Diversity & Inclusion

Basic Policy

We believe that the promotion of D&I is a means of culture reform and that each individual’s unique values and ideas will create unprecedented “creating experiences (Koto-zukuri)” businesses. To this end, we aim to review conventional customs and ways of thinking whenever necessary and create an environment in which people can exchange opinions with each other in peace, recognizing their “individuality” regardless of race, religion, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation or gender identity, disability, job title, or other attributes.

Management’s Commitment

“Respect the individual” is part of the Alps Alpine Management Approach. This principle is core to the promotion of diversity and inclusion, the goal of which is to ensure all individuals are respected and able to continue to feel motivated in their work, regardless of traits such as their gender, age, or nationality. I am convinced that the pursuit of this goal will create innovation and thereby spur the further growth of the Company.
If we assess Alps Alpine from a global perspective, we will see that management in Japan is lacking female representation when compared with other parts of the world. Increasing the diversity of individuals in decision-making positions is thus an urgent priority. For this reason, it is important for us to develop frameworks that allow everyone, regardless of who they are, to craft their own career plan. It is also crucial that management play a direct role in promoting the acquisition of parental leave by male employees and in addressing the issues faced by veteran employees, employees with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
With these objectives in mind, Alps Alpine will continue its aggressive promotion of diversity and inclusion.

Toshihiro Kuriyama
Representative Director, Chairman

Promotion Structure

Alps Alpine aims to create work environments where people with diverse values can work with enthusiasm and vitality while respecting one another as individuals and being themselves, regardless of their race, religion, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
To achieve this, we have positioned diversity and inclusion (D&I) as a priority theme to be addressed under our 2nd Mid-Term Business Plan. The D&I Working Group (Human Resources Dept.) within the Sustainability Promotion Committee plays a central role in advancing activities while coordinating with various projects. Key human resources development matters are discussed in the Human Resources Development Conference.

Promotion Structure

Promotion of Women to Management Positions

Target
By fiscal 2024, 6% of managers shall be women

Given that the ratio of women managers is low compared to the percentage of women career-track employees (8.75%), we aim to increase the proportion of women managers. We are working to (1) recruit and retain women employees and (2) promote their career autonomy and development.

To systematically train and promote managers, we have identified candidates for management positions in each division and implemented initiatives to continuously motivate and support these individuals’ development. In the future, we will further define our training plan and strengthen our mentoring system.

Ratios of Women in Management Positions in Global Operations(Consolidated)

Ratios of Women in Management Positions in Global Operations(Consolidated)
Ratio of women in management positions (non-consolidated) FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022
3.2% 2.4% 3.1%

Promoting Greater Involvement of Women

Strengthening and Retaining New Graduate Hires

To increase the percentage of new women graduates for career-track positions, we launched the Alps Alpine Appeal to New Hires Project. The project was led by women employees who had joined Alps Alpine within the last five years who joined the project through internal recruitment. These women employees conducted recruitment activities at events such as CEATEC and through social media. To retain employees after they join the company, we are also working to enhance various systems that enable employees to work in ways that suit their lifestyles.

Providing explanations to students at CEATEC

Providing explanations to students at CEATEC

Ratio of new women graduates hired to
number of planning positions (non-consolidated)
FY2020 FY2021 FY2022
12.1% 6.8% 9.0%

Promoting and Fostering Career Autonomy

As part of career design support, volunteer women employees held career study sessions, and a mentoring system called “Naname 1 on 1” was introduced on a trial basis to allow employees to consult with managers and engineers in other departments about their careers. These have led to an increase in the number of employees who have been converted to career-track positions. We also proactively send women employees to training sessions for women leaders organized by the NPO J-Win*1 and career-track workshops organized by JEITA*2 to provide them with development opportunities.

*1 J-Win (Japan Women’s Innovative Network): An NPO that promotes and supports diversity management and women’s leadership development in Japanese companies.

*2 JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association): An industry organization in Japan in the electronics and information technology fields.

Study session

Study session

Human Resources Development Through External Training

In addition to in-house training programs, employees also participate in training provided by organizations such as the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), as well as training for women in management and leader development programs run by NPO J-Win. The aims are to encourage women to consider their careers and learn new job approaches and work styles through acquisition of knowledge about diversity and other trends and developments outside the company, and network-building with women in other companies. Through interaction with outside parties, women will acquire leadership skills consistent with external expectations and develop into human resources who can help lead Alps Alpine into the future.

Connecting Women as Managers, Specialists and Engineers

A workshop on dialogue was held for female managers, specialists and engineers, as well as some corporate officers, to enable participating women to empower one another through networking.
In the workshop, participants reviewed the topic of dialogue and communication and engaged in lively discussion about the kind of organization the participants wanted to create. Participants returned to their respective workplaces with observations made during the workshop, ready to invigorate the organization.

Dialogue workshop

Dialogue workshop

Consideration of Gender-Specific Health Issues

The HANA Project, formed to promote greater involvement of women, encourages consideration of gender-specific health issues (gender differences) by organizing femtech events and communicating information through news bulletins.
In September 2021, an online seminar on menopause was held with around 70 people from several bases participating. A seminar on menstrual issues was held in November. Both female and male employees participated in these events, improving understanding about gender-specific body mechanisms.
We will continue efforts to advance development of workplaces where employees can talk openly about gender-specific health issues.

Femtech/mentech event

Femtech/mentech event

Action Plan for Upholding the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace

In accordance with Japan's Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, Alps Alpine has formulated the following action plan for putting in place company environments where women are empowered to play a greater role.

《Period Covered》
April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2025 (3 years)
《Objectives》
  1. By fiscal 2025, implement at least five initiatives for reforming corporate culture and changing mentality
  2. Lift the percentages of men and women who take parental leave or make use of other leave provisions entitled to them by their company for parenting purposes during the action plan period to at least 20% (men) and 90% (women) overall
  3. By fiscal 2025, increase the percentage of new graduate hires who are women to 20% and expand hiring of experienced employees

Recruitment of Human Resources with Diverse Backgrounds

Support for Balance Between Work and Raising a Family

To support balance between work and private lives of all employees, regardless of gender, we put in place measures and established systems relating, for example, to encouraging men to take parental leave.

Promoting Paternity Leave

To create an environment where childcare does not affect careers regardless of gender, in fiscal 2022, we implemented e-learning for all employees, childcare lectures by the General Manager of Human Resources, and roundtable discussions with senior employees that are fathers and mothers. As a result, the percentage of men taking paternity leave in fiscal 2022 was 37.0%. We will continue to create an environment that facilitates the use of childcare leave.

Roundtable discussion with managers on parental leave

Roundtable discussion with managers on parental leave

Percentage of applicable men taking parental leave (non-consolidated)* FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022
17.1% 24.6% 37.0%

* The rate of leave taken is calculated, including leave equivalent to
childcare leave as defined by the company.

In-House Childcare Center

Yamanami Hoikuen opened on Furukawa R&D Center premises in 2019. The facility's purpose is to help parents balance work and parenting.

Yamanami Hoikuen

Yamanami Hoikuen

Flextime for Employees Working Reduced Hours

In 2019, flextime was additionally made available to employees working reduced hours so that all employees, including those with young families, would be able to balance work and private lives.

Various other systems relating to employee work styles are outlined here.

Voice

Parental Leave a Chance to Foster Considerate Workplaces

When my first child was born, I took paternity leave and around four months of parental leave.
I took the leave for the sake of a work-life balance. Because we were first-time parents, I believed we would have to work as a team to keep things running smoothly at home, and that work would suffer if my home life suffered. I also saw taking leave as a valid option because I knew older employees who had taken time off in the past.
A personal change I sensed on returning from leave was I was a lot more considerate toward others. Seeing a colleague rush home to tend to a sick child, for example, I would think about what I could do to help.
I hope that more employees will take leave and the workplace becomes a more considerate place as a result.

Junya Mizuno

Junya Mizuno
Infotainment Design Dept.

Promoting the Employment of People with Disabilities and Creating a Comfortable Workplace

Target
Achieve the 2.39% statutory employment rate for persons with disabilities

We are creating an environment in which employees with or without disabilities can participate in training and conducting training for employees in workplaces where people with disabilities are assigned. In fiscal 2022, we formed a project team to recruit people with disabilities and strengthen our recruitment activities by accepting them for work experience and collaborating with outside support organizations.

Lecture incorporating an MC that can use sign language

Lecture incorporating an MC that can use sign language

Ratio of employment of persons with disabilities (non-consolidated)* FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022
2.19% 2.21% 2.45%

* As of March 31 each year

Voice

To Be a Company Where We Can Harness Our Potential Regardless of Disabilities

I am hearing impaired and communicate with others by lip reading and interpreting their expressions. Having impaired hearing tends to result in poor communication and so I advise colleagues and relevant departments about ways they can help. Using email and speech recognition features, we keep one another updated on processes, working to improve operational efficiency.
I hope we can make Alps Alpine a company where we value individuality and support one another so that everyone, with or without disabilities, gets to harness their potential.

Mayuki Numata

Mayuki Numata
Quality Planning Dept.

Promoting Employment of Foreign Personnel

IAP(International Associates Program)

One Alps Alpine initiative promoting employment of foreign personnel is the International Associates Program (IAP).
Under the program, foreign nationals who have recently graduated from university come to work in an office in Japan on a two-year contract. With a history of more than 30 years, the IAP has had nearly 100 participants to date from countries all over the world. After completion of the program, many participants stay on to work for the Alps Alpine Group, including one employee who is still with us after more than 20 years.
The IAP was suspended in fiscal 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are actively recruiting once more in fiscal 2022.

IAP participants in fiscal 2022

IAP participants in fiscal 2022

Creating a Comfortable Work Environment for Foreign Employees

We endeavor to create comfortable work environments for foreign employees. This might involve ensuring that living environments reflect employees' religious identities, for example with the inclusion of prayer rooms; operating a dual supervisor system; and the holding of study sessions on "easy Japanese" for those accepting foreign employees into their departments and willing applicants.

* Easy Japanese:Japanese that has been paraphrased into words and expressions that are easy to understand, considering ease of understanding by foreign employees.

study sessions on easy Japanese

study sessions on "easy Japanese"

Voice

Looking to Globally Expand Internal and External Communication

I applied for IAP in order to improve my language proficiency and gain experience working for a Japanese company. I was hired by Corporate Communication in 2019. Working alongside others in the workplace, I have been able to learn Japanese and about Japanese culture. When my IAP contract ended, I became a regular Alps Alpine employee involved in curating the online site for in-house communications and creating pamphlets. I intend to keep enhancing both internal and external communication worldwide.

Veera Still

Veera Still (from Finland)
Corporate Communication Dept.

LGBTQ+ & ALLY Network Activities

FriendALLY, a group of volunteers within the company, has a vision of creating an environment where each individual can work with energy and enthusiasm and is working to "expand the circle of ALLY*."
In fiscal 2022, Mr. Fumino Sugiyama, co-chairpersons of Tokyo Rainbow Pride, gave a lecture that allowed many of our employees to deepen their understanding of unconscious bias and deep diversity.

* ALLY:
People who identify with, want to be close to, and support the LGBTQ+

Video explaining LGBTQ+

Video explaining LGBTQ+

Mr. Fumino Sugiyama, co-chairpersons of Tokyo Rainbow Pride

Mr. Fumino Sugiyama, co-chairpersons of Tokyo Rainbow Pride

Voice

Widening the Circle of Allies

We started the FRIENDALLY employee project because we wanted to make our company a place where all employees can work with enthusiasm and vitality. One aspect of that is our sensing the importance of becoming a company where we respect one another’s distinct individuality regardless of sexuality, including LGBTQ+. So, we launched a volunteer campaign.
LGBTQ+ issues tend to be set aside because it is hard to see who they apply to. But setting aside such issues is not okay if we imagine there are people out there this very moment unintentionally hurting others because they are unaware of the lack of visibility.

Members of the FriendALLY project

Members of the FriendALLY project

Hiring of Experienced Personnel

Many employees who join Alps Alpine mid-career take up roles as officers, managers or specialists.
We will continue to actively hire experienced personnel and provide opportunities for each of them to take full advantage of the experience and careers they have built up in a wide range of environments without distinguishing between the employment format and year of joining.

Voice

Achieving Personal Growth from Cultural Differences

I joined Alps Alpine in 2018 from a software firm.
Using my experience in devising services, I am involved in investigating and proposing new ideas. Right from the start, I was afforded broad discretion in my job, which I find rewarding. It has been an invigorating time encountering different job processes, receiving acknowledgment for pointing out approaches that only Alps Alpine followed, and conversely learning ideas going against my own notions of what is normal.

Arisa Kishino

Arisa Kishino
Solutions Business Promotion Dept.

Support for Employment After Retirement Age (Utilization of Veteran Employees)

We conduct “career training” with our employees at their 50 and 55-year-old milestones to think about their future careers. For rehired retirement-age employees, we publish “Senior Communications,” a second career information magazine that introduces internal and external seminars and provides information on job openings. Roundtable discussions with senior employees are also held for employees nearing retirement.

Rehiring on Mandatory Retirement

Alps Alpine has adopted a system of rehiring on mandatory retirement as a form of continued employment available to all employees on reaching mandatory retirement age. The system provides an opportunity to work as a contract employee of Alps Alpine until the age of 65. If personal and company needs match, there is also the option of working at an overseas affiliate under our overseas transfer scheme.
Our aim is to establish an environment allowing employees rehired on mandatory retirement to apply their capabilities to the full, involving use of graded remuneration commensurate with an appropriate target-based evaluation and assigned duties.

Retiree Re-employment System

In keeping with amendments to the Act on Stabilization of Employment of Elderly Persons (duty to make efforts to secure employment opportunities up to the age of 70), Alps Alpine introduced a retiree re-employment system on March 16, 2021, as “a system of entering outsourcing contracts with employees on an ongoing basis until the age of 70.”
If personal and company needs match, employees can engage in business activities as a sole proprietor or a representative of a corporation after reaching mandatory retirement age or on termination of a rehiring on mandatory retirement contract. This gives employees the opportunity to keep working after retirement, applying experience gained during their time at Alps Alpine.

Creating a Culture

As a first step based on the results of the Companywide D&I survey conducted in fiscal 2021, in fiscal 2022, we have promoted D&I education and the creation of “connecting” opportunities for employees to learn about diverse values. As a result, the understanding of the term D&I increased to approximately 80% in fiscal 2022 (approximately 30% in the previous fiscal year). To create a more open and accepting organization, we will strengthen support for the next step, career autonomy and challenge-based actions, in fiscal 2023 and beyond.

Creating a Culture

Diversity & Inclusion Education

As opportunities to come to terms with the concepts and importance of D&I and learn about the diverse sets of values present in the Company, we publish regular D&I newsletters, run mandatory e-learning for all employees, and implement a variety of seminars on an ongoing basis.
Fiscal 2022 was a year for strengthening our D&I education and we launched the D&I Expo. Many employees took part, attending a lecture on "Diversity Management as Business Strategy" by J-Win Chairperson Yukako Uchinaga and a lecture by Alps Alpine outside director and Audit and Supervisory Board member Yuko Gomi.
We will continue our awareness and education activities over the medium to long term with a view to building an open and highly accepting culture.

D&I EXPO2023 Seminar in progress

Seminar in progress

Roundtable Discussion with Management

We have been holding roundtable discussions between the director of the Administration Headquarters and women employees to promote women's activities. In fiscal 2022, our cultural theme was expanded to creating a corporate culture in which a more diverse range of human resources can play an active role, and many employees, regardless of gender, age, or job title, participated in the roundtable discussions. The discussions provided an opportunity to connect across organizational boundaries and learn about each person's values. A roundtable discussion with the president was also held to discuss future activities.

Then President Kuriyama and participants in the roundtable discussion

Then President Kuriyama and participants in the roundtable discussion

Free Dress Campaign for Acknowledging the Diversity of Colleagues

Alps Alpine Headquarters runs a campaign allowing employees to come to work in free dress as an initiative promoting self-expression. Not only is this an opportunity to learn about one another’s diversity, it helps to invigorate communication and foster a culture of working autonomously.

Employees in free dress

Employees in free dress