March 2022 – TOKYO – IHS-GPAC is honored to recognize Fujitsu Limited as a world leader in migraine workplace awareness, education and support. In the first award of its kind, the Tokyo-based information and communication technology company is being commemorated for its highly successful migraine workplace education program, developed with IHS-GPAC. The web-based education program has taught 73,000 Fujitsu employees – about 91% of their Japan workforce – about the severity of migraine and headache disorders to increase the understanding of these neurological diseases in the workplace.
To date, the program has produced the following results:
- 71% of employees now understand that headache is a disease that greatly interferes with one’s daily life—up from about 20% before completing the program.
- 76% of employees said that “the way they treat colleagues with headaches is likely to change” after completing the program.
- 90% of employees said the program was beneficial.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude and congratulations to Fujitsu on this milestone achievement,” says Dr. David Dodick, Chair, IHS-GPAC. “Working alongside IHS-GPAC, Fujitsu enabled the research that revealed the enormous amount of lost productive time and the heavy financial cost to the company.”
Migraine costs Fujitsu 2.6 billion yen in lost productivity, accounting for 1.1% of total annual compensation.
The IHS-GPAC-led efforts at Fujitsu demonstrated a model that can be emulated by companies around the world to reduce the burden of migraine. “Nothing less than a unified effort will drive impact on a global scale,” says Dr. Dodick.
The award was announced during a special ceremony in Tokyo, where leaders from Fujitsu, IHS-GPAC, IHS and World Federation of Neurology came together to commemorate the occasion and reveal key results from the initiative. Fujitsu CEO and CDXO, Takahito Tokita, accepted the award on behalf of the company.
“I am very honored to be recognized as a leader of a headache program,” said Tokita. “We did receive a lot of support and advice from [the] International Headache Society and I would like to thank the members of [the] International Headache Society and also the Japanese Headache Society for their support.”
Fujitsu has over 126,000 employees in more than 100 countries. Fujitsu’s commitment to the health of its employees, while maintaining a large global presence, is exceptional.
According to Tokita, since 2019, 73,000 participants have taken part in Fujitsu’s headache education program, and he is committed to continuing to work on Fujitsu’s headache program to improve the lives of his employees.
Migraine is the third most common disease, affecting more than 1 billion people globally. Despite how pervasive migraine is, its impact on individuals and society at large remains relatively overlooked. There is no cure for migraine, but there are many ways to significantly mitigate its impact.
“Migraine is a really insidious enemy that does not kill the victims, but it takes their life away—days, months, years of life,” said Dr. Cristina Tassorelli, President of the International Headache Society.
For someone living with migraine, the workplace can be a “place of torture” as they live afraid that colleagues and superiors won’t believe or understand their nightmare.
“People living with migraine are not scared of working, they are scared of not being able to work,” said Dr. Tassorelli.
The “FUJITSU Headache Project” demonstrated just how impactful workplace migraine education programs can be. IHS-GPAC’s online Migraine Fitness at Work program offers support to those living with migraine, while breaking down barriers for treatment, access to care, education and resources.
Join us as we celebrate Fujitsu’s incredible achievement.
ABOUT IHS-GPAC
IHS-GPAC works in collaboration with patients, patient advocacy organizations, healthcare providers and headache, pain and neurology associations worldwide to improve the lives of those affected by migraine, cluster and other diseases that cause severe head pain. Migraine Fitness at Work is a GPAC initiative that aims to make workplaces more accommodating for those impacted by migraine. This customizable video-based education program was designed by world-renowned migraine experts and patient advocates to collaborate with employers, educate employees and transform the workplace.
