Diversity

Basic Views

We view diversity as an indispensable foundation for the growth of the Group. We strive to foster an organizational culture that respects differences in individuality and attributes (age, citizenship, birthplace, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, etc.) and that allows everyone to maximize their abilities.

Basic Policies
  1. 1Strengthen and promote diversity management to adapt to the globalization of business and achieve sustainable growth.
  2. 2In strengthening and promoting diversity management, promote at first the women's career development as one of the key management policies.
  3. 3Promote the realization of work-life balance, including improving work environments and supporting a good work-life balance for employees, so that diverse personnel can work to the best of their individual strengths and abilities.

Promotion System

In 2015, a working group on promotion of women's participation and advancement in the workplace was established and compiled recommendations for promotion of women's participation and advancement in the workplace. In response to the recommendations, the President and CEO issued the "SHI Group's Declaration of Promotion of Diversity" in April 2016 and diversity promotion activities started in earnest. We have newly established an organizational development group in the Human Resources Division, which is a dedicated organization for promoting diversity, and are actively implementing measures to promote diversity.

Key Targets and Roadmap

Key Targets by January 1, 2027

  1. 1Expanding hiring of women

    Percentage of new graduates hired who are women: 20% or more each year

  2. 2Proactive promotion of women

    Number of women on the Board of Directors: 2
    Double the number of management positions held by women (compared to April 2022): 48 (4.5%)

  3. 3Tapping into a diverse workforce

    Percentage of management positions held by mid-career hires: 30% or more
    Percentage of positions held by foreign nationals: 1.4%
    Percentage of employees using paternity leave (including statutory leave): 100%

Roadmap

Efforts to Spread Diversity Inside the Company

Education

E-learning
An e-learning course about "unconscious bias" was provided to all employees who have e-mail addresses of Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. and to all managers of the Group.
Diversity management training
Diversity management training
For managers, we provide diversity management training and unconscious bias e-learning (for managers).

Information Sharing

We regularly share information about in-house role models, initiatives of various departments, information and events on diversity, etc.

SHI Group newsletter, "Quartet"
The newsletter delivers information on diversity as part of its permanent content. (4 issues per year)
HR e-mail magazine
The Human Resources Division distributes information on the Group's organizational development, diversity, and human resource development in the form of an e-mail newsletter every other month.

Empowerment of Diverse Human Resources in the Workplace

Promoting Women's Active Participation

We actively implement measures to create environments where female employees of the SHI Group can work to the best of their abilities.

Results of approaches

Workshops for female employees
Workshops held for all female employees. We held 14 workshops in 13 locations over a month.
Opportunity for dialogue between female employees and managers
Since fiscal 2016, we have been regularly providing female employees an opportunity to talk with the President and CEO, having their voices heard directly to management.
Stratified training for female employees
We provided training and career consulting opportunities for female section chief level employees who are one step away from management positions. Individual interviews are currently provided with female supervisors and HR.
Training for superiors who have female subordinates
This is a full-day of training conducted for all superiors who have female subordinates. The training provides an opportunity to systematically learn about unconscious bias and women's major life events by incorporating role-playing.
Plus One Project
Women's working group, +1 (Plus One) Project
We created and provided opportunities for women to learn in workplace settings led by 3 - 4 women's working group leaders in each business office.
Roundtable
Invited outside lecturers to give lectures on careers. In the future, we will also promote networking among female employees.

Hiring People with Disabilities

The SHI Group aims to create an environment where people with disabilities can work to the best of their abilities.

Examples of Initiatives

Cleaning and greening teams
Cleaning and greening teams at the Yokosuka Works
The teams are in charge of various tasks inside the manufacturing site, such as cleaning, light work and office work.

SHI Iki-Iki Farm

Vegetable market held at the Head Office

SHI Iki-Iki Farm
People with disabilities grow vegetables on our farm, and the harvest is offered to our employees at sales events. All proceeds are donated to a non-profit organization that supports the upbringing of children.

Supporting Foreign National Employees

The SHI Group actively hires human resources of various nationalities as the business is becoming more globalized.
We have a support system in place to help foreign national employees work with peace of mind in Japan.

Examples of Initiatives

  • Created an information sharing site for foreign national employees on the intranet
  • Training for foreign national employees (cultural awareness course/Japanese language course)
  • Networking of foreign national employees organized by volunteers

LGBT Initiatives

In our efforts to address LGBT sexual minorities, as well as developing our environment and systems and employee education, we also carry out social contribution activities aimed at promoting social understanding.

Examples of approaches

  • Revised system for same-sex partnerships
    From January 2023, by submitting an application, Group employees who are in same-sex partnerships or de facto marriages will be eligible to receive various benefits in the same way as for employees who are in legal marriages.
  • Held LGBT seminar
    An outside lecturer was invited to give a lecture to directors and Group human resources staff aimed at deepening understanding of LGBT issues.
  • Disseminating information to promote understanding of LGBT
    We publish awareness-raising articles for all employees in our internal newsletters and e-mail newsletters to promote better understanding of LGBT people.
  • Distribution of LGBT Friendly Guidebook and Stickers
    We distribute “LGBT Friendly Guidebook” to all our employees. We also distribute our original LGBT ALLY stickers to employees who support our intent.

Work-life Balance

Work Style Reforms

  • Introduction of a Flextime System and Telework System
    We have introduced a flextime system with no core working hours and a telework system.We aim to help employees achieve work-life balance and enhance their productivity by promoting flexible and autonomous workstyles that allow them to work anytime, anywhere.
  • Designation of no overtime days
    Each business site has designated a “no overtime” day once a week to encourage employees to leave the office on time through on-site announcements and patrols.
  • Promoting the use of paid vacations and accrued leave
    Employees are granted 22 paid vacation days each year.Any paid vacation days not used during their validity period can be used for purposes such as fertility treatment, childcare, nursing care, volunteer activities, etc., in the form of accrued leave.
    Rate of paid leave days taken: 68.6% (FY2021, non-consolidated)

Installation of Multipurpose Spaces

To provide employees a place where they can work in their preferred seating arrangement and relax, we have been promoting the installation of multipurpose spaces at each of our sites.

Head Office
The Human Resources and General Affairs Divisions jointly designed the space, incorporating the opinions of employees gathered through an employee survey. The space offers various seating arrangements from which employees can flexibly choose according to their purpose, for example, "TV conference booths" when they need an isolated and quiet space for an online meeting, "open seats" when they want to take it easy and relax and "counter seats" when they want to work alone.

Nagoya Works
In July 2021, we opened a new facility featuring a cafeteria, locker rooms, safety experience classrooms, a health management center, etc. To give it a more comfortable and relaxing feel for employees, we named it "SHIesta" by combining the Spanish word "siesta" (lunch break) and the abbreviation of our company name, "SHI". The cafeteria offers an extensive menu of dishes, including those tailored to foreign employees, supporting the health of our employees through meals. In May 2022, we plan to install solar panels over the entire roof for energy saving and BCP measures.

Hosting Family Day

We host "Family Day" to invite families to visit our business sites.

Support Systems for Employees During Childbirth and Childcare

Childcare Leave and Short Working Hours for Childcare

Childcare leave
Employees can take leave until the end of March of the fiscal year when their child reaches the age of three.
Short working hours for childcare
Employees can work with shortened scheduled working hours and days and take annual paid leave on an hourly basis until their child graduates from elementary school.

Support for Career Development of Child-rearing Employees

  • Return-to-work support seminars after childcare leave and consultations with superiors
    Return-to-work support seminars are held to help employees be able to return to their work smoothly from childcare leave. The Human Resources Department also distributes pre-reinstatement consultation sheets to the superiors to ensure that the consultations are held effectively.
  • Seminar on nursery searching (for employees looking for a nursery for their child)
  • Distribution of Handbook for Bosses and Workers Dealing with Work and Childcare
  • Career advancement during childcare leave
    We introduce and assist female employees on childcare leave to various lectures that can be taken at home to provide them opportunities to improve their skills. These include various correspondence education lectures, internal correspondence education subsidy, qualification test fee subsidy, book purchase subsidy, e-learning (free of charge).

Encouraging Male Employees to Take Childcare Leave

We share information in the internal newsletter and on our intranet to raise awareness about male employees taking childcare leave (stories about their experiences of taking leave, etc.). For male employees who are eligible for childcare leave, we provide information about the system and confirm their intentions individually. We have also set up a consultation desk. In FY2022, the percentage of male employees taking childcare leave was 93.7% (SHI). The Company proactively encourages the use of paternity leave. In February 2023, the President and CEO declared a 100% paternity leave policy.

Voice of a male employee who took childcare leave
I am involved in the basic design of the plant and it takes about 4 years to finish one project. I sought advice early on so that I was able to handover the test run, which was scheduled during my childcare leave, to another worker. Childcare leave is not something that you get to experience many times in a lifetime. I found the experience very valuable and meaningful to me.
Voice of the superior
We can't always control everything happening in our home but we can control our work with the help of others. I try to ensure that the workload is equal and fair for everyone so that they help "each other" if something happens to someone, including childcare.

Other

  • Childcare benefits
    As for childcare benefits, we offer 300,000 yen when a child is born, 200,000 yen when a child enters elementary school and 100,000 yen when a child enters junior/high school. Also, we offer 100,000 yen separately as congratulatory money when a child is born.
  • Re-appointment system
    Employees who have left the company due to childbirth or childcare are allowed to rejoin the company before the child enters elementary school. (If employees submitted the request and obtained the company's approval before leaving the company.)
  • Provision of maternity work uniform
  • Priority employee admission slots for daycare center
  • Subsidy for using babysitters/childcare services (available at 1.5 times the points of a normal cafeteria plan)
  • Subsidy for using housekeeping services (available at 1.2 times the points of a normal cafeteria plan)

Nursing Care System

Nursing care leave
Employees can take the leave for up to 3 years for providing nursing care for their family members.
Short working hours for nursing care
By using a flextime system, employees can work with shortened scheduled working hours and days and take annual paid leave on an hourly basis.
Re-appointment system
Employees who have left the company due to nursing care are allowed to rejoin the company within 6 years from the start date of their nursing care leave, if they took the nursing care leave, and within 6 years from the day they left the company, if they did not take the nursing care leave. (If employees submitted the request and obtained the company's approval before leaving the company.)

List of Systems

    Mother employees Father employees All employees
Care leave/administrative leave Prenatal and postnatal leave    
Childcare leave (until the end of March of the fiscal year when the child reaches the age of three)  
Partial bonus payment during administrative leave    
Reserve leave (up to 60 days for prenatal checkup, infertility treatment, childcare, caring for sick child, etc.)    
Spouse maternity leave (5 days)    
Sick child care leave  
Nursing care leave    
Administrative leave for nursing care    
Flexible working styles Short working hours (until child graduates from elementary school)  
Flextime with no core time    
Paid leave on an hourly basis    
Paid leave on a half-day basis    
Reduced number of working days  
Support for career development of child-rearing employees Correspondence education and e-learning during leave  
Pre-reinstatement seminar, nursery hunting seminar  
Pre-reinstatement consultations with superiors  
Other Payment of congratulatory money for childbirth/childcare support money: 800,000 yen per child  
Use of company-led nursery school  
Cafeteria plan (subsidy for childcare-related spending, childcare information/consultation)  
Re-appointment system for resignees (until child enters elementary school)  

Social assessment

"Platinum Kurumin", a certification mark of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare under the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children

In October 2020, we acquired the "Platinum Kurumin" mark from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare as a company providing excellent childcare support.

The 4th Nikkei Smart Work Management Survey

We received three stars in the 4th Nikkei Smart Work Management Survey conducted by Nikkei Inc.