SATO Holdings Corporation held an online/offline sports event for all employees across the SATO Group in 26 countries and regions in February 2024.
Background
At the SATO Group, employees are the foundation of all our customer value creation. This is why we foster a corporate culture that puts employee wellness first with a focus on employee motivation.
We have set three strategic pillars for our wellness management efforts:
- Counter lifestyle-related diseases
- Promote exercise habits
- Raise employee awareness on health
We regularly hold company-wide exercise events as part of these efforts.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we held sports events annually in Japan, but due to restrictions, such events were not held in person for several years. With online communication becoming commonplace, SATO’s wellness management committee organized a sporting event where employees from all over the world could participate. The event concept was to bring smiles to the faces of all employees by having them collaborate through the common language of sports.
Event overview
SATO Group employees around the world formed teams voluntarily and submitted videos of themed competitions. The qualifying rounds were held to compete for the fastest time in each event. The final event was live-streamed internally from the SATO Holdings headquarters in Tokyo.
Day one
Feb. 6, 2024 8:00-9:00 AM JST
Day two
Feb. 8, 2024 6:00-7:00 PM JST
Competitions
1. Speed labeling
This time trial involved the SATO hand labeler, our longest running product line and the inspiration for our company motto, Ceaseless Creativity.
2. Jump rope
Jump rope teams of 12 (two spinners, 10 jumpers) competed to see how many times in a row they could synchronize their jumps within the 30-second time limit.
3. Barcodes and RFID
Participants competed for the best time using SATO products to scan barcodes on nine boxes, align the boxes and read them with RFID using SATO products.
4. Fifteen-second videos
Teams submitted 15-second videos of fun physical activities such as walking and dancing with no restrictions on the number of people or types of sports.
Wellness management at SATO
SATO was recognized by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) as a Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organization for seven consecutive years from 2017 to 2023.
With the global trend toward physical inactivity worsening due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SATO Group has been holding walking events in Japan and overseas under the theme of creating opportunities for exercise. We are also focusing on fostering good communication in the workplace, such as by holding online talk events aimed to counter mental health issues. We will continue to promote initiatives for employees to seek physical and mental wellness while achieving fulfillment in work.