over the years, we have built up trust in the center’s security and professionalism, making it a place employees can visit without hesitation. We hope to follow overseas precedent and function preventively for stress management, enabling clients to boost their performance results at work.

When we first opened, some worried that confidences might be conveyed to human resources or work superiors, while others fretted over which problems to present during consultation. The counseling center you see today is a result of our response to these concerns and our steady, cumulative efforts, which together paid off in devotion to counceling and repeat visits.

Our chief operating policy has remained “strict confidentiality.” We operate independently from the company and do not share information or collaborate with HR, workplaces, or health clinics, so consultation privacy is never breached.

Our second operating principle is the freedom to consult on any topic. Discussions are not restricted to work-related issues. We emphasize the freedom to brooch any topic unhesitatingly, at no cost, with impartial professionals. Most recently, the top concern accounting for close to a third of our consultations, has been mental health management, followed by work, human relations, and career issues.

Four private cubicles are neatly lined up in the Koriton Massage Room. Yuki Masuda of the Construction Equipment Rental Business Dept. visits the facility about once a week after work. “I injured myself while exercise when I was younger, and now sitting for long periods of time takes its toll on my entire body,” he shares. “A colleague pointed out that massage reaps mental benefits as well as physical, and I do feel mentally refreshed as I mull over current work projects. The massage room is popular and it can be tough to secure a reservation, so I try not to advertise the place (smiling).”

The massage room is operated by visually impaired therapists, with six staff members at present. “Our treatment is tailored to individual request,” explains Yukihiro Yoneda. “Since employees stop by before or after work, or during work breaks, it’s important for us to gauge just the right pressure which will relax their muscles. Nothing encourages us like hearing that our massage makes clients feel good,” he adds, highlighting the source of his job satisfaction.

Murata Our goal is to offer a user-friendly facility which eases employee work fatigue. As many Sumitomo Corporation employees are exercise enthusiasts, this also supports our efforts to promote better health.