Basic Concept

The Nisshinbo Group's action guideline states “Respect for Diversity” and clearly states that the Group respects diversity and strives to lead to results by making the most of each person's individuality and abilities.

The goal of the Nisshinbo Group's diversity and inclusion activities is to foster an organizational culture in which employees can speak and act freely without excessive reserve. A vibrant and supportive workplace requires that people recognize and respect the differences among them and make use of each other's strengths. Starting from a sense of the “uniqueness of each individual,” and the Group is continuing its promotion activities.

Promotion System

The Nisshinbo Group established the Diversity Development Department in July 2015 to enable diverse human resources to play an active role and to ensure the Group's sustainable growth. Under a system in which the Director and the Chief of the Corporate Strategy Center of Nisshinbo Holdings, Inc. is in charge, the Group is engaged in activities to promote diversity and inclusion.

The Diversity Development Department hosts the diversity promotion managers' meeting, where the entire Group works together to create an organizational culture in which diverse human resources can play an active role. To promote diversity in accordance with the Sustainability Promotion Plan, the Group has set targets and Key performance indicators (KPIs) for “Group-wide D&I penetration initiatives,” “Securing diverse human resources,“ and “Promoting diverse human resources,” and is taking measures.

• Sustainability Promotion Plan and KPIs

Specific Initiatives of The Nisshinbo Group

In the revised “Fifth Sustainability Promotion Plan,” the Nisshinbo Group has made the promotion of diversity and inclusion key action items. The Group is promoting activities while implementing the PDCA cycle with the following targets and KPIs: ①Communicating the top management message and implementing measures that contribute to the success of diverse human resources, ②Ratio of female recruitment to total recruits, ③Rate of managers hired as mid-career employees to total managers, 11％, ④Rate of female managers to total managers, 6％, and ⑤Rate of training on psychological safety, 100％.

In FY2023, as measures to increase the ratio of female managers, the group will focus on introducing a female leadership development program, establishing a career consultation service, and presenting role models, while gathering the real voices of female employees and their supervisors.

In FY2022, in accordance with the “Sustainability Promotion Plan” before its revision, the Group will set targets for each company as KPIs, such as ①Employment rate of persons with disabilities (Ratio of achieving companies), 100%, ②Efforts to increase the ratio of women in management candidate positions and to increase the ratio of women hired for such positions in accordance with the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace – General Business Operator Action Plans, and proceeded with initiatives by annually checking and verifying progress and implementing the PDCA cycle.

Promotion of Women's Activities

In accordance with the Act on the Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, Nisshinbo Holdings Inc. has formulated the General Business Operator Action Plans. The KPIs were revised and activities started on April 1, 2022, and all were achieved by the end of FY2022. Similar initiatives are being implemented at 18 Group companies^* in Japan other than the Company.

* Japan Radio Co., Ltd., Nagano Japan Radio Co., Ltd., Ueda Japan Radio Co., Ltd., JRC Tokki Co., Ltd., JRC Engineering Co., Ltd., JRC System Service Co., Ltd., Nagano Japan Radio Manufacturing Co., Ltd., NJ Components Co., Ltd., Nisshinbo Micro Devices Inc., Nisshinbo Micro Devices AT Co., Ltd., Nisshinbo Micro Devices Fukuoka Co., Ltd., Nisshinbo Brake Inc., Nisshinbo Mechatronics Inc., Nanbu Plastics Co., Ltd., Kyushu Nanbu Plastics Co., Ltd., Nisshinbo Chemical Inc., Nisshinbo Textile Inc., Tokyo Shirts Co., Ltd.

In the Fifth Sustainability Promotion Plan, the Group has set KPIs aiming for rate of female managers to total managers, 6％ (KPIs of Nisshinbo Holdings Inc.). To achieve this goal, the Group is implementing a variety of initiatives. Details of the measures are described in “Training that contributes to women's success” in “Diversity and Inclusion Training ~From Top Management to General Employees~” below.

Diversity and Inclusion Training ~From Top Management to General Employees~

Since FY2021, the Nisshinbo Group has sponsored training sessions of “psychological safety” linking Diversity and Inclusion for group companies in Japan, targeting executives, managers, and general employees, with “the aim of understanding the concept and importance of psychological safety, which is the cornerstone of Diversity and Inclusion.” As of the end of June 2022, 100% of employees of targeted group companies had completed the course.

Starting in FY2023, the Group plans to conduct diversity and inclusion training using case studies. In addition to conducting video training on psychological safety for leaders and members, the Group plans to hold workshops to deepen each individual's thinking on psychological safety. TheGroup will also send messages to Japan and overseas group companies to convey the top management's policy and ideas on diversity and inclusion.

Training that contributes to women's success

The Group has conducted the following training programs that contribute to women's success. Since FY2022, the Group has conducted interviews with female employees and their supervisors to identify issues. Based on the results of the hearings, the Group will introduce a new female leader development program in FY2023.

Support for the Success of People with Disabilities

The Nisshinbo Group is working to create a workplace environment in which everyone, regardless of disability, can work with vitality and respect for diversity.

In the revised Fifth Sustainability Promotion Plan, as before the revision, the Group has set a target of employment rate of persons with disabilities (Ratio of achieving companies), 100% in Japan companies with 43.5 or more employees.
In FY2022, all Japan group companies will have achieved the employment rate of persons with disabilities.

Support for the Success of Senior Employees

Nisshinbo Holdings Inc. has established a reemployment system for employees who have reached the mandatory retirement age of 60, which is called the Senior Employee System.

As a measure to support the success of senior employees, the Nisshinbo Group has been conducting training for management-level employees with the aim of enabling them to think about and prepare for post-retirement working styles, and from FY2021, the training will be extended to general employees. In the training, participants learn about money planning, health, and careers in order to look at their careers and live energetically and actively even after retirement. Career training is conducted by instructors trained within the Group, and many people have participated in the training.

Specific Activities of the Group Companies

Promoting Employment of People with Disabilities

The Nisshinbo Group has been using the “Telework Office Fujieda Ekimae” (operated by the Shizuoka Association of Companies for Employment of Persons with Disabilities) since 2019 to promote employment of persons with disabilities.

The office is a facility for people with mental and developmental disabilities who are experiencing various problems in the workplace, and resident "guardian (counselors)" manage their attendance and provide daily health counseling. In this age of diversification, the "guardian" supports both the disabled and the company staff to reduce anxiety and create a safe and secure work environment, creating a D&I model that improves both the company's operations and employment of people with disabilities. Currently, six members of its group are working in this office, using the Web to power inventory control, accounting, general affairs, system development, and environmental survey report preparation work.

Recruitment of New Graduates for Global Human Resources

Japan Radio Co., Ltd. has conducted recruitment activities for students of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology in order to strengthen the recruitment of global human resources for new graduates for the FY2022.

In cooperation with a recruiting agency affiliated with the university, seven students participated in a seven-day internship program. The internship was very well received and provided reassurance to students who had never been to Japan before who wished to work in Japan.

Promoting Employment for the Disabled

Nanbu Plastics Co., Ltd., implemented the following measures related to employing people with disabilities and continues to achieve the statutory employment rate for people with disabilities.

①Telework with supervision

Three people with disabilities telework from the office by using the resident "Telework Office Fujieda Ekimae" (Shizuoka Prefecture), which is supported by observers who manage their physical condition. Care is taken to maintain the psychological safety of the individual to ensure stable work.

②Acceptance of Workplace Practice from Special Support Schools

The company accepts students from the nearby special needs school senior college club for practical work with an eye toward working after graduation. Participating students begin to understand the basic attitudes or behaviors for work after graduation, as well as the characteristics of their own disability, and companies can identify the characteristics and abilities of students before employment, thus exerting the effects on smooth employment after graduation.

③Acceptance of referrals from a continuing employment support facility

Referral from a work continuity support facility accepts people with disabilities, and the company checks the likelihood and matches of working to appropriate tasks with the support of a professional instructor, such as work guidance and manual preparation.

Support for Recruitment and Retention through Workplace Tours and Practical Training

Nisshinbo Chemical Inc., Asahi Plant, provides support for recruitment and retention of people with disabilities so that they can work with fulfillment and lead independent social lives.

In the company’s recruitment activities, the company always provides workplace tours and practical work experience to those who wish to work, in order to dispel their concerns about employment and to enable them to work in accordance with their wishes. In the area of retention support, the company strives to check on the physical condition of workers on a daily basis outside of work hours and to create communication that facilitates consultation, communication, and reporting. The company is also in close contact with an employment support organization for people with disabilities, and participates in seminars sponsored by this support organization and visits to other companies where people with disabilities are working to broaden its knowledge.

In 2022, two new employees joined its company. The company will continue its recruitment and retention activities.

Hiring of Woman Regular Employees

Over the five-year period from 2018 to 2022, Nisshinbo Urban Development Co., Ltd. hired seven women as regular employees through new graduates, mid-career hires, and conversion from part-timers.

The benefits of this effort have included the following: ①new ideas are generated by incorporating women's perspectives and ways of thinking, thereby encouraging diversification of products and services and improving customer satisfaction. ②By creating a workplace environment where women can advance their careers, it will be possible to secure and develop excellent human resources. ③The active participation of women will enhance teamwork and communication.

In the future, by improving the workplace environment and reviewing regulations, the Group will promote the career advancement of women and aim to promote women to senior management positions.