Conservation and Improvement of Adequate Working Environment

Securing the Minimum Wage

In order for employees to live a safe and healthy life, it is important that wages that are the source of daily bread for employees are paid properly and reliably.

In order to ensure employee wages are calculated accurately and payments made without delay, the Group operates thoroughly based on internal rules that establish methods for paying appropriate labor compensation and so on. In addition, the Group also provides clearly comprehensible payment statements when making wage payment, and enough information is included on the payment statement to verify labor compensation. Further, there is no system (gender-based wage structure, personnel evaluation standards etc.) that lead to gender pay gaps.

Besides paying employees a basic salary above the local minimum wage, the Group promotes initiatives to ensure fair treatment regardless of type of employment.

Fostering Autonomous-minded Human Resources

The GS Yuasa Group focuses efforts on the development of autonomous-minded human resources and support measures through on-the-job training^* centered on the management by objective system so that we can achieve “innovation and growth,” our corporate philosophy. Autonomous-minded human resources refers to personnel who have high motivation for personal growth and the ability to manage themselves and are able to act on their own initiative. The Group actively invests in the development of the autonomous-minded human resources who will play key roles in the future. The Group has also established educational programs that provide self-initiatives learning opportunities so that all employees can promote self-innovation. Furthermore, we are investigating personal programs that enable employees to perform important roles and participate in business regardless of age or experience and receive evaluations commensurate with their results. The Group believes that through these measures, we can increase the mobility of human resources within the Company, promote individual growth and engagement, and accelerate the creation of new value. Developing leaders with global perspectives is essential for the Group‘s sustainable growth. Accordingly, we not only encourage human resource mobility among businesses, we also systematically conduct training and talent management to develop the next generation of leaders.

A method of human resource development where knowledge and skills are gained through practice at the worksite.

Employee Career Development Support

The GS Yuasa Group implements measures to help employees achieve their individual career visions while creating new value for the company.

To bolster our efforts for diverse career development by employees, we introduced rank-based training and age-based career design training that promote career autonomy to supplement existing rank-based career development training. We also conduct support training to enable managers to conduct effective career interviews, thereby supporting the career autonomy of employees.

In addition, we launched a program that promotes the development of human resources with the skills needed to carry out digital transformation with the objective of having employees acquire skills in line with our management strategies. Going forward, we plan to introduce training that allows employees to select the courses they will take with the aims of having employees acquire the skills and techniques necessary for their individual work and improving creativity in new businesses. Furthermore, we launched a new business idea proposal program as a mechanism that enables employees to utilize their individual skills and advance their careers. This program is intended to create new business opportunities by providing all employees opportunities to propose new business ideas.

We are also taking measures to promote the operation of a career goal self-reporting system and encourage rank-based career development training to support the autonomous career development of employees. In addition, we introduced an in-house recruiting system for recruiting human resources from within the company, thereby responding flexibly to business strategies and implementing measures that enable employees to autonomously develop their own careers.

Promoting Women's Empowerment

The Group is committed to increasing opportunities for female employees to play an active role by supporting the two axes of "career development" and "support for work-life balance."

In 2018, the Company launched the GY Mirai Project to actively recruit diverse human resources and continuously develop an environment that allows each individual to make the most of their individuality and abilities, and to create a workplace where each individual can continue to work with enthusiasm and fulfillment. Further, top management regularly sends out messages to all employees about the importance and significance of promoting women's empowerment.

Employment of People with Disabilities

To promote the employment of people with disabilities, GS Yuasa International Ltd. offers a wide range of opportunities to people with disabilities, including in a company certified as a special subsidiary^* in December 2007.

As of April 1, 2024, GS Yuasa’s employment rate of people with disabilities meets the legally mandated employment rate of 2.5%.

We will continue to manage employment so that people with disabilities can put their skills and qualities to good use in an effort to maintain and improve a pleasant work environment.

Special subsidiary: A system based on the Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Law, under which, when a subsidiary is certified by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare as giving special consideration to the employment of people with disabilities, it can be regarded as one of the parent company's business establishments when calculating the employment rate of people with disabilities.

Supporting Work Alongside Childcare/Nursing Care

At GS Yuasa International Ltd., we aim to create an environment that makes it easy for employees to participate in childcare and nursing care and to this end we have established a support system for childbirth, childcare, and nursing care. To encourage employees to use this system, we have also set up an in-house electronic message board called Supporting a Work and Childcare/Nursing Care Balance where we disseminate information on childcare-related systems to employees. Further, the company has released a Handbook on Supporting Work-Childcare Balance targeting superiors and subordinates, and distributed it to all employees. In addition, we aim to create workplaces where all employees, regardless of gender, can use the systems, by raising awareness of the systems through trainings by rank for the management as well, and by other means.

In fiscal 2022, we commenced a system in which employees can avail subsidized usage fees (up to 4,400 yen per day) when they use babysitters^*. We are committed to improving our systems to enable employees to demonstrate their abilities while balancing work and childcare.

Applies to the babysitter dispatch services provided by the All Japan Childcare Services Association commissioned by the Cabinet Office.

Promoting Occupational Health and Safety

The GS Yuasa Group believes that securing the health and safety of its workers is the paramount priority in doing business and has established the Group Policy (The Fundamental Health and Safety Policy) for the promotion of company-wide endeavors to build a corporate culture of safety. Furthermore, to ensure the health and safety of all employees who work for the Group directly or indirectly including subcontractors and temp workers, we have appointed an organization to conduct group-wide integrated management of health and safety. This has been instrumental in strengthening health and safety management at both domestic and overseas business sites and Group companies. In addition, we are undertaking initiatives based on our Fundamental Health and Safety Policy by creating organizational structures centered on safety and health committees established in business divisions and companies.

Our Group’s domestic business sites have obtained the occupational health and safety management systems in compliance with international standards (ISO 45001) certification. In addition, a majority of the production companies of our overseas Group companies have also obtained ISO 45001 certification. Our Group companies in Japan are currently working to acquire ISO 45001 certification and seek to achieve effective management aimed at Group-wide attainment of the Fundamental Health and Safety Policy. We are committed to continual improvement of our health and safety performance by making effective use of systematic mechanisms based on the PDCA cycle.

Reducing Occupational Accident Risk

At domestic business sites and domestic group companies, we identify potential hazard sources by conducting general inspections using risk assessment methods and take mitigation measures according to the scale of the risk. Similar measures are also taken concerning safety patrol activities conducted under the leadership of the safety and health officer. In the event of an industrial accident, information on accident occurrence status is shared with all employees at domestic business sites in a timely manner, the cause of the occurrence is investigated, and measures are taken to prevent recurrence. In workplaces dealing with hazardous substances, we take risk reduction measures utilizing risk assessment of chemical substances, and regularly monitor the working environment and workers’ health in accordance with laws and regulations.

Since fiscal 2020, we have been focusing on adopting essential measures (including eliminating hazard sources) and engineering measures (including improvements towards equipment that comes with safety functions) to eradicate “getting stuck or caught in machinery” accidents which are the top industrial disasters. We also implement ergonomic measures (such as encouraging the use of power assist suits that reduce the physical burdens on workers) by workers who perform work that imposes physical burdens. In addition, to prevent the occurrence of lower back pain associated with the carrying of heavy objects, working for extended periods, and repetitive work, we are working on strict implementation of operations based on safety guidelines and on the creation and distribution of videos on prevention of back pain.

Also, the Group’s personnel responsible for promoting health and safety conduct regular safety audits of overseas sites and take other action as a part of our efforts to mitigate the risk of occupational accidents at overseas Group companies.

Raising Worker Awareness Concerning Safety

The GS Yuasa Group conduct activities intended to raise the awareness of safety among all employees who work for the Group directly or indirectly including subcontractors and temp workers in order to maintain and improve safety and health management operations. We also ensure that safety and health activities are well-established and raise their levels by conducting education and training to prevent safety and health risks from occurring.

From fiscal 2023, we have also introduced virtual reality (VR) experience-based training devices as part of our educational initiatives on hazard simulation which allow trainees to actually experience and understand workplace hazards. We are committed to continued efforts to promote health and safety education through hands-on training for hazards (such as falls from working at heights, contact with forklifts, and electric shocks), that could not be experienced in the past with conventional devices.

Health Management Initiatives

In order to realize the corporate philosophy of "innovation and growth of our employees and business entities," the GS Yuasa Group believes that it is important to prepare the foundation to enable our employees to perform their duties while maintaining good physical and mental health so as to achieve maximum performance. The Group promotes company-wide health management of our employees and their families based on the Health Management Policy established by the president of the company who constitutes the top management.