Human Resources and Diversity
To encourage work style reforms and make workplace environments more fulfilling, T&K TOKA has stipulated in our TOKA GROUP Charter of Corporate Behavior that we will "Realize work practices that will improve the capability of employees and that respect their diversity, character, and personality. Also, provide safe and healthy working environments."
We will therefore respond to increased social demands, and environmental changes by promoting the creation of a corporate culture in which each employee is able to perform their work autonomously. Accordingly, in April 2021, we reformed our human resources system to begin operation as a new system that develops "Human resources who are considerate of the perspectives of others, view change as an opportunity, demonstrate their own creativity, and continuously pursue the challenges of taking a step forward".
Employment and recruitment
We implement activities to focus on hiring women and non-Japanese persons as a way to acquire superior human resources and promote diversity. We promote the recruitment of women for, and assigning them to, manufacturing-related and outside duty sales-related positions that previously were held primarily by men. From fiscal year 2020 we introduced the concept of a "desired workforce" in our hiring activities. Of the 18 new employees who joined the Company in April 2020, five were women and three were non-Japanese.
In addition, our Shiga Factory, which opened in 2015, has accepted 10 interns from neighboring high schools since fiscal year 2017 to the end of fiscal 2020 as a way of contributing to the local community. In fiscal 2020 we were unable to accept interns due to the effects of COVID-19, but we intend to restart the program dependent on the status of the pandemic.
Impartial evaluation and treatment
With the introduction of a new human resources system, we reformed our way of approaching job grades and positions and evaluation methods, and we held explanatory sessions covering these and related issues for all employees. We launched the new human resources system from April 2021, and started a new structure for recognizing employees such as giving company awards that will lead to their own growth and the Company's further development.
Education and training
Level-specific training
We conduct level-specific training for new hires, mid-level staff, and supervisory staff.
Up to fiscal 2020, training for new hires lasted for one month, and included business manners, an understanding of the work performed by our customers and suppliers, safety and health, disaster mitigation, and health management, with a one-day follow-up session held six months later.
As employees are promoted, to fulfill the role required by each position, they receive one day mid-level training in their sixth year, two-day managerial training sessions held for assistant managers and four-day leadership sessions held to train section managers in leading their subordinates, with outside instructors brought in for all of these sessions.
With the start of the new human resources system from April 2021, we are newly creating and managing training programs matched to new positions and the required roles.
Diversity
Hiring of women
We recognize the importance of promoting diversity for the Company's continuous growth. With the introduction of our new human resources system on April 1, 2021, we completely overhauled our job positions and so forth. This resulted in a reduction in the number of women in managerial positions, but we are increasing our hiring of women and working to expand the types of positions that are available to women in an effort to increase the number of women in managerial positions.
Work-life balance
We have introduced a system for leave and reduced work hours for employees who need to care for children or provide nursing care to other family members. All persons who have applied for childcare leave or reduced work hours for childcare have been given leave or reduced work hours.
In fiscal 2020 one employee applied for nursing care leave. There were no applicants for reduced work hours for nursing care.
Hiring of older employees
Our retirement age is 60, and we have a system for rehiring until age 65.
Hiring of persons with disabilities
In March 2021, the minimum percentage of persons with disabilities that companies are legally required to employ was raised to 2.3% from 2.2%, and we have maintained our rate of employment for persons with disabilities at 2.4% during fiscal 2020. To date, persons with physical disabilities have been hired as full-time ("regular") employees, and for persons with intellectual disabilities, we have a system in place whereby they work as auxiliary with reduced work hours at production sites at the Headquarters or regional locations, instead of setting up a special subsidiary for their employment.
Developing global human resources
The Group accepts trainees from overseas for the purposes of setting up new factories overseas or enhancing the technological capabilities of joint-venture group companies.
We have long accepted trainees from Group companies in Asian countries including China, South Korea, and Indonesia, as we strive to develop global human resources.
Human resources data
Labor relations
We hold workplace roundtable meetings and joint council meetings as a framework for exchanges of opinions between management and our employees. At the workplace roundtable meetings, general staff discuss their requests for their departments or the Company through direct exchanges of opinions. In addition, issues raised at workplace roundtable meetings are discussed at the joint council meeting of representative employees from 22 groups across Japan, with participation of all internal Directors, who give feedback on the decisions made regarding these issues. The minutes of the workplace roundtable meetings and joint council meetings are available for all employees to read, as a way to share information and ensure transparency.
Initiatives related to the human rights of employees
Harassment countermeasures
Based on our "Declaration on Prevention of Harassment", "harassment related to pregnancy, childbirth, child care leave, nursing care leave and so on", "sexual harassment", "abuse of authority" and "harassment by customers" are prohibited, and online training is held for all employees, with outside lawyers conducting training as well. We have also set up internal and external consultation desks, and we have built a system that does not disadvantage the consultants.
Reduction of work hours
We operate a system for monitoring the use of paid vacation and overtime work on an individual employee and department basis, and we are able to track this on a monthly or year-on-year basis. Employees can confirm their own status, and department managers can check the status for their departments as a whole and for individual employees. If overtime work is extraordinarily long or if employees are not taking their paid vacation, the general affairs department will urge the department manager to improve the situation.