Promotion of Job Satisfaction

Basic Policy

Aiming at the sustainable growth of the Company and its employees, we will continue to create a corporate culture in which each employee can demonstrate their characteristics and strengths, and continue to improve without being satisfied with the status quo and have a venture mentality without fear of failure, as well as a system to evaluate employees who take on new challenges. In addition, as a foundation for achieving harmony between life and work, we will create an environment in which each employee can work with confidence and enthusiasm, both in terms of systems and in terms of creating a corporate culture that fosters job satisfaction.

Human Resources System that Encourages Challenges

Our human resource system is built to make the most of our diverse human resources, enhance motivation, and realize a workplace where employees can exercise their abilities and work comfortably.
To promote proactive behavior, called a “venture mindset,” we began revising our system in 2021 and phased implementation in fiscal 2022, targeting managers and leaders. Specifically, the core system has been changed from a job-based to a role-based system, and the personnel evaluation system has been revised to emphasize challengefocused behavior and activity performance per the role rather than factors based on ability and experience. These revisions have been made with appropriate review to ensure improvement and retention.

Key Points of System Revision

  • Application of a role-based grading system to employees above a certain level
  • Re-establishment of the roles of retiring employees to promote demonstrating their expertise
  • Shift to a performance evaluation system that recognizes and rewards challenge-based actions by employees

Pick-Up Topic

IPPO Project:
A Space for Fostering a Culture of Creativity and Bringing Ideas to Life

As part of efforts to promote a venture mentality, Alps Alpine uses its internal portal site to introduce the ambitious undertakings of employees. One such initiative is the IPPO Project. Originating from a winning entry into our in-house future media contest, the project seeks to foster a culture of creativity.
The name of the project alludes to the suggestion it should be where employees take the first step (ippo is Japanese for “one step”) in their creative pursuits. Many walls, benches, tables and other furnishings in this space were crafted by employees. Used for a variety of events and communication, this is where new ideas are born.

Labor-Management Relations

At Alps Alpine, labor and management aim to grow together in harmony, engaging with one another on equal terms and in good faith to resolve all issues through comprehensive discussions based on mutual trust and understanding between the company and the organization representing employees, the Alps Alpine Workers Association. Issues covered might include confirmation of wage standards, bonuses, employee systems and work style issues such as improvement of working hours.
The workers association also monitors company management with a representative, the association chairman, attending management-related meetings as an observer.

Systems to Enable Diverse Work Styles

We have formulated our “Work Style Vision” by labor and management as a guideline for how employees should work. Upon this vision, we are striving to create a safe and comfortable work environment by maintaining and improving employees’ physical and mental health and complying with each country’s laws and practices related to working hours.

Work Style Vision: Smart Work × Smile Life

≪Purpose≫
To achieve ongoing business development through personal growth and self-fulfillment and the securing of talented human resources
≪Envisaged Direction≫
Our aim is to inspire collective efforts to enhance the work and private lives of every employee.
≪Envisaged Environment≫
  • An environment allowing work style flexibility fit for a global corporation and a culture encouraging ambition
  • An environment allowing employees to perceive personal growth and give play to strengths with peace of mind in the workplace
≪Envisaged Characteristics≫
  • Adaptive to changes in duties
  • Ability to select, to some degree, work styles and areas to match work and private career plans
  • Time to engage in personal pursuits due to flexible, efficient work styles and higher productivity
  • More opportunities for personal growth and achievement
  • Better matching of employee skills and needs with jobs
  • Mutual acceptance of diverse work styles and values

Systems and Measures Relating to Work Styles

Objective Systems/measures Description
Work style flexibility Teleworking A system allowing employees to work away from their place of work using information and communication equipment approved by the company
Work from home A system allowing employees to work from home when they are unable to go into their place of work because they are caring for a family member or because of an injury or illness
Free dress code A provision at some locations allowing employees to wear what they choose to invigorate communication and foster a culture of working autonomously
Support for parenting/care Reduced working hours (incl. use together with flextime) A system permitting employees to work reduced hours to enable child or other family care or based on an approved application
Transfer pause A system for restricting an employee's work area for a defined period due to parenting or care provision needs
Career improvement Job group switching A system allowing employees to try a different job group (course based on job type) to develop or enhance their career
Easing of restrictions on holding more than one job Provisions permitting employees to hold more than one job for the purpose of career or skills development or in-house application of expertise acquired outside the company
Official qualification incentives A system providing for payment of incentives for acquisition of official qualifications specified by the company for the purpose of instilling certain expertise and developing human resources capable of operating outside the company
Better work-life balance Hourly units of paid leave A system allowing employees to take up to five days of paid leave in hourly units each year
Recommendation of five-day consecutive leave A measure for recommending to employees that they take around five days of consecutive paid leave with aims to improve work-life balance and to lift organizational productivity through delegation of authority
Bullet train commuting (Sendai zone) A system making it easy to commute from Sendai, an area recognized nationwide as an appealing place to live

Preventing Harassment

To prevent harassment, abuse and discrimination in the workplace, we implement training aimed at creating ethical workplaces. Harassment prevention is covered in annual compliance and CSR training (for all employees, including managers). Education about harassment prevention is also included in training for newly appointed managers.
(FY2022 new manager training targeted recipients: 53; participation: 100%)

Initiatives to Improve Engagement

An engagement survey was conducted in fiscal 2022 for the Administration Headquarters (in Japan) to establish indicators of employee engagement and how to measure them. We plan to conduct the same survey again in fiscal 2023, evaluate the results, establish engagement indicators and measurement methods, and then roll out the survey company-wide. In addition, by conducting this every year as a simple version of the General Attitude Survey conducted once every three years by the Alps Alpine Workers Association, an employee representative organization, this allows us to ascertain changes in employees' awareness (DI values), which are then shared to form issues at labor-management discussions, and company-wide efforts are made to achieve these targets. The PDCA cycle is followed by a progress check survey after a certain period.

Based on the General Attitude Survey results in fiscal 2021, we identified improving the “attractiveness of the company” as an issue. In fiscal 2022, in particular, we implemented measures related to (1) employees' understanding of management strategies, (2) support for voluntary learning, and (3) revitalization of communication.

General attitude survey results (DI values)

Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2022
Company attraction 10.6 13.9
Company’s future potential 6.1 14.2
Level-appropriate education 15.1 26.6
Expanding network of contacts 4.4 17.5

* Excerpt

FY2021 General Attitude Survey

Survey period: September 1 – 14, 2021
Target: All employees (incl. employees on temporary overseas assignments/transfers); 7,985 in total
Responses: 7,131 (89.3%)

simple version of the General Attitude Survey

Survey period: September 5 – 16, 2021
Target: All employees (incl. employees on temporary overseas assignments/transfers); 7,985 in total
Responses: 6,289 (79.7%)

Third-Party Evaluation

Alps Alpine Receives 3 Stars in 6th Nikkei Smart Work Management Survey (2022)

Alps Alpine has been awarded 3 stars in the 6th Nikkei Smart Work Management Survey, which seeks to identify companies that are advanced in striving for productivity through work style reform.
The survey, conducted by Nikkei Inc. since 2017, covers listed companies and prominent non-listed companies across Japan, assessing them on a five-star scale. It defines smart work management as taking steps to maximize the organization's performance in three areas – human resources utilization, innovation and market development.

Alps Alpine Receives 3 Stars in 6th Nikkei Smart Work Management Survey (2022)