Diversity & Inclusion
At the present time, when changes occur so rapidly and future forecast is so difficult, it is necessary for us to become an organization that can create innovation and respond to changes in a flexible manner through discussions with various members with different backgrounds and ideas.
In 2016, we appointed an officer responsible for work practice reform, established an organization dedicated to work practice reform and the promotion of diversity & inclusion, and established a cross-sectional Work Practice Reform Task Force consisting of senior staff from each business division. From 2019, we started to invite a Diversity Promotion Advisor to further strengthen the system. We also have a system to shed light on issues faced by each division and capture opinions employees wish to express through conversation between the Diversity Promotion Advisor and officers of each business division and continuous conversation with on-site employees within each business division.
For us to achieve sustainable development, we are committed to creating an environment where everyone can display their abilities to the fullest and feel satisfied with their job by removing issues and concerns which may arise with employees with diverse backgrounds, values, and skills.
Strengthening the support to achieve work-life balance when child care, family care, and other life events occur
NSSOL’s efforts to promote work practice reform, such as the way we created our system and corporate culture to support work-life balance when child care, family care and other life events occur, have been highly recognized, and we were awarded “Platinum Kurumin” certification and “Tomonin” by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
“Platinum Kurumin” certification
We received “Platinum Kurumin” certification from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as an outstanding “child care support” company in accordance with the Act on the Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children. We will continue to maintain a workplace where people can keep a balance between work and child care to support the healthy growth of children of the next generation.
- NSSOL receives “Platinum Kurumin” certification. (Japanese only)
“Tomonin” awarded
We were awarded “Tomonin” as a company making efforts to establish and improve the work environment, where employees can keep a balance between work and family care. We will continue to make efforts to prevent our employees from leaving the company to care for their family by maintaining a workplace where they can keep a balance between work and family care.
System to support work-child/family care balance
| System to support work and -child care | Description |
|---|---|
| Maternity leave (prior to and after childbirth) | Can be taken from 6 weeks prior to the expected date of birth to the end of 8 weeks after childbirth. [Without pay] |
| Paternity leave | A male employee may take 5 days of leave (not necessarily consecutive days) within the 14-day period, including non-working days, starting from the day prior to the date of spouse’s childbirth or the date of childbirth [With pay] |
| Sick/injured child care leave | Up to 5 days per child per fiscal year (up to 10 days for two or more children) to care for a sick or injured child of preschool age or to take them to get vaccinated or a health examination. [Without pay] |
| Welfare leave (*Accumulated unused annual paid holiday) |
Can be taken to care for a child (for sick/injured child care or participating in a child's school event) prior to junior high school graduation, or for a reason specifically related to pregnancy (only for female employees) [With pay] |
| Leave of absence for child care | Can be taken up to the time the child becomes one year old (or two years old under special circumstances such as the case where no day care is available for the child). If an employee's spouse is on a leave of absence for child care, the employee can take a combined leave of maternity leave (after childbirth) and a leave of absence for child care up to one year (up to the time the child becomes 2 years old under special circumstances) during the period until the child becomes one year and two months old. |
| Reduced working hours | Prescribed working hours may be reduced (up to 2 hours per day), for child care for an employee who is nurturing a child, for a period of up to 6 years including the period of leave of absence, up to the end of the child’s grade three school year. |
| System to support work and family care | Description |
|---|---|
| Family care leave | Can be taken to provide care for a family member requiring care or to provide nursing care or general care to a parent of an employee or their spouse who is 65 years of age or older for up to 5 days per family member (up to 10 days for two or more family members) per fiscal year. [With pay up to 5 days per fiscal year] |
| Welfare leave (*Accumulated unused annual paid holiday) |
Can be taken to provide care for a family member requiring care or to provide nursing or general care to a parent of an employee or their spouse who is 65 years of age or older. [With pay] |
| Leave of absence for family care | Can be taken up to one year (may be interrupted for one year during this one-year period) by an employee with a family member requiring care. |
| Reduced working hours | Prescribed working hours may be reduced (up to 2 hours per day) for an employee who has a family member requiring care. |
Promotion of female participation and career advancement
Diversity includes various factors. However, our company has particularly focused on the promotion of female participation and career advancement as an important issue from the start of our support for diversity and inclusion, as we believe that the promotion of female participation and career advancement is essential to the sustainable development of our business.
We will continue to make efforts to increase the number of female employees we hire, and will support female employees who wish to maintain and improve their professional skills and to contribute to the company after returning to work even though their work is temporarily affected by child care and other events.
“Eruboshi” certification (level 2)
We were granted “Eruboshi” certification (level 2) by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as a company whose status of implementation of actions for the promotion of female participation and career advancement is outstanding among those who implemented and reported an action plan under the Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace.
Action plan for the promotion of female participation and career advancement
We have established the following action plan to create an employment environment to further promote the participation and career advancement of female employees and to increase the number of female employees in leading positions, for the sustainable growth of our company.
1. Planned period
- From April 1,. 2021 to March 31, 2026 (5 years)
2. Targets and specific actions
[Target 1] Increase the number of female employees in core management positions (department manager and section manager levels) to more than double the current number by FY2025.
[Specific actions]
- Develop an “individual cultivation plan” toward steady career advancement for female management candidates, and implement “periodic mentoring by external mentors” (from April 2021)
- Promote work practices that allow employees to choose time and place of work in a flexible manner (expansion of the teleworking system, creation of a work climate in which employees feel comfortable using the system by spreading examples cross-sectionally) (from April 2021)
- Establish a “cultivation environment that allows employees to learn voluntarily” according to individual life events or career situations without being restricted by time or place (from April 2021)
[Target 2] Maintain and continue the rate of employment of female new graduates at 30% or more.
[Specific actions]
- Reinforce contact with female students during recruiting activities (such as preparing brochures for female students, hosting more events for female students, and strengthening relationships with female student groups) (from April 2021)
- Improve the content of information concerning diversity and inclusion on our website for hiring new graduates (from October 2021)
[Target 3] Raise the rate of usage of leaves and leaves of absence* to 70% or more for male employees with a spouse who gave/is expected to give birth, to allow them to participate in childcare.
- (*) Leave of absence for child care, paternity leave and welfare leave that are unique to our company
[Specific actions]
- Prepare “Guidelines for Superiors” of employees who notify of childbirth by their spouse (from April 2022)
- Prepare a “Childcare Handbook for Men” (from April 2022)
- Implement a campaign to inform internally of childcare-related measures in collaboration with the union (from October 2021)
[Target 4] Realize a work environment where various people can work autonomously and flexibly without the limitations of place by continued use and advancement of remote work.
[Specific actions]
- Enhance the teleworking system (from April 2021)
- Improve and promote the use of “Remote Work Guide” (from April 2021)
- Implement a periodical survey on the status of operation of remote work (from October 2021)
Female networking event “Oasis”
Our voluntary female networking event “Oasis” with the participation of interested female employees is also very active. Recently, we are seeing male employees also participating in this event, and through this, people are forming a bond with each other beyond generations, enabling them to talk about their experience.
Our efforts to hire employees with disabilities
Internally, we are committed to increasing the number of people with disabilities we hire by creating a “Relaxation Room” primarily for employees with visual impairments and “Social Office,” which offers work-related support. Externally, we procure products from special-needs schools, sponsor para-sports teams, and are involved in other activities. We promote, both internally and externally, the expansion of places where people with disabilities can actively participate.
On April 1, 2021, we established special subsidiary Act. Corporation.
We, together with Act., continue to create mechanisms and opportunities for people with disabilities to actively participate in our company as “colleagues who work together to expand our business.”