Our group respects the human rights of all of our stakeholders, and it aims to be a fair corporation that has earned the trust of society guided by our corporate philosophy, Mind within the Mind. As part of these efforts, we have established the SAKATA INX Group Human Rights Policy, which guides us in our work to ensure labor practices are appropriate and based on international human rights norms and labor standards. We work to establish a comfortable work environment by paying fair wages, managing work hours, encouraging employees to take annual paid leave and implementing other initiatives. We respect freedom of association and collective bargaining rights and value our dialogue with employees. We will continue to develop rewarding workplaces and initiatives for respecting human rights with the goal of helping establish a sustainable society.
Labor/management relations
Our group respects the right to freely form and participate in labor unions and the right to participate in collective bargaining and peaceably assemble. We also develop opportunities and environments which allow workers to talk with the management about labor conditions and management practices without concerns of discrimination, retaliation, threats, harassment, etc. The labor union and the company hold labor-management council meetings several times a year and implement initiatives to improve the labor environment, working conditions, occupational health and safety and other matters.
Proper management of working hours
Our group properly manages working hours and encourages employees to take annual paid leave, aiming to create a workplace where employees feel comfortable and find their jobs fulfilling. We use a system for managing working hours to assess working hours accurately, including overtime, and to ensure employees are fairly paid for their overtime and monitor the percentage of annual paid leave taken. We inform all of our employees of our initiatives such as "no overtime days" and "annual paid leave +1" and encourage them to participate in these initiatives proactively, aiming to reduce overtime hours and increase the percentage of annual paid leave taken.
Wages and benefits
Our group complies with the laws of the countries and regions in which we operate, including laws regarding minimum wage, overtime compensation, and equal pay for equal work. We seek to pay a living wage and provide family benefits beyond the scope required by law. We calculate the difference in wages paid to male and female workers every year based on the provisions of the Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace. The wages we pay to our employees do not vary based on gender according to the wage system, and institutionally. Differences in average wages are attributed to structural differences, such as average age, duration of service, job position/qualification, whether employees are working shorter hours, and allowances that have been paid to them. We value gender equality. Our company places great importance on gender equality; we are committed to not only maintaining an environment free of gender-based disparities but also to increase the ratio of women in management positions as a key priority.
We also continue to implement many different measures to promote the active participation of women, including active recruitment of women, development of female candidates for managerial positions and their promotion, supporting the development of their careers, and the creation of a comfortable work environment. Through these efforts, we are building a workplace environment that provides equal opportunities for personal development.
We provide various employee benefit programs beyond the benefits required by law. These include provision of employee housing assistance such as apartments and condominiums rented by the company, consultation services for supporting pregnant employees and childrearing parents, maternity and childcare leave, consultation services and caregiver leave provided to support caregivers, and programs to enable employees to build their assets for the future, including retirement benefit programs, a corporate pension fund, employee shareholder association, and stock-granting trust. We have enhanced the content of programs taht we provide to support employees in a wide variety of aspects of their lives.