Creation of a Vigorous and Lively Workplace
D&I Promotion
We have positioned D&I (Diversity & Inclusion) as our management strategy to promote the success of our diverse workforce; in 2017, we announced the D&I Declaration, which has three pillars: Management reform, Work style reform, and Promotion of the success of diverse human resources.
Management Reform
360-degree Feedback
In fiscal 2018, we provided 360-degree feedback to managers. This system helps employees recognize the gap between how they are evaluated and how they see themselves as well as their personal strengths and weaknesses based on multifaceted feedback obtained from supervisors, colleagues and subordinates, allowing them to take the initiative in their career development.
Distribution of Management Guidebook
"SWS Iku-boss management guidebook has been distributed to managers as a result of "Aim for Iku-boss training" conducted in fiscal 2019. Each manager is informed about the necessary attitudes and behaviors for an iku-boss of the SWS Group.
Work Style Reform
Work-Interval System
In fiscal 2019, we introduced the work-interval system with the purpose of protecting the physical and mental health and safety of our employees.
Work from Home Arrangements
In response to the spread of COVID-19, working from home arrangemets, which had been limited to employees engaged in childcare and nursing care, is now widely applied to employees.
We will continue to study its use as a new way of working.
Reduction of Total Working Hours
We have set a common target for annual total working hours for labor and management, and are working to equalize work at each workplace and reduce total working hours. The average total annual working hours per employee was 1943 hours in fiscal 2022, and the average number of paid vacations, we set a common labor-management target of 80%, taken in fiscal 2022 was 16.3 days (81.5%) for the entire company.
Promotion of the Success of Diverse Human Resources
Active Participation of Women in the Workforce
The Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace
In FY2021, we re-established an action plan based on the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace.
(1) Increase the number of female managers to 50 or more by fiscal 2023, and increase the ratio of female managers of all managerial positions to 3% or more.
(2) Ratio of female employees in career track positions (new graduates): Maintain 30% or more for administrative work, and 10% or more for engineering.
(3) Average overtime hours for all employees to be less than 10 hours/month.
As of April 1, 2023, the number of female managers reached 46, or 2.4% of all managerisl positions.
the number of new graduates hired as female career track positions was 31.4% for administrative work and 11.8% for engineering. In addition, we provide training programs for female employees at different levels to support their career development.
Employment of Physically or Mentally Challenged Persons
We established our special subsidiary, SWS Smile, in May 2013 to promote the employment of physically or mentally challenged persons and enhance our support system to correspond with individual abilities. At first these employees were mainly engaged in recycling work such as sorting and dismantling wire harness parts, but they are now broadening their work options by continuously challenging themselves to engage in new tasks, such as maintaining the grass and vegetation around the company and shredding documents.
In May 2023, we received "Monisu certification" from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as an excellent small and medium-sized businesses operator working to employ people with disabilities.
Although our employment rate of 2.55% meets the statutory employment rate as of April 2022, we will continue with our active promotion of the employment of physically or mentally challenged persons.
Global Relocation Program
We introduced the Global Relocation Program as an upgraded version of the conventional overseas dispatching system to strengthen the development of global human resources and promote the localization and diversity of our operations both in and outside of Japan. As of fiscal 2022, 34 employees have used the program, and 34 employees have used the program in April 2023. Some of the benefits we expect from it include the establishment of a corporate culture/system that encourages the active participation of diverse human resources, the reduction of domestic hiring and slowing the increase of expatriate employees. Similar benefits expected for local companies overseas include the development of management personnel, the improved technical skills of local employees, an increased retention rate and a greater sense of loyalty among proven, long-standing employees. We will strive to be a company that supports active participation of diverse employees by further facilitating employee exchange arrangements with local companies.
Balance between Childcare / Nursing Care and Work
"Platinum Kurumin"
In May 2016, we acquired Platinum Kurumin certification by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare through the creation of a system that makes it easier for both male and female employees to participate in childcare and the holding of Parent's Meetings.
Childcare/Nursing Care Leave
The rate of childcare leave taken is 100% for female employees and 78% for male employees in fiscal 2023, with the rate for male employees in particular improving. In addition, a certain number of employees have taken nursing care leave.
Connect Kids
We opened childcare centers at Yokkaichi and Suzuka Plants in April 2017 respectively. As of June 30, 2023, 28 employees (13 in Yokkaichi and 15 in Suzuka) use Connect Kids.
Policy for Cultivating Human Resources
Capacity Building Programs
In January 2020, we established a new Career Counseling Desk staffed by qualified personnel and started providing career counseling for those who wish, as well as to career-track employees in their third year of employment and career entrants. Through career counseling, we support the diverse career development of our employees. The number of consultations to date is 18 for career counseling and 100 for the third year of employment counseling in fiscal 2019, and 55 for career counseling, and 97 for the third year of employment counseling in fiscal 2020.
Regarding the SWS WAY, the Sumitomo Wiring Systems Group's action principles, we assembled a project team and released a new SWS WAY in October 2020 to strike a chord with people overseas.
In the future, we will focus more on educating employees on our corporate philosophy and SWS WAY, and at the same time, we will support mid to long-term career development by helping employees understand their expected roles and behaviors through position-based training, setting necessary skills and career development goals, and formulating and implementing action plans through employees' training interviews.
In addition, due to the recent spread of COVID-19, we have been unable to hold group training sessions and have been promoting the online training system. In addition to e-learning on business etiquette for new employees, we have been promoting e-learning for various training programs and have switched to online training using online tools to enhance the content.
We will continue to encourage more efficient training operations in the future by utilizing online training courses that do not require travel and e-learning that does not have time constraints.
Development of Global Human Resources
We are trying to develop our employees into global personnel by giving them early experience in overseas operations and providing them with extensive training to understand different cultures and improve their language skills. We also provide training to develop the core personnel of overseas group companies into global executives.
Global Leadership Development Program (GLP)
The GLP is held once a year to develop future executive and managers. Participants learn what they need to know in the area of leadership during the five-day training session, which is held in Japan.
Overseas Managers Training
To develop future executive candidates and promote mutual networking between companies, we offer training for managers in four regions worldwide.
New Employee Training at Overseas Plants
We conduct practical training at overseas wire harness plants for all new employees in our group (in Japan) in career-track positions. By experiencing the local environment, reality, and the actual products, we aim to make our employees active as global personnel at an early stage.
Overseas Trainee System
Selected young employees receive training while experiencing local operations. Since the start of the program, a total of 482 employees (as of March 31, 2021) have used their experience to build their careers.
Language training for expatriate candidates (English speaking training)
Since 2018, we have been conducting a program to improve the English language skills of expatriate candidates so that they can play an active role as soon as they are transferred to their new posts. 38 people in total (as of March 31, 2021) have participated in the program. Participants take the program for a total of 140 hours over four months and receive extensive follow-up on their learning so that they can make English learning a habit.
Human Rights
The Sumitomo Electric Group Policy on Human Rights
In accordance with the Sumitomo Spirit, the Sumitomo Electric Group Corporate Principles and Sumitomo Wiring Systems Group Basic Principles, we as a member of Sumitomo Electric Group value a high standard of corporate ethics and unwaveringly uphold the basic policy of conducting fair and honest business activities.
Based on the underlying philosophies, we have always promoted initiatives to ensure respect for human rights, and in accordance with the Sumitomo Electric Group Policy on Human Rights established in March 2019 by SEI Group, we further promote the respect of human rights within the group.
Process of Human Rights Due Diligence
Based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and Guidelines on Respect for Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, SEI and SWS Group established internal rules for conducting human rights due diligence.* In accordance with this process, we conduct human rights due diligence to ensure that human rights in our Group are respected.
*Human rights due diligence refers to a series of acts undertaken by business enterprises to identify, prevent, and mitigate adverse impacts on human rights in their business enterprise, group companies, and suppliers, etc., to track the effectiveness of their responses, and to account and disclose information on how they addressed the adverse human rights impacts.
Human Rights Risks (Major and potential risks)
Based on domestic and international standards related to respect for human rights including the International Bill of Human Rights and the ILO Constitution, we consider the following as risks that our business may adversely impact human rights.
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Group Human Rights Due Diligence Survey 2022
Period
Survey was conducted from November 2022 to January 2023.
Target Companies
Sumitomo Wiring Systems and Group companies in Japan and overseas (excl. Affiliated Companies) Approx. 115 companies
Survey Items and Contents
For this fiscal year, we focused on child labor, forced labor, and migrant workers under the following contents.
・ No fact of employing children (workers under 15 years old)
・ No fact of forced labor (such as restriction on workers’
behavior, debt bondage, or forced internal deposits)
・Compliance with internal rules regarding employment of migrant
workers (internal rules such as no hiring fees, etc. to be
borne by the worker, no passports, etc. to be kept by the
company, employment contracts to be signed in a language which
the worker understands, etc.)
Results
According to the survey results, no risks related to child labor, forced labor or migrant workers were identified.
Future Actions
We will continue to conduct Human Rights Due Diligence Surveys and continue to engage in the human rights due diligence process.
Human Rights Consultation Desk
We have established human rights consultation desks in each region and plant in each country to resolve human rights issues as they are reported while strictly protecting privacy.
*Please refer to the Supplier Code of Conduct on the "Strengthening and Promoting the Compliance System" page for more information on our supply chain initiatives.