Respect for the Individual
Workplace Initiatives
Global Employment of Human ResourcesVOICE:Aspirations for a vibrant Alps KoreaPrograms to Help Individuals Maximize Their CapabilitiesProviding Information to Our Global Employees
As our business operations go global, the arena for our employees has also widened. Alps Electric established the Global Human Resources Department in July 2006 to build a global infrastructure for the development and employment of human resources. In October 2006, we launched the Alps Work Experience Program with the aim of nurturing next-generation managerial personnel, as part of our global human resources development program for future executives of overseas affiliates. Program participants work in Japan for two years, where they learn about “Alps-ism” – the unique corporate culture of Alps that is essential for corporate leaders. In fiscal 2006, six employees were selected from our overseas affiliates to come to Japan.
Soo-Yeon Lee
Engineering Team 1,
Alps Electric Korea
As part of the Alps Work Experience Program, I transferred from Alps Electric Korea in October 2006, to work at the Automotive Products Division of Alps Electric in Japan. At first, I was worried that I would not be able to overcome the differences in language and culture, and the different sense of values regarding history and society. However, the company has a policy of changing the system wherever possible to respect the feelings of workers from overseas. Thanks to this, I have been able to work quite comfortably in Japan. When I complete the two-year assignment and return to Korea, I want to spread “Alps-ism” – a single Alps spirit going beyond differences in language and culture – and help build a vibrant Alps Korea.
Education and Training Programs
Alps Electric offers education programs that are position-specific and task-specific, in addition to training for each echelon of employment from new recruits to middle management and executives. These programs aim to capture the unique individuality of each employee and to develop their potential even further. We also offer a number of programs to encourage employees to develop their own skills voluntarily. These include a qualification incentive system and partial coverage of the cost of taking correspondence courses.
Main Training Programs
Training by echelon
| Board Directors | For Board Directors of the three parent companies to study practical management of the Group through discussion of common managerial challenges |
|---|---|
| Prospective executives | To study practical management innovation through case studies and action learning |
| Newly-assigned managers | To improve ability in using and developing resources effectively and efficiently in order to achieve department objectives |
| Mid-level employees | To cultivate leadership and a proactive approach to improving the workplace |
Internationally-focused training
| Employees bound for overseas affiliates | To provide relevant information to employees helping them to settle into their new overseas posts, and enabling them to study management skills suited to the local environment |
|---|---|
| Language education | To acquire elementary and intermediate English and Chinese language skills |
Position-specific training
| IE(*1) and QC(*2) training | To acquire knowledge about operations improvement that is essential for manufacture, manufacture engineering, and quality control |
|---|---|
| Quality engineering training | To learn parameter design, implementation techniques, and testing methods regarding quality-essential for production/development design and manufacturing departments |
| Basic engineering training | To learn the basic engineering skills necessary for newly-employed engineers assigned to divisions |
| TWI training(*3) | To learn supervision and other skills necessary for supervisors and leaders |
(*1) IE：Industrial Engineering
(*2) QC：Quality Control
(*3) TWI：Training Within Industry for Supervisors
Training at Universities and Research Institutes
Alps Electric dispatches employees to universities and research institutes in Japan and abroad so that they can study technologies and gain knowledge related to their jobs. Since this program commenced in 1986, 69 employees have been dispatched to domestic institutions, and some of them have earned doctoral degrees. In addition, a total of 21 employees have been dispatched to institutes overseas, including Dalian and Boston.
Individuals with Disabilities
In agreement with the aims of the Law for Employment Promotion of the Disabled, Alps Electric set company-wide objectives in fiscal 2006 and made it a policy to implement the corresponding plan within the next three years. In comparison to our current employment rate of 1.51%, we have set objectives at 1.68% for fiscal 2007, 1.84% for fiscal 2008 and 2.03% for 2009. Alps Electric plans to achieve the legally required rate of at least 1.8% within three years.
Alps Global Community
"Alps Global Community"
The Alps Global Community, an information site on our intranet, has been made available to Alps employees working at overseas affiliates since November 2005. Some articles from Alps, an in-house magazine circulated in Japan, are translated into English and posted onto this intranet site. These include articles about development, management, and corporate activity in Japan, Alps products and technologies, and articles from overseas affiliates as well. To share our corporate culture globally, the memoirs of the late Katsutaro Kataoka, founder of Alps Electric, are also available on this intranet site, revealing stories about Alps since the time of its foundation.