Principal Themes：Human Rights and Labor
Diversity & Inclusion
Promotion of Diversity & Inclusion utilizing diverse individuality
As part of its non-financial strategy to strengthen its business base, the DNP Group aims to
significantly enhance human creativity (added value productivity). To realize this, we believe that it is important
to transition from a homogenous and uniform organization to one rich in diversity. To ensure that a diverse
workforce can continue to thrive by leveraging their unique strengths, we have expanded various initiatives and
systems.
Our efforts to promote diversity and inclusion (D&I), which harnesses the strengths of diverse
individuals, have been highly recognized externally. Through regular employee surveys, we continually identify
challenges, such as gaps between the company’s initiatives and the realities in individual workplaces, and we
work to address these issues. This has further heightened the importance of promoting D&I that makes the most of
individual differences. As part of our FY2023-2025 Medium-term Diversity Vision, we have set the goal of making
inclusion the norm. By achieving this in every workplace, we aim to empower each employee, combine their diverse
strengths, and promote the creation of new value.
About the inclusion loop
Diverse individuals are inclusive of each other, and those around them support the challenges of individuals who take the initiative. We assess the results of these challenges as valuable experiences and, through open dialogue, connect them to a sense of fulfillment. This fosters a culture where inclusion becomes second nature, with individuals receiving recognition from their peers for their contributions and feeling motivated to embrace new challenges. These interconnected loops occur across various departments and, in unison, amplify the collective strength of All DNP.
- Structure to Promote Management
- Fostering a Culture that Diverse Human Resources Can Play Active Roles
- Initiatives and Systems that Support Active Roles of Diverse Human Resources
Structure to Promote Management
DNP has established the Diversity & Inclusion(D&I) Promotion Department under the Managing Director in charge and the direct control of the head office as the promotion organization for permeating and firmly positioning D&I throughout the Group. Moreover, we are accelerating the promotion of diversity in collaboration with the D&I Promotion Committee and the secretariat of each business unit and Group company throughout the country.In 2020, we introduced the DNP Group Diversity Declaration as top management’s commitment to promote diversity as we strengthen the further promotion of diversity.
DNP Group Diversity Declaration
1. We will take the lead in working to promote diversity and inclusion. 2. We will transform the awareness of managers into a "Dialogue style" that utilizes the differences of each and every person as strengths. 3. We will make ourselves a company where each and every employee can actively take on challenges and create new value.
July 17, 2020
Yoshinari Kitajima, President
In 1997, DNP increased its recruitment of women and expanded the scope of their work. It has been promoting Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) since then with the goal of developing a corporate culture that enables diverse human resources to play active roles. In 2016, we established the Diversity Promotion Office within the Employee Relations Department in the head office and the Diversity Promotion Committee in each business unit and Group company. We converted the then-Diversity Promotion Office (currently the D&I Promotion Department) into an independent, dedicated organization in June 2018 in our continued efforts to eliminate the gender gap and leverage the diverse strengths of all employees, including persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+, senior and non-Japanese employees.
Management Indicators
General business operator action plan
To accelerate the creation of new value, the DNP Group promotes the active participation of women and all other employees and focuses on the development of the next generation for the future. For example, we establish and implement action plans based on laws, including the setting of targets for the percentage of females in section managers or higher positions and the ratio of male employees taking childcare leave.
Setting “D&I perception level”
We have established “D&I perception level” as our own internal indicator for measuring the entrenchment of D&I among employees, conduct surveys of our employees, and develop measures based on the results.
Recognition from Society
The efforts of DNP, aiming to create new value by promoting D&I, are highly recognized outside the company as well.
Selected as a Next Nadeshiko: Company Supporting Dual Careers and Co-parenting
Selected as a Nadeshiko Brand
Acquisition of Kurumin certification for parenting support
Received Gold rating in the PRIDE Index
Highest-level certification in the D&I Award
J-Win Diversity Award
Grand Prize in the Advanced Category, Corporate Award of
the “J-Win Diversity Award 2024”
Fostering a Culture that Diverse Human Resources Can Play Active Roles
Diversity Week
Since 2021, we have held annual internal events to cultivate the sense of involvement of employees with diverse strengths that they are the members who themselves constitute DNP’s diversity and to promote dialogue to enable employees to synergize their strengths. Many employees view D&I positively, which is shown in their actions.
Implementing Diversity & Inclusion Training
DNP is working to improve the following training opportunities, among others, in order to accelerate value creation from further enhancing and multiplying the strengths of our diverse human resources.
- Diversity Course, Unconscious Bias Training, LGBTQ+ Training and Normalization Education Training to deepen employees’ understanding of D&I and translate it into action
- Mentor Development Training to acquire mentorship-related skills such as listening attentively and asking pertinent questions
- Practical Leadership Training for women to quickly engage in leadership in the workplace following promotion
- D&I Promotion Leader Development Training for deciding on and driving policies for D&I promotion activities in each organization
Mentor System
Under this system, senior employees (mentors) who have completed “mentor development training” utilize their own accumulated experience and knowledge while providing necessary information and advice to employees (mentees) who have worries in undertaking their jobs. By doing so, this system provides support for enabling mentees themselves to solve problems in a way suited to them.
Harassment Measures
With the aim of maintaining a healthy work environment, we have formulated sexual harassment
prevention regulations, power harassment prevention regulations and maternity harassment/care harassment
prevention regulations as we have established essential measures for the prevention and early detection of
problems and for devising appropriate solutions.
Additionally, as part of our management training during
promotions, we educate all trainees on how to respond appropriately to harassment. We also conduct annual
harassment training for all managers continuously.
Promoting the Active Role of Woman
To continuously create new value and build a better future, it is crucial that DNP enhance the diversity of its management and avoid the pitfalls of homogeneity. We are committed to increasing the percentage of women in executives to over 30% by 2030. Each executive is proactively engaged in and takes responsibility for the achievement of this goal. DNP is advancing various initiatives in accordance with an action plan based on the Act on the Promotion of Women’s Active Engagement in Professional Life. For example, we are systematically conducting trainings for female employees at different levels to continuously prepare them for involvement in organizational decision-making. In fiscal 2021, we launched the Sponsorship Program with the goal of promoting women to decision-making roles and increasing the diversity of the people in managerial positions. In this program, senior executives (corporate officers or deputy general managers of Operations) are sponsors for female employees in managerial positions (managers or department managers), working closely with the participants' supervisors (owners) to support their growth through a three-way partnership. This allows female participants to obtain broader perspectives and align with All-DNP approach to creating new value by combining the Group's diverse strengths. At the same time, sponsors and owners are encouraged to foster an inclusive workplace culture in their divisions, ensuring that a diverse workforce can thrive. To maintain a steady talent pipeline, it is crucial to develop future leaders. Previously, training was offered to selected women in leadership roles, but now all female leaders across the DNP Group participate in a Practical Leadership Training program.
This program helps participants build career visions early, demonstrate leadership in the workplace, and gain valuable experience. Over approximately six months, D&I promotion leaders at the division manager level work closely with female participants, engaging with them via questions to broaden their perspectives and address workplace challenges. This interaction also supports the D&I initiatives in their individual divisions. Additionally, female participants and D&I promotion leaders are provided with a learning group environment where they can put their training into practice, offer mutual feedback, and discuss both individual development and workplace challenges.
Sponsorship Program orientation
LGBTQ+
DNP is constantly working to create an organizational culture that makes better use of our
diversity, striving to create value that is wanted by the diverse members of our society.
As part of this effort, in fiscal 2019, we expanded the scope of our D&I promotion to not only include
women’s activities, working to foster an understanding of the situations faced by LGBTQ+ people. In
e-learning training for all employees, we addressed issues faced by LGBTQ+ people in the workplace and conveyed
the necessity and significance of having basic knowledge about all sexes, gender identities, sexual orientations
and gender expressions and the efforts to accept diversity and prevent SOGI harassment. We are also implementing
D&I activities such as by not requiring applicants to state their gender in their documents during job
recruitment and reviewing our systems.
At present, we are holding dialog meetings for LGBTQ+ people and “allies” who support them as well
as creating internal communities, thus continuously advancing interactive efforts. In addition to internal
activities, we participate in various social activities such as having book features to promote LGBTQ+
understanding at our DNP Plaza “Minna no Toi Bunko” (Books on Everybody’s Questions) and Pride
House Tokyo to demonstrate DNP’s stance and actions both internally and outside the company.
DNP has
been recognized for these efforts and has received the highest ranking “Gold” for fourth consecutive
years since 2021 in the PRIDE Index, an evaluation index established by the general incorporated association
"work with Pride" to promote the creation of workplaces that are comfortable for LGBTQ+ employees.
Initiatives and Systems that Support Active Roles of Diverse Human Resources
Work Style Reform
The DNP Group launched a labor-management project in 2004 and started initiatives such as reducing working hours by improving work efficiency and promoting the taking of annual paid leave. Since 2009, as work style reform activities, DNP has advanced these initiatives to the stage of effectively utilizing time resources and increasing the added value of work. Presently, DNP is working to maintain and improve the physical and mental health of each and every employee to realize “work styles that create value.” Concurrently, DNP is promoting the creation of an organizational culture that raises engagement so that employees can feel both job satisfaction and ease of work.
Work/Leave System
We have built flexible work systems suited to the job characteristics of each person.
●Flexible work systems ●Discretionary work system ●Short-time work system, etc.
Moreover, we have established diverse leave systems matched to the lifestyle of each
person.
● Annual paid leave (maximum 20 days annually) ● Childcare leave (five-day paid leave per child)
● Caregiving leave ● Life support special leave (the number of days equivalent to expired annual paid leave of
each person when the employee needs leave for childcare, caregiving, infertility, volunteering, illness, etc.
and leave is approved by the company), etc.
Support for Balancing Work and Childcare/Nursing Care
DNP has established the “Return to work from childcare leave program.” This system aims at creating an environment in which employees can take leave for childbirth and childcare with a sense of reassurance, smoothly return to their workplaces, and balance their work with household duties while deploying their capabilities.
The seminar, Kangaroo Club, to support balancing work and childcare
We provide annual seminars for employees to think together with their partners about balancing work and childcare, share their current anxieties and concerns and visions for the future, and build a vibrant career even during childcare. Many employees and their partners participate in the Pre-Mom and Dad seminars for those expecting a baby within one year and the “Dad and mom doing childcare” seminars for those on maternity leave/childcare leave or raising children three years of age or under, and their partners.
Encouraging male employees to take childcare leave
In December 2020, DNP announced its participation in the Male 100% Childcare Leave Declaration both internally and externally. We provide information about our childcare leave and other programs to both male and female employees who have reported their or their spouse’s pregnancy or the birth of a child and interview employees to confirm their intentions regarding taking a leave of absence. In addition to sharing information about the activities of the D&I Promotion Committee in which DNP Group management participates, we share within the company the relevant issues and experiences of male employees who have taken childcare leave to encourage other employees planning to take childcare leave in the near future by giving them tips such as how to take childcare leave, changes in behavior, perceptions, etc. after taking leave. This helps to facilitate the understanding of male childcare leave takers among their supervisors and colleagues in the workplace. As a result of these efforts, the percentage of male employees taking childcare leave increased to 98.7% in the fiscal year 2023.
Other Childcare Support Systems
We support employees and their families in balancing work and childcare even after employees return to work through various systems that include assistance for babysitting fees, assistance for childcare facility fees, nursing care leave, and special leave for life support.
Supporting a Balance Between Work and Nursing Care
We provide information in a handbook which is a compilation of basic knowledge, programs, reference cases, etc. about nursing care. We are enhancing support tailored to the life stage of each employee, such as a family care leave system that allows each employee to take leave an unlimited number of times up to 366 days per each care recipient and enables them to have periodical consultations regarding nursing care.
Firmly Establishing the Employment of People with Disabilities
Over long years, DNP has been promoting efforts throughout the entire Group for recruitment, settlement, and support of the active participation of people with disabilities with the aim of creating workplaces where these persons can play active roles in keeping with the basic concept of “normalization,” which helps create a society in which all people live equally comfortable lives regardless of any disabilities. To further promote these initiatives, in February 2019, we established DNP Business Partners Co., Ltd. primarily employing people with disabilities. In October of the same year, this company obtained certification as a special subsidiary from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. We will support the employment of people with disabilities by the Group companies and expand cross-organizational operations within the Group to create opportunities for many more employees to actively participate. Moreover, we decided to support the ideas and efforts of the Valuable 500, a global organization engaged in activities facilitating people with disabilities to play an active role in society, and joined the organization in July 2020. In February 2024, we established the internal disability inclusion community Hot Work. This community aims to provide a sense of security for employees with disabilities and those who have family members with disabilities. It fosters a workplace where individual personalities, abilities, and perspectives are respected, regardless of ability, enabling everyone to thrive.
Support for Other Various Work Styles
Employment of Elderly Persons (Flexible Retirement System)
We have introduced a flexible retirement system that enables employees to continue working as professionals at workplaces even after they reach age 60.
Reemployment of Retired Employees (Return-to-Work System)
This system enables the re-employment of former DNP Group employees under certain conditions. We re-employ, as appropriate, former employees wishing to resume their work in the DNP Group as human resources with diverse values and careers who are able to use the knowledge, skills, career achievements and life experiences acquired during their time in other companies or organizations.
Non-Regular to Regular Employee Conversion System
To draw out the capabilities of each person to the fullest and ensure this enables us to deploy our total strengths as an organization, we introduced this system for hiring as regular employees those outstanding part-time and non-regular staff who have a positive attitude toward their jobs and play large roles.
Telecommuting
We promote an optimal and highly productive hybrid work style that leverages both face-to-face and remote work, such as working from home, at satellite offices, or on the go, supported by a well-established and efficient IT environment.
Side Jobs/Dual (or Multiple) Jobs
To attract, develop, and retain talented individuals who can promote innovation, we actively incorporate external perspectives and partially allow side-jobs and dual jobs that contribute to the creation of new value, as long as they do not interfere with the employee’s primary job responsibilities. Additionally, we have introduced the In-house Side Job System, allowing employees to hold positions in other divisions within the DNP Group. This initiative aims to help employees acquire knowledge and skills from other divisions to encourage innovation, foster collaboration, create new value, and expand opportunities for self-directed career development.
Life Planning Promotion System
We provide information about retirement allowance, public pensions, and other topics through labor-management co-sponsorships to enable each employee to develop their own optimal life plan and live a fulfilling second life. The Second Life Preparation Guidance for employees aged 51 has been held 12 times with the participation of 691 employees and family members, while the Before Retirement Guidance for employees aged 58 has been held 23 times with participation of 651 employees and family members. Moreover, the Life Planning Seminar You Start in Your 20s for employees in their 20s and 30s has been held twice with the participation of 134 employees.
Life Planning Consultation Office
We offer support for employees and their families to realize fulfilling life plans using the social insurance system and the company’s welfare program. In fiscal 2023, we had 463 consultations with employees in a wide age range from their 20s to their 60s.
Consultation Office
We have built a system enabling employees to consult with experts, including lawyers, judicial scriveners and tax accountants, on issues such as housing (financial planning and property selection, design, construction, remodeling), laws (inheritance, family, traffic accidents), taxation and harassment and other matters of personal relevance or interest. We listen to the troubles and questions of not only employees but also family members, providing a consultation service that comprehensively supports employees of the DNP Group. In fiscal 2023, in addition to our permanent consultation offices in Tokyo and Osaka, we held on-site consultation sessions at six manufacturing locations across the country, handling a total of 739 consultations.
- *Other main consultation contact points for employees
Besides the Life Planning Consultation Office and the Consultation Office, we operate the Open Door Room and the Global Internal Whistle-blowing System as consultation and whistle-blowing contact points for matters concerning corporate ethics in line with efforts to raise management fairness. Additionally, the Career Counseling Office is supporting the diverse career designs of employees.
Employee Awareness Surveys
DNP has presented TAIWA (dialogue) as one of its Guiding Principles established in 2001 and been implementing a variety of employee surveys on a regular basis to reflect the voices of employees in corporate activities. Currently, we conduct a monthly survey of about 30,000 employees with the goal of understanding the status of employee engagement and the conditions at each workplace and developing a better corporate culture. Each organization engages in dialogue based on the survey results, which is used in improvement activities on various themes and to strengthen management. Further, we conduct employee surveys on topics, such as psychological capital and psychological safety, which are part of the DNP Group Declaration on Health, as well as the promotion of diversity and inclusion. These surveys help us better understand employees’ voices and inform improvements in various personnel systems.
Renshikai (Mutual Relief Association)
The Company and its labor union contributed their own respective funds to establish a fund, and thereby have built an original system that allows the two parties to work together for operating various mutual aid programs. 10,576 payments of benefits for births, marriages, or deaths in the family were made in fiscal 2023.
DNP Family Day
To foster children’s interest in work and promote communication between employees and their families, we regularly hold a workplace tour event for children called DNP Family Day (formerly DNP Family-Friendly Day). This event not only increases employee motivation but also provides an opportunity for families and organizations to reflect on work-life balance.