Workplace wellness initiative to improve working environments
The China branch of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a United States-based NGO, published its updated CEO Cancer Gold Standard on Aug 31.
The workplace wellness program promotes healthy working environments by calling employers to action to gain the sought-after certification. The branch has issued such accreditations in China since 2014.
Four new provisions, including providing support for female employees taking HPV vaccines to prevent cervical cancer and offering mental health support for employees, especially cancer patients, were included in the update.
“The HPV vaccines have been available on the Chinese mainland since late last year, so we suggest employers offer a certain proportion of finansmoking, cial support to employees,” said Wang Rui, senior director of the NGO.
He said mental health support was also included because a positive psychological state was crucial for recovery from severe chronic diseases and among cancer patients.
The CEO Cancer Gold Standard was updated with input from a panel of experts from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, human resources and employee health management professionals and academic institutions.
To gain the accreditation, employers must meet requirements in the fields of prevention, screening, quality medical treatment and health promotion. Prevention refers to the workplace being tobacco free and the employer encouraging staff to quit increase physical activity and have a balanced diet, as well as to seek any necessary vaccinations, Wang said.
Currently, there are more than 200 certified employers globally, including nine on the Chinese mainland, according to Wang.
“Our objective is to achieve both science and feasibility for the standard, so that it will become a complete and easyto-implement framework to promote health in the workplace, to eventually realize health risk reductions, early detection of health problems among employees and quality care,” Wang said.
Zhu Bei, human resources director of the US biotechnology company Amgen Inc’s China branch, said the company obtained the accreditation last year after spending a year rectifying its health measures for employees.
“We designed various kinds of health activities that were popular among the employees and invited doctors to give health lectures once a month,” she said.
Yang Hua, head of the global health service at Johnson & Johnson China and North Asia, which has also gained the accreditation, said the company initiated an employee health management plan in 2015. It included promoting healthy diets and encouraging physical exercise. The proportion of employees suffering from diseases has dropped by 3.7 percent in the past three years.
Sun Yongqiang, honorary chairman of the Shanghai Pudong Association of Foreign-invested Enterprises, said that employee health is an essential part of corporate social responsibility.
“We hope that such standards will offer quality health resources to more employers in the country and help create better company images, which is a win-win for all workplace participants,” he said.
The HPV vaccines have been available on the Chinese mainland since late last year, so we suggest employers offer a certain proportion of financial support to employees.”
Wang Rui, senior director of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer