Human Resource Management and Labor Practices

To maximize each person’s abilities, we aim to build organizations that offer a wide range of options, allow each individual to make the most of their abilities, and are united by mutual respect. In addition, we promote the maintenance and promotion of employee health and safe working environments as the foundation of these efforts.

In FY2022, we introduced a full flextime system with no core time. In the past, core hours (hours that employees must work) were set, but in order to accommodate flexible work styles, core hours were abolished. In principle, employees can now freely set their own arrival and departure times according to their own workload, enabling them to work more efficiently in accordance with their own work schedule than ever before.

To promote employee well-being and to enhance work efficiency by, for example, reducing time spent in transit when visiting sites out of the office, we established a telework system encompassing working from home and from satellite offices in April 2023. Aiming to respect employees’ autonomous work styles while improving corporate performance, we position telework as one work style option.

For employees who are found to be working long hours, the Company requires them to meet with an industrial physician, who will give the Company advice and guidance in order to prevent health problems. Employees and the Company are to comply with this policy to avoid working long hours if at all possible. Also, the Human Resources Department will conduct hearings with the relevant organizations as needed. Through these efforts, we are working with each organization to examine measures to improve long working hours, not only ensure compliance with laws and regulations, but also promote reducing long working hours.

In addition to maternity and childcare leave systems, we have a number of systems in place to allow parents to continue working while pregnant or raising children. These include reduced duties and time off for doctor’s visits during pregnancy, time off to care for sick children, a system of shortened work hours and flextime after returning from leave, and a system of providing discounts on babysitting services. After returning from leave, employees are eligible for reduced work hours up to the end of the child’s third year of elementary school and may work reduced hours with no reduction in pay until the child’s third birthday. Many employees take childcare leave, and when they return to work, as a rule, they are placed in the divisions in which they worked before. These measures are taken to create a pleasant working environment.
Furthermore, on October 1, 2022, we launched a new childcare leave system called “Hello Baby” leave. This system grants employees up to eight weeks of special paid leave within the eight-week period starting the day after their child is born. The maximum legal requirement for providing paternity leave after childbirth in Japan is four weeks, unpaid. By offering leave that is up to double that length and paid, we are promoting employees’ active involvement in childcare and fostering a culture in which employees can actively participate professionally regardless of gender

Since FY2017, Kanematsu has maintained a "Bronze Week" system for systematically encouraging the use of annual paid vacation days. This is intended to make it easier for employees to take off the time they are entitled to and create workplaces that are more comfortable and rewarding.
From FY2021, we have upgraded the system, renaming it the Bronze Week Plus System; removing the system of having employees choose from designated candidate days off, allowing for easier usage. We also increased the minimum number of days employees are required to use through the system to five days, to ensure compliance with the Revised Labor Standards Act's requirement that employees take at least five days of paid vacation per year. Since the system's introduction, the rate of annual vacation days used has risen steadily, reaching 73.8% in FY2020. We will continue working to create even more employee-friendly workplaces and further increase the paid annual vacation usage rate.

In FY2020, we established the "My Weekend" system to encourage employees to take their paid annual vacation to, for example, pursue their hobbies or enjoy special family occasions. This system is aimed at helping employees feel comfortable taking days off for important events and giving greater priority to their personal lives. In particular, managerial employees, who often find it particularly difficult to take time off, are asked to use at least five days per year. This system thus provides support to help employees prioritize both their work and private lives.

As a measure against global warming and out of consideration for the environment, we have made changes to the office dress code to allow employees to work in clothes that fit the season and weather. We hope to enhance our employees’ independence, productivity and creativity by allowing each person to autonomously choose clothes that they feel comfortable working in.

Under the medium-term vision “future135,” Kanematsu aims to improve employee satisfaction (ES) as part of its priority initiatives. To this end, 2nd engagement survey was held in FY2022. Compared to the first survey, we saw improvements in employee engagement, but multiple issues still remained. Therefore, we will continue to strive further improve engagement by considering and executing measures to resolve these issues.

Kanematsu Corporation respects the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining granted by law to its employees in order to realize its corporate philosophy, "Our purpose as a Company is not only to build a sound and flourishing business, but to fulfill our responsibilities as a corporate citizen, contributing to society and the security and well-being prosperity." as stipulated in "Our Beliefs."
The Kanematsu Labor Union was established on August 1, 1967 to maintain and improve the working conditions of its members, to enhance their economic and social status, and to promote their common welfare.

Kanematsu and the Kanematsu Labor Union have concluded a union shop agreement; the union has 579 members (employees/non-consolidated :798) as of March 31, 2023.
The organization of the labor union is as shown in the figure below. Headquarter officers, who serve as the executive body, and delegates, who serve as the resolving body, are decided through elections. All general members of the union are able to express their opinions in workplace discussions .