To realize our basic policy* (2) “Each employee plays a leading role and works with a feeling of pride and excitement,” we reviewed the operation of the target management system when we revised the human resource system in 2021, focusing on the following three items with the aim of improving performance, building a culture where people seek to take on challenges, and nurturing talent.
Specifically, at the beginning of the fiscal year, each employee was encouraged to set challenging target. In order to achieve those targets, supervisors provided support during the fiscal year, which made people more conscious of communication taking place between supervisors and team members. We have made changes to the operation of that system, so that it now involves positive impacts on both in terms of the nurturing of talent and the improvement of performance, which is achieved by frequently providing feedback through PDCA cycles taking place over short spans of time. At fiscal-year-end meetings, supervisors and team members undertake communication with one another concerning the facts obtained during daily activities, and provide feedback on positive points alongside points where things can be improved, thereby providing motivation when it comes to carrying out work in the next fiscal year.
Additionally, in terms of the results of monitoring undertaken during FY2022, we found that there were improvements in terms of employees’ actual sense for the linkage between organizational targets and personal targets and their actual sense of the support provided by superiors when setting challenging targets at the beginning of the fiscal year and the support provided throughout the fiscal year. More than 90% of respondents saying that they were “satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the fiscal-year-end evaluation. This confirmed for us that communication between employees and their direct managers is generally going well. In order to further improve upon the operation of this system in the future, we will continue to monitor the implementation of target control, share information on operational concerns and good practices, and enhance our follow-up activities so that individuals can proactively take on the challenge of higher targets and get a sense for both their own growth and organizational contributions.
In order to reduce risks in the area of labor, we are systematically checking on the state of labor compliance undertaken in accordance with the laws and regulations of the countries where our group operates and providing guidance when it comes to improvements.
Individuals responsible for human resources at Group companies in Japan meet twice a year to share information on policies and issues related to human resources and labor within our Group, and strive to strengthen the Group’s cooperation when it comes to various issues.
In addition, in order to reduce the risks faced in the area of labor, we regularly check on the state of labor compliance with Group companies, and we provide them with support when it comes to responding to items requiring improvement, including in terms of reviewing the systems in place.
When it comes to labor-management dialogue, we maintain the basic position that both labor and management should endeavor to engage in sincere discussions. As such, we focus on issue resolution and the deepening of mutual understanding based on that position. We hold our Central Management Briefings twice annually for formal exchanges of opinions between labor and management. We have conducted such meetings for 70 years since fiscal 1952. As of May 2023, meetings have been held 141 times in total. Representatives from labor and management actively exchange opinions and share information about a broad spectrum of items at these briefings, such as with respect to the business environment, management, and topical matters. We also have in place various committees which are designed to improve the working environment, such as the Personnel System Exploratory Committee and the Committee for Studying Shorter Hours. It is at these committees where management and labor discuss things on a daily basis. These discussions lead to improvements in various systems and strengthen monitoring functions, such as compliance responses. Through these activities, we endeavor to solve various issues.