Aflac, Hitachi, And Globallogic Collaborate To Create An Ecosystem To Support Employees With Cancer

(MENAFN- JCN NewsWire) Aflac, Hitachi, and GlobalLogicllaborate to Create an system to Support Employees with Cancer


TOKYO, Sep 12, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - Aflac Life Insurance Japan Ltd. ("Aflac"), Hitachi, Ltd. ("Hitachi"), and GlobalLogic Japan, Ltd. ("GlobalLogic")(1) start full-scalellaboration to establish a Cancer system(2) ("Workplace Cancer system") to provideprehensive support for employees and their families facing societal issues surrounding cancer.

Photos of Preliminary Idea Workshops

The threepanies have been working together since December 2022 on a project at Hitachi's workplace for preliminary study. Responding to Aflac'sncept of a " Workplace Cancer system", the three partiesed GlobalLogic's design-led digital engineering*3 tonduct interviews and workshops with employees affected by cancer to identify areas of insufficient support in the existing system from the perspective of the employees themselves. Based on that, the teamnsolidated the desired direction and goals, and proposed initiative ideas to realize them.
Moving forward, Aflac, Hitachi and GlobalLogic will accelerate this-creation andnduct full-scale verification for the feasibility of each idea toward the establishment of the " Workplace Cancer system" that apanies employees who have experienced cancer, providing support throughout the survivor journey before and after having cancer.
Background of-creation
The probability of a Japanese person being diagnosed with cancer in his or her lifetime is approximately one in two(4). It is an important initiative forpanies to support their employees in their fight against cancer bece thepany is where people spend most of their adult life. It not onlyntributes to realizing one's own way of life while fighting cancer, but also helps to secure the workforce by reducing employee turnover and temporary leave due to the disease.
On the other hand, arding to a surveynducted by the Cab Office, Government of Japan, approximately 57.4% of the respondents(5) stated that "it is difficult to balance work and cancer treatment" due to insufficientpany support in health care initiatives and systems, as well as low rgnition and utilization of the initiatives by employees themselves. Support for patients in the workplace is bing a significant challenge.
Aflac has formulated a mid-term management strategy (2022-2024)(6) under the slogan "Aflac VISION2024" toward 2024, the 50th annivery of operations in Japan, with the aim of leaping forward to be the leadingpany in creating "Living in your own way." In order to implement one of the strategies ("Creating living in your own way system strategy"), Aflac is building a "Cancer system," a large system toprehensively resolve societal issues related to cancer, throughllaboration andoperation among vari stakeholders, including workplaces, schools, patient groups, NPOs,rporations, and governmentanizations.
Hitachi is promoting social innovation inesses to resolve societal issues together with tomers, leveraging digital technologies empowered by Lumada(7) globally. Also, Hitachi has built an system based on Lumada that enablesllaboration with a wide range of partners, and is innovating through-creation by multiplepanies andanizations to address a variety of societal issues.
As a-creation project integrating Aflac's "Cancer system" and Hitachi's Lumada system, the threepanies aim to establish a "Workplace Cancer system" in whichpanies take the initiative in providingprehensive, mid- to long-term support for employees with cancer at Hitachi's workplace.
Overview of Previ Initiatives
The threepanies have promoted a project tonduct a preliminary studying Hitachi's workplace as a field to understand the current issues in the workplace.bining the insights of Aflac, a pioneer in cancer insurance and the longest-standing insurancepany dealing with cancer in Japan, and the knowledge of Hitachi and GlobalLogic in advanced case studies and methods for creating new services based on design thinking, the team examined the functions required for the "Workplace Cancer system" and the stakeholders that should be engaged for the realization.
Specifically, interviews werenducted with Hitachi employees, including those who have experienced cancer, to identify gaps between expectation and reality, in terms of cancer experience, health awareness, and utilization of internal systems. Based on the results, Aflac, Hitachi, and GlobalLogic gathered at Lumada Innovation Hub Tokyo*8, Hitachi's-creation base, and held several workshops to diss "ideal state" ideas.ing GlobalLogic's design thinking, which has revolutionized theer experience of services and products of many major globalpanies, the team created a survivor journey of personas derived from vari employee surveys, while referring to the current support details of internal systems. In addition, they thoroughly identified issues that had not beennsidered sufficiently from the perspective of the ender (employees), and examined the direction of the desired state and dissed 20 ideas to resolve the issues.
(1) GlobalLogic Japan: The Japanese subsidiary of GlobalLogic, a digital engineering servicespany headquartered in Siln Valley, which was acquired by Hitachi, Ltd. in July 2021.
(2) A mechanism for vari stakeholders tooperate andllaborate toprehensively resolve societal issues related to cancer.
(3) GlobalLogic's design-led digital engineering: GlobalLogic's unique way to explore innovation ideas thattisfyers' desirability, iness viability, and technical feasibility through design thinking, and to realize the ideas with digital technologies in an agile way.
(4) Source: Center Information Service, National Cancer Center, Japan
( Source: Cab Office ( )
(6) Aflac's web site: Medium-term management strategy for leaping forward to be the leadingpany in creating "Living in your own way." (2022-2024) Lumada is Hitachi's advanced digital solutions, services, and technologies for turning data into insights to drive digital innovation.
(8) Hitachi's-creation base which activates value creation bynnecting cross-intry stakeholders and deploying their knowledge and ideas to stimulate value creation.
Future Roadmap
In the future, based on the 20 ideas derived from the preliminary project, the three parties will strive for the implementation and deployment within Hitachi's workplace, while also progressing with the refinement and validation of ideas with an eye towards extending them to otherpanies, areas, and to the entire society. With a target of achieving the "Workplace Cancer system" by the year 2024, the three parties aim to design and implement a platform,ntributing to the enhancement of employee well-being as part of theirrporate efforts.
Aflac's website on "Creating living in your own way system strategy"
website for finance solutions
Aflac Life Insurance Japan Ltd.
Aflac started operations in Japan in 1974 as the firstpany to provide cancer insurance in Japan, based on the founding principle of the "need to lift the financial burden of cancer patients and their families." Since then, Aflac has been practicing CSV management to create value that can be shared with society ("Shared Value") based on the founding principle, and there values, or purpose, expressed in "The Aflac Way," rporate Philosophy," and "Brand Promise."
In a iness environment that has changed dramatically over time, wentinue to strive to meet the expectations of our stakeholders such as tomers, employees, iness partners, shareholders, and society by creating new value to resolve societal issues.
We willntinue to pursue purpose and create nomic value by ensuring that we inherit the tangible and intangible assets that we have built up with all stakeholders. Byntinuing to create new value that can be shared with society, we will leap forward to be the leadingpany creating "Living in your own way." For more information, please visit the Aflac website at Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi drives Social Innovation iness, creating a tainable society through thee of data and technology. We solve tomers' and society's challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products. Hitachi operates under the iness structure of "Digital Systems & Services" - supporting our tomers' digital transformation; "Green Energy & Mobility" -ntributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and nnective Intries" -nnecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in vari intries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through-creation with our tomers. Thepany'snsolidated revenues for fiscal year 2022 (ended March 31, 2023) totaled 10,881.1 billion yen, with 696nsolidated subsidiaries and approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit thepany's website at GlobalLogic Inc.
GlobalLogic ( is a leader in digital engineering. We help brands across the globe design and build innovative products, platforms, and digital experiences for the modern world. By integrating experience design,plex engineering, and data expertise - we help our clients imagine what's possible and accelerate their transition into tomorrow's digital inesses. Headquartered in Siln Valley, GlobalLogic operates design studios and engineering centers around the world, extending our deep expertise to tomers in the automotive,munications, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, manufacturing, media and entertainment, semnductor, and technology intries. GlobalLogic is a Hitachi Grouppany operating under Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), whichntributes to a tainable society with a higher quality of life by driving innovation through data and technology as the Social Innovation iness.

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