Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management

Basic Approach

Employees are the source of our business competitiveness and the key players who provide value to society. Each and every employee has a strong understanding of the company's policies and strategies, and plays a role in contributing to the company's growth and to society through their high productivity. We strive to become a company that every employee is proud of by making our work environment more rewarding.
Setting reform of our corporate culture as one of the key points in our medium-term management plan, we have designated human capital management as a priority to be implemented. While fostering a culture that encourages open communication, we hold repeated discussions from the perspectives of "management" and "employee well-being," set performance indicators for various measures, starting from those necessary for growth, and promote related activities.

Human Capital Management

In the medium-term management plan, we are making growth investments, primarily in our core electronics business, but we are facing a rapidly changing environment. While restructuring our organizations so that we can flexibly respond to changes in the business environment, we are fostering self-sustained human resources, each of whom has a sense of purpose and is able to make the best decisions on the spot autonomously, rather than in a top-down manner.
In addition, in Japan, we will establish a new base for the electronics business and launch NEV and other new businesses operations, making it urgently necessary to develop human resources for manufacturing. By securing DX talent to promote the use of digital technology, we will establish a framework in which we can make the most of each employee's capabilities.


Respect for Human Rights

Respect for Worker Rights

The IBIDEN Group clearly defines its policy to respect the basic rights of workers, as declared by the International Labour Organization (ILO), as well as to avoid involvement in any violation of human rights in the "IBIDEN Standards for Employee Behavior," which were established to reflect the spirit of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the United Nations Global Compact, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and RBA Code of Conduct for Industry Associations among others. Officers and employees respect the basic principles and rights of labor and take actions that follow the common sense and rules of society while complying with the employment-related laws of each country such as the Labor Standards Law and labor regulations.
After preparing the "IBIDEN Social Responsibility Management Standards," we summarized the mechanism to respond to human rights issues and matters to be noted as a supervisor. Supervisors periodically check the impact of our social responsibilities on workplaces and their risks from the perspective of the Management Standard, including human rights issues. The management standards include checking procedures intended to avoid forced labor and child labor, which are incorporated into the procedure manual of each relevant division. For example, the Management Standards include the Rules to Prohibit the Storage of Private Documents, which are intended to prevent forced labor, and stipulate a minimum age checking procedure, which are intended to prevent child labor.


Human Rights Education, Initiatives to Prevent Harassment

To ensure respect for human rights, the Group offers education on fair employment and human rights, particularly to labor relations managers as well as managers and staff members in charge of recruitment interviews, calling their attention to the prevention of human-rights violations. We also strive to make the need to respect worker rights known to all employees through our Standards for Employee Behavior.
In Japan, to prevent harassment, we provide harassment education for supervisors and employees toward the eradication of all forms of harassment. In particular, training for supervisors targets all supervisors, and gives training in the actions supervisors should perform, from daily communication to responses to consultations and the handling of information. In an effort to create a workplace environment where everyone can work comfortably, we post examples of harassment on our intranet each month so as to provide all employees with correct knowledge of harassment.
We also provide multiple consultation services, such as the Human Resources HOTLINE and the Compliance Consultation Counter, for employees to contact in the event of a human rights abuse or harassment. These all services enable prompt response to the consultations received, while at the same time respecting the will of the consultor and ensuring the protection of his/her security and prohibiting any act of retaliation against the consultor.
In the event of harassment, we will convene the Harassment Committee to investigate and deliberate the case and develop countermeasures. If necessary, we will consult with the Rewards and Disciplinary Committee.


Assessment (Human Rights Due Diligence)

We believe it is important to work on the issue of human rights with the entire supply chain and thus cooperate with our direct suppliers in dealing with such issues. We have thoroughly explained our efforts for human rights to suppliers, including employment agencies and contractors, in such occasions as information sessions that we have held for them.
In particular, for businesses related to our company, we set issues to focus on in accordance with guidelines from industry organizations. Specifically, by responsibly procuring resources, including conflict minerals, we are required to avoid complicity in human rights violations such as child labor and excessive working hours in the relevant regions (please refer to the Supply Chain Management for details). In Japan, the importance of labor management is increasing, with the number of foreign workers expected to increase due to the amendment of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. We demand thorough management of accepting foreign workers so as not to lead to a situation that falls under forced labor, such as debt bondage by sharing the points to be noted when accepting workers from overseas. Additionally, we cooperate with suppliers and Group companies to check the realities of labor management and human rights issues through annual CSR surveys and audits.
In FY2023, no serious human rights violation cases of infringement of labor rights were confirmed in our Group companies or suppliers.



Development of Human Resources

Development of Self-sustained Human Resources

Self-sustained human resources have a sense of ownership, think what to do on their own, and swiftly address to matters.We aim to develop human resources who can realize their personal development and company growth, and create and strengthen competitiveness on their own. We will improve employee engagement by providing a training environment that encourages individuals' growth and an environment where employees can work with a sense of fulfillment and by fostering self-sustained human resources.

Human Resource Training System

We have established Systematic human resource training systems in an effort to develop the human resources necessary to accurately grasp changes in the business environment and create new products and technologies.
Specifically, we implement standardized education across the Company (stratified training programs by age group and by job grade) and provide specialized education for selected personnel based on our basic education and training structure. The training programs by age group were completely revised from life plan-based training to career plan-based training in line with changes in our times such as the extension of the mandatory retirement age to 65, while in specialized education, we opened the Human Resource Development Center in 2017. Following the integration of the Center into the Human Resources Division in April 2021, systems are in place for conducting the education of personnel capable of underpinning manufacturing operations, in a manner consistent with the company's personnel strategy.
Reviewing our medium-term target for training time per employee, we are striving to achieve 20.0 hours per year by FY2027. The average number of training hours per employee in FY2023 was 17.2 hours/year, exceeding the initial target of 17.0 hours/year.

Specialized Education for Enhancing Technological Strengths

The Human Resources Division provides education dedicated to the training of engineers in order to keep handing down our technological capabilities for the next 100 years. The training ranges from the fundamental education required for engineers to training in specialized fields. Nurturing people to be well equipped with skills for the next-generation developments will lead to enhanced technological strengths for IBIDEN. The Division focuses not only on providing knowledge to trainees but also helping them develop the engineer mindset by providing practical education through OJT. Furthermore, in addition to these human resource development efforts, the Division is tasked with the role of a transactive memory that incorporates the technology and expertise held by each department with the aim of achieving efficient R&D and creating new innovation. It plays an important role as a source to continue creating the IBI-TECHNO of the future.

Development of Global Human Resources

We are making an effort to nurture employees who can contribute to strengthening the company's global competitiveness and those who are capable of cross-cultural management. In particular, we emphasize cross-cultural training programs to foster employees who can accept different values and to improve communication skills with overseas staff, as well as practical language training programs. Since FY2024, we have been providing e-learning training to improve management skills with IBIDEN employees who will be appointed executives at overseas group companies.We also focus on nurturing the core staff of our overseas entities by inviting them to participate in training programs in Japan.

Efforts for Improving Productivity

We regard productivity improvement activities as opportunities for human resource development and are focusing on having employees master how to do the work with a kaizen (continuous improvement) mind. Instead of pursuing the results of activities, we have been starting from solving problems faced by employees in everyday routine work. We review their operations thoroughly including their objectives and purposes, improve work flow in ways that can generate satisfactory results naturally and efficiently, and proactively introduce IT including RPA to prevent a return to previous conditions. In addition, since these efforts have been carried out across the Company, improvements in cooperation with other departments have been made easily, and as a result, work quality in pursuit of overall optimization has also improved.

*Robotic Process Automation: Automation of work processes by robots

IT・Digital Utilization

We promote the use of IT technology aggressively to keep competitive advantage continuously. At Ogaki Central Plant where high-function IC package substrates are put into mass production, we use ICT to network all equipment information to maximize production efficiency, stabilize and enhance product quality, and reduce cost. Advanced data analysis driven by accumulating various data from facility abnormality to quality information and processing information helps accelerate an improvement. The use of digital technology has enabled more efficient production and transportation, contributing to reducing energy consumption in IT infrastructure. In addition, we create an environment that enables to keep the operation safe even in an emergency such as the spread of infectious disease and cyberattacks by providing environment and robust security for tele work.

Encouraging Career Development

We adopt a system that encourages personalized career development. We support career development through discussions in an interview with superior concerning skills an employee wants to improve now and, in the future, a superior' s expectations and a support policy. We launched a self-development correspondence course enrollment assistance system to help employees develop their abilities.

Employment and Support for Junior Employee Retention

In hiring employees, we focus our efforts on aggressively hiring mid-career personnel through hiring methods that also include referrals in addition to new graduates so as to be able to acquire work-ready individuals who are equipped with skills and knowledge that are lacking within our company as well as diverse people. Also, in a bid to support new employees in becoming a part of their assigned workplaces and contributing to the company early on in their careers, we have established a mentor system in which senior members around new employees in the workplace support them. Under this system, new employees appoint senior members as their own mentors. The mentors then provide their mentees with advice on how to arrange their work and on their specialized fields, help the mentees cooperate with other divisions and departments, and listen to the mentees when they seek advice on a variety of matters, whether job related or otherwise, thereby supporting every new employee in starting his/her career development.

Equitable Evaluation and Treatment

To enhance business competitiveness, we believe it is important for each employee to challenge himself/herself to meet his/her own high expectations, achieve these expectations, and raise his/her organizational capabilities. The Company has in place a results-oriented target management assessment system. Challenge goals closely related to the Company' s business results are first established, and the results as well as the process for reaching those results are then evaluated fairly and equitably twice a year. Finally, individual results are directly reflected in their compensation. Also, we promote communications between supervisors and subordinates when setting goals and in evaluation interviews in order to develop the subordinates.
The Company adopts a job-based grade system, which helps revitalize all employees, under which work is evaluated into grades based on the volume and importance of job results and job grades are set accordingly. Furthermore, the relationship between positions available according to qualifications and job grades is clarified. Employees in the same evaluation rank in the same job grade are equitably treated, regardless of attributes such as their sex, age and race and nationality.

Respect for Diversity

Our Group aims to realize a work environment and climate in which diverse human resources can exercise their individual abilities and can feel reasons for living and job satisfaction amidst a trend of advancing globalization and diversification of values.

Supporting Work Life Balance

The Company considers it part of its social responsibility to create an environment in which children, our future leaders, can grow up healthy and safe. To this end, we actively encourage work-life balance by, for example, helping our employees to achieve a balance between work and child rearing. To raise awareness of these initiatives and available programs, we have issued the "Ibiden Child Rearing Handbook," which outlines childcare-related work-styles, such as prenatal work-styles, childcare leave, and other programs. This handbook can be viewed not only by employees involved in child rearing but by all employees including those who work with colleagues who are involved in child rearing. It seeks to establish a workplace environment that is understanding toward childcare and to facilitate communication. To encourage male employees to take childcare leave, we also hold seminars on childcare leave for male employees and support programs until they return to work. In addition, we have introduced systems to support work-life balance, such as a special maternity leave that can be used for child rearing until the child reaches the age of one, a partnership with corporate-affiliated nursery schools, and the establishment of a mother's room for pumping milk for babies. As a result of these systems and efforts, we obtained the Kurumin certification from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in FY2012. Moreover, with our continued activities and improved level of our efforts, we were certified as "Platinum Kurumin" in FY2020. Furthermore, in our company in FY2023, while the rate of childcare leave taken by male employees was 47.7%, the rate of special maternity leave, etc., including special leave for childbirth, was 91%.

We also offer flexible work-styles, such as a flextime program and a staggered work hour program. By providing a leave program for employees who work while nursing sick family members or caring for elderly or other family members and a re-employment program for employees who have left work due to a job transfer of their spouse or due to caring for elderly or other family members, we also strive to create an environment in which diverse human resources can continue to work.

Deepening Understanding of Diversity

Our Group, by upholding the provision 'we shall not subject others to unfair discrimination or harassment on the basis of their race, skin color, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, disease, disability, pregnancy, religion, creed, social status or marital status' in our Standards for Employee Behavior, is striving to improve understanding of diversity among all employees. We have conducted diversity training programs for those in managerial positions. The programs are aimed at having them acquire accurate knowledge about supporting a work-life balance, promoting female advancement, promoting the employment of persons with disabilities, and appointing foreign workers, as well as knowledge of LGBTQ issues, to understand and respect diversity and utilize such knowledge in their daily management.

Promotion of Female Advancement

We started promoting women's participation and advancement in the workplace in FY2010 and conducted various activities, such as improving the work-life balance system and offering training to female employees and managers for awareness-raising. From FY2017, the President delivered a message anew at the start of the Stage 2 of our initiatives for promoting women' s participation and advancement in the workplace, announcing the Company' s policy to actively promote the career advancement of female employees. In the Action on Promotion for Women's Empowerment, a training program for female employees selected in various divisions and their supervisors, we provide support toward fostering and promoting female employees in the position of junior management (i.e., middle management class), which constitutes the entire pool from which female managers will be developed. We hold activity debriefing meetings on a regular basis to receive opinions from the president and outside directors on our activities and instructions on the progress of female advancement. In addition, we actively proceed with awareness education not only for target female employees but also their supervisors, thereby increasing the rate of female managers. Deeming the further promotion of women to managerial posts as important, and using the ratio of women among management-level employees as an indicator, we are moving forward with our activities, aiming to increase the ratio of women in management positions to 3% or more by FY2027. We will strive to vitalize our corporate culture by continuously implementing initiatives to expand female employees' advancement in a broad workplace to enable more female employees to be active in wider job categories.

To foster a corporate culture in which it is commonplace for women to be active in managerial positions, our first efforts in our action plan based on the Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace are to appoint at least 10 female managers of middle management or higher over the five-year period from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2026.

Trends in the number of female managers　 Scope：IBIDEN Co.,Ltd.

*JM: Junior Management, MM: Middle Management.
Ratio of female managers are calculated based on the number of people who are MM or above.

*Management positions in overseas group companies are defined according to the laws of each country and the standards of each company.

Promoting the Employment of Persons with Disabilities

In order to realize a society where persons with disabilities can live together as members of local communities, it is important to encourage their independence through work, and employees with disabilities are playing an active role in the Company. IBIDEN Oasis Co., Ltd., one of our Group companies, was certified as a special-purpose subsidiary*¹ based on the Handicapped Persons' Employment Promotion Act*² in April 2019. We will work with organizations related to the employment of persons with disabilities to stably employ disabled persons with a desire to work, and will provide support for occupational self-reliance through the creation of a safe work environment and the development of their potential abilities. We will also collaborate with local communities to increase employment opportunities for disabled persons, such as by cooperating in the research of a model for an at-home training program using ICT devices to provide employment opportunities to orthopedically impaired or sickly students attending special-needs schools in collaboration with the education board of Gifu Prefecture. From now on, we will also aim to realize a work environment and climate in which diverse human resources can exercise their individual abilities and can feel reasons for living and job satisfaction.

*1 Special-purpose subsidiary: In the case where an employer establishes a subsidiary with special consideration for the employment of persons with disabilities, and the subsidiary meets certain requirements. We regard workers who are employed by the subsidiary as being employed by the parent company as a special case.
*2 Handicapped Persons' Employment Promotion Act： This Act was established with the aim of securing the employment of persons with disabilities through measures, etc. to promote employment, etc. based on the obligation to employ persons with disabilities, etc.

Active Participation of Senior Employees Aged 60 or Over

After consultations between management and employees, in FY2020, we introduced a system with an extended mandatory retirement age, in consideration of the increase in the number of senior employees aged 60 or over and changes in social environment in Japan. We will raise the retirement age from 60 to 65 in phases by FY2028, and making a transition to a system with a retirement age of 65. We also introduced a system in FY2022 that enables senior employees whose desires match with the company's needs to choose from a diverse range of work-styles after their retirement at 65 years. For their compensation, we established a reward system whereby they are evaluated based on their roles and results, to keep them motivated and encourage them to show their expertise and practical skills. Furthermore, in April 2021, we established a workplace for jig and tool maintenance, aiming to expand functions so as to encourage senior employees to play active roles in their workplace.
Going forward, we will also offer many training programs intended for employees aged 50 or over and work out plans on health care seminars and support for nursing care issues, thereby helping them to work healthily and energetically.

Development of Non-Japanese Employees

The Company accepts employees from IBIDEN Philippines, Inc., our overseas group company, through the technical intern training program. Allowing the interns to learn state-of-the-art technologies in Japan and to bring the knowhow to their countries will help upgrade the technical levels of our overseas group companies. We conduct programs for cross-cultural training and financial literacy as well as for Japanese language training and provide support in daily lives by the specialized staff so that overseas employees can work safely and without worry in an unfamiliar environment.

Promotion of Work-style Reform

Working Hour Management

In Japan, rectifying the practice of long work hours has become one of the important issues to be addressed. Even though laws and regulations relating to work hours have been tightened, mental illness and occupational accidents caused by long work hours have become a serious problem, and companies are being asked to further efforts to rectify the practice.
Our company set a goal of reducing the average annual work hours per employee to less than 2,000 hours. Based on this goal, presidents of Operations established their policies on work hours and heads of departments set their targets, and are tracking progress toward those targets. Measures to encourage employees to take annual paid holidays and reduce overtime are also being taken. To make managers better able to handle the complex labor management processes, we provide them with necessary training, added a chat bot that immediately answers questions twenty-four hours a day every day on the company intranet, and make sure that all of them understand the processes. Also, reviewing detailed methods of progressing with work, we have taken on the challenges of optimizing operations and improving their quality in a concerted manner by promoting active in-house communication, reviewing operations, including the aim and target of each task, utilizing IT tools, and changing the ways of proceeding with operations.

Communication between Labor and Management

Through a relationship of mutual trust, both the management and employees of IBIDEN work together to create a workplace that is friendly for all employees. In our assessment of the risks and impacts on the work environment, including labor standards, for employees through continuous and cooperative discussions between management and employees, we have proceeded with our collaborative efforts for such areas as time management, and enhancing personnel systems on specific themes. Holding Central Labor Council and the Labor and Management Committee meetings every month, we review the progress of collaborative themes, and both the management and employees work together to discuss and conduct activities toward improving the working environment. Furthermore, providing opportunities for dialogues at various levels between management and employees, including the above-mentioned Council and Committee, we explain about management policies and items related to production plans and items concerning hiring policies, and discuss items that seriously affect employees, etc.

Conducting Employee Engagement Surveys

Our company and its Group companies in Japan conduct employee engagement surveys for all employees once every two years, intended to understand and analyze changes in employee sentiment, HR issues and problems through regular observation, and to propose and implement solutions for improvement. The last survey was conducted in FY2023 with the participation of 95% of employees, and we are assessing the effectiveness of employee motivation initiatives and the penetration and implementation of various systems. Based on the results of the surveys, we will continue with environment development and efforts to enable employees to continue working with high motivation, such as introducing career plan education that assumes continuation of work after 65 years of age.

Thorough compliance with labor-related laws and regulations

Through compliance with each country's employment-related laws and regulations, such as labor standards acts, IBIDEN's group companies take action to follow social common sense and other rules. In Japan, our Personnel and Labor Section monitors the revision and abolishment of state laws and regulations that we are required to comply with. In the unlikely event that the possibility of a violation of labor standards occurs, we will immediately confirm the situation, analyze the root cause, and take measures to prevent it from happening again. In FY2023, no serious offenses were confirmed related to labor laws （Including laws related to safety and health） that may have an impact on our business activities.