Social
DIALOGUE WITH EMPLOYEES
We encourage close communication between employees and management so that, by 2030, we will be an organization of diverse employees empowered to create new value that addresses social issues. To foster such communication and dialogue, we are building an open, speak-up culture in which members with differing values and perspectives feel confident in trying out new ideas.
Actions
- In-house Awards Program (THE AWARDS)
- Employee Town Meetings
- Employee Satisfaction Survey (stress check)
- Pulse Survey
- Working with Union Toward Our Vision
In-house Awards Program (THE AWARDS)
In 2023, we launched an awards program for KOKUYO Group called The Awards. The program is designed to create a culture in which our employees put into words what they want to attempt and then receive support for taking on those challenges from those around them. In 2024, three awards were offered to praise our close colleagues such as people and teams who are working hard on YOKOKU, people who have grown, and people who are providing support behind the scenes. The awards were presented along with the President’s Award for activities contributing to KOKUYO’s value enhancement. In 2024, four of the winning teams presented their initiatives to the organization as a whole in an event called Great Job Story. All four presentations were dramatics, with peaks, troughs, and tears. The presentations were delivered online by the members themselves.
Winners in 2024
Best YOKOKU Award
Teams and projects which take on YOKOKU and work on various experiments (self-nomination or nomination by others)
Most Improved Person (MIP) Award
A colleague who has undergone remarkable growth (nomination by others)
Most Supportive Person (MSP) Award
A colleague who supports and advances experiments in various aspects (nomination by others)
Employee Town Meetings
Managers held town meetings with employees to allow employees to voice their feelings about their own careers, their expectations toward future career support measures, their concerns and queries, and things that inspire them. Because the problems employees face depend on their life stage, the town meetings in 2024 were designed for certain age groups (a meeting would be called, for example, “Honest Conversation with Employees in their ##s) or for employees with children. A total of 14 town meetings were held online.
Employee Satisfaction Survey (stress check)
We conduct an annual stress check as required under law. By analyzing the responses, along with overtime data and interview data, we identify issues. With this information, HR liaises with the organizational units in question to facilitate dialogues aimed at prompting self-led solutions.
Pulse Survey
To provide an effective feedback loop, KOKUYO and Kaunet conduct pulse surveys, a type of survey that is conducted frequently (once a month in our case). Pulse surveys provide immediate data about individual employees and teams. The data can be represented using metrics related to alert response or team improvement and collated with other datasets. Pulse surveys also give the management immediate feedback about frontline workplaces, enabling the management to take timely action in pursuit of the organization’s long-term vision (such action may include introducing a new workstyle). In summary, these monthly pulse surveys allow us to continually monitor the condition of teams and the organization. They also contribute to an open, speak-up culture, in which employees of any position feel able to share ideas and feedback on an equal footing.
Working with Union Toward Our Vision
We have a process of dialogue in place to ensure that the company and employee union see eye to eye. Twice a year, senior managers meet with union representatives to exchange opinions and negotiate. We also hold monthly labor-management meetings in which human resource person and union representatives negotiate with a view to creating the right workplace and work conditions and clarifying the best way forward for the company and its employees. In this way, management and union representatives work together to foster a positive mindset, make organizational improvements to boost employee engagement and job satisfaction, and take other actions to create a workplace in which employees feel safe and well in body and mind.