Relationships with Employees Back Number (2014)
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Basic Approach
Since its founding, the Minebea Group has recognized that employees are its most valuable resource, and one of our "Five Principles" is that the company should become a place where its employees are proud to work. The Minebea Group is committed to maintaining and improving workplaces where each of our employees can work safely and in good health, and fully exercise his or her abilities.
Minebea Group Workforce (people)
| Employees | Japanese staff on overseas assignment | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Total | |||
| Japan | 2,838 | 563 | 3,401 | 0 | 3,401 |
| North America | 1,197 | 820 | 2,017 | 25 | 2,042 |
| Europe | 819 | 412 | 1,231 | 23 | 1,254 |
| Asia | 10,730 | 36,930 | 47,660 | 411 | 48,071 |
| Total | 15,584 | 38,725 | 54,309 | 459 | 54,768 |
Employment at Domestic Group Companies
| Average length of employment | Average age | Retirement/Resignation | Turnover rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 years, 0 months | 42 years, 11 months | 115 people | 3.29% |
Overtime Work Data
| Average number of overtime hours/month | 6.3 hours/month |
|---|---|
| Average overtime wages/month | 13,811 yen/month |
Human Resources Development
The Minebea Group is actively developing global human resources. In FY2013, we conducted a management training program for employees prior to their overseas appointments, which was attended by 95 employees. Additionally, we offered employees opportunities to improve their English language skills prior to overseas assignments.
Brother-Sister System
A Brother-Sister System was introduced for employees of Minebea Group's domestic sales division in FY2011. Under this system, a young employee takes on the role of mentor for a new employee and provides guidance and training over a period of six months. Brothers and sisters acting as mentors take part in seminars prior to their assignments to better understand the program and create six-month mentoring plans.
In addition to teaching business skills, the program supports relationship building so new employees can freely consult their mentors concerning issues unrelated to work as well. This helps raise new employees' motivation levels and supports their independence in accordance with the training program plan.
In FY2013, 7 new employees took part in this system.
Global Human Resources Development
The Minebea Group is actively developing global human resources. In FY2013, we conducted a management training program for employees prior to their overseas appointments, which was attended by 95 employees. Additionally, we offered employees opportunities to improve their English language skills prior to overseas assignments.
Our personnel guidelines stipulate five-year terms for overseas assignments as a way to provide as many employees as possible with opportunities to work in the global arena.
Overseas training programs are conducted for both Japanese expatriates and locally hired employees. Training for Japanese employees is based on programs offered in Japan, while local employees are trained through programs offered by each of our respective subsidiaries.
Experiencing an Overseas Assignment
After three years at the Karuizawa Plant working in materials and fault analysis, I was transferred to Materials Science Laboratories in Thailand to support analysis work. I'd wanted to work overseas since entering the company, and this is my second year in Thailand.
When a problem occurs in the mass production processes, it's important to prevent even problems which seem small from becoming major problems by identifying the cause and the potential impact. Unraveling these problems makes it possible to implement daily improvement activities. I strive to maintain close communication with everyone involved, proposing many different analysis methods and solutions. Since coming to Thailand, I've been intimately involved in the mass production processes, and I feel responsible for making rapid and accurate judgments. Going forward, I'd like to help standardize work processes requiring knowledge and experience, sharing and collaborating with the local employees to perform analysis work.
Principal Domestic Training Programs by Rank
| Program | Participants | Aim of Training |
|---|---|---|
| New Employee Training | New employees |
|
| Junior Employee Training | Employees in their second year of employment |
|
| Intermediate Level Employee 1 Training | In principle, employees in their fifth year of employment |
|
| Intermediate Level Employee 2 Training | In principle, employees in their tenth year of employment |
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| New Assistant Manager Training | New assistant manager-level employees |
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| New Manager Training | New manager-level employees |
|
Fair and Balanced Evaluation
At the Minebea Group, impartiality and objectivity are our prime concerns in evaluating the abilities and performance of our employees. Compensation and benefits reflect the results of these evaluations so as to create a workplace where workers can feel that they are performing valuable work and where ambitious employees are encouraged to perform to their maximum potential. We will continue implementing personnel policies based on rewarding effort and achievement and permitting a flexible response to future changes in the workplace environment and employment structure.
Workforce Diversity
As an organization that conducts global business activities, the Minebea Group believes it is important to strengthen human resource capabilities through workforce diversity. We are striving to create work environments where all employees can maximize their talents without regard to gender, age, nationality, or disability.
Promoting a Women-Friendly Workplace
More than 38,000 female employees are working for the Minebea Group worldwide, accounting for about 70% of our total workforce. For this reason, we will continue to actively work toward the promotion of female employees to management positions, and strive to create a workplace where they can continue to demonstrate their abilities and play an active role. We have set specific targets of raising the ratio of female employees in manager or higher positions to 3% of all such positions (1.7% in 2013) and the ratio of females in assistant manager or equivalent positions to 8% of all such positions (4.4% in 2013) by 2017.
Hiring global human resources
The Minebea Group has set a goal to develop and utilize employees who can support global business expansion. As one initiative, the Group is actively hiring foreign exchange students studying at Japanese universities. Among the 64 new hires joining the company in April 2014, one was non-Japanese.
In FY2013, the Minebea Group continued to participate in the Boston Career Forum in the U.S. to recruit Japanese studying abroad. We plan to continue participating in this event in coming years.
Initiatives Regarding Employees with Disabilities
The Minebea Group actively hires persons with disabilities. As of June 2013, the percentage of employees with disabilities was 1.69%. We plan to bolster our efforts to raise employment of persons with disabilities to the legally mandated rate (2.0%).
Our initiatives also consider improvement in the workplace environment by ensuring that all employees, no matter whether or not they have a disability, are motivated to work by having people with specialized skills acting in leadership roles.
Initiatives Regarding Reemployment of Seasoned Employees
The retirement age for Minebea Group employees in Japan is 62. So that highly skilled and motivated employees may continue working longer, and to enable them to pass on their skills and expertise to younger employees. In response to the implementation of the Act of Stabilization of Employment of Elderly Persons, in principle we re-employ all employees who have a desire to continue working after mandatory retirement. In FY2013, we rehired 43 employees in Japan.
Respect for Human Rights
In light of the importance of corporate compliance (corporate ethics and legal compliance), the Minebea Group prohibits unfair discrimination due to race, age, gender, nationality and religion. For employees assigned to overseas sites in regions with different cultures, we provide sensitivity training prior to their assignments. Additionally, during rank-based training, we include educational programs to prevent harassment based on the Minebea Group Officer and Employee Compliance Guidelines. Moreover, we are working to prevent human rights abuses by providing a consultation center and an internal reporting system.
Initiatives for Creating Environments Conducive to Working
Support for Diversity in Work Patterns
We believe that the Minebea Group's attention to the work-life balance of its employees will be rewarding them and lead to a sense of fulfillment. To this end, we have a flexible system that enables employees to take time off for childbirth, childrearing, caring for family members, and other important events in their private lives. We have also established the Overseas Vacation for Veteran Employees Program, which gives employees who have worked for Minebea for over 30 years an opportunity to rest and recuperate.
We will continue to improve the workplace environment so our employees may work with peace of mind.
Using the Child Care Leave System
My daughter was born in October 2013, and I'm now using the childcare leave system. My days are hectic with feeding, caring, and changing diapers for her. When she takes afternoon naps, I have a moment to read a book and prepare meals. All in all, it is a very satisfying lifestyle.
In October 2014, I'll return to work after my daughter turns one year old. I'm grateful to have had plenty of time during my leave finding a good nursery school, focusing on schools that are both conveniently located and have a good overall atmosphere.
Now that I'm now preparing to return to work, I'm studying ways to efficiently use my time so that I can perform both my job and my household duties in a limited amount of time. I'm now considering whether or not to use Shorter Working Hours for Childcare system after the childcare leave. Thanks to these systems, I can devote myself to childcare now and have the opportunity to use the shorter working hour system to continue caring for my daughter after I return to work.
Principal Special Leave Benefits for Employees in Japan and the Number of Users
| Benefit | Description | Total users |
|---|---|---|
| Child care leave | Paid leave or shorter working hours for employees caring for children | 98 persons |
| Family care leave | Paid leave or shorter working hours for employees with family members requiring care | 2 persons |
| Overseas vacation for veteran employees | Trip to Thailand, China (Shanghai), or Singapore for employees with 30 years of service, and their families | 26 persons |
Labor Relations
As recited in the Minebea Group Code of Conduct, the Minebea Group recognizes freedom of association and endeavors to build harmonious labor relations by holding regular labor-management meetings and taking other measures to actively communicate with labor unions and employee representatives on issues such as the work environment and working conditions.
Health and Occupational Safety Management
The Minebea Group firmly believes that a safe, healthy workplace is key to improving product and service quality, consistency of manufacturing operations, and employee morale.
Each of our plants has a Health and Safety Committee comprised of numerous working groups with responsibility for workplace safety, health issues, and other such concerns. These committees meet regularly to review working group progress toward individual targets. In addition, the Minebea Group's principal plants in its mass production bases of Thailand, China, and Singapore have obtained OHSAS 18001 certification.
In the event of a fire, workplace injury, traffic accident, or other similar incident, safety managers take the lead in identifying the cause and handling the issue appropriately and ensure that information about such incidents is shared with other production sites in each country to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Regular patrols at plants
Employees conduct a safety patrol
We conduct monthly safety patrols at the Karuizawa and other plants to ensure that past issues have been addressed and to identify any new issues for improvement. The patrols help to confirm that areas around manufacturing equipment are kept clean and orderly, to request improvements when unsafe areas are discovered, to ensure that tools are stored properly, and to confirm that safety glasses and earplugs are being used.
Promoting Health Management
The Minebea Group strives to maintain and improve the health of its employees in accordance with health-related laws in each country and the circumstances of each work site. We provide employees with regular health checkups, health consultations, send notices to employees to curb overtime work hours, and have industrial physicians make regular rounds at work sites.
In regard to mental health care, which has drawn social interest in recent years, we have a consultation structure in place led by industrial physicians and counselors. Additionally, the health advisors working at each plant meet quarterly to discuss issues. Our employee magazine regularly publishes mental health information and we distribute mental health checklists during regular health checkups. In these ways, we are promoting prevention through employee self-assessment and care.
Future Issues and Goals
Moving forward, we will take various measures to improve work-life balance and strengthen health managements in order to encourage high levels of motivation and maintain a work environment in which employees can work energetically.
Furthermore, we continue to take various measures to create work environments which can nurture global-minded employees, pass down know-how from one generation to the next, and leverage our diversity. These measures will support our growth as a global enterprise.
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