01.Governance
In accordance with The Basic Policy for Sustainability and Human Rights Policies of the World Holdings Group that were established in 2023, group companies place priority on activities concerning human resources with regard to training programs, respect for human rights and diversity. The group has a Sustainability Committee and a Human Resources Task Force overseen by this committee for these activities. The task force determines human resource plans and policies, monitors performance indicators, makes human resource strategy and initiative information of group companies available to all companies, and holds discussions about ways to solve problems. The Sustainability Committee identifies outstanding programs and encourages other group companies to use the same activities. In addition, this committee submits reports about important studies and decisions to the Board of Directors at least once every year. The Board of Directors makes decisions about the group’s purpose, medium/long-term strategies and other major items concerning goals and policies. Directors receive reports from the Sustainability Committee, monitor and supervise progress involving human resource programs, and discuss important matters and make decisions as needed.
Please see here for our Human Rights Policy.
02.Strategies
The World Holdings Group is dedicated to reinforcing human resource management as part of measures for creating many types of “the ways we live” for its employees. There are now more than 50,000 people in the group’s four business segments: Human Resources and Education, Real Estate, Information and Telecommunications, and Agricultural Parks. As a diverse and highly distinctive organization, the World Holdings Group places priority on utilizing the diversity of its workforce to utilize as much as possible the power of this team of more than 50,000. Wellbeing is another priority. To accomplish this, group companies give people opportunities to change jobs within the group and have measures to retain highly skilled people. An education and training policy and workplace environment policy have been established to provide guidelines for these activities. Furthermore, we are always monitoring the human resource needs of client companies and the changing needs of workers. These activities form the basis for diversity management that has the goal of enabling people of various backgrounds to realize their full potential at the World Holdings Group.
Education and training policy
The World Holdings Group recruits, evaluates and trains its diverse workforce in an equitable manner irrespective of gender, nationality, age, career paths and other characteristics. In addition, people have the opportunity to change to different jobs within the group. These measures help us to hire and retain people with a high market value and establish the best possible portfolio of human resources. Taking these actions makes us more competitive and contributes to the medium- to long-term growth of corporate value.
Opportunities to move to different jobs within the group allow people to shift to different business units and companies. Providing this flexibility facilitates the effective use of human resources and supports the advancement of the skills and capabilities of employees. We also believe these opportunities help increase the group’s corporate value. The many types of people hired by group companies, both new graduates and people with prior work experience, have access to the internal job application program. People are encouraged to use this opportunity to advance from frontline positions to management positions, choose a different group company and take other steps to accomplish their personal goals.
To create a workforce that can be productive throughout our organization, we have established a single set of capabilities that are needed for the broad array of people in our four business segments. Our education infrastructure is designed to give people these capabilities. This infrastructure has sessions several times each year that cover themes for different categories of people (new graduates, people with prior work experience, management). Other programs give newly hired people with prior work experience and people in frontline positions information about the mindset used by all World Holdings Group companies.
Furthermore, employees have access to an e-learning program that cover about 600 subjects. There is also financial assistance for employees who want to earn professional certifications to expand their possibilities. Another program at the group includes periodic messages from senior executive, lessons by executives at large training sessions and presentations by managers who joined the group as a new graduate. All these activities have the objective of giving people a sound understanding of the group’s purpose and philosophy and of increasing engagement with management.
Each business segment has its own education program. Classes and other activities are structured to give participants the skills, creativity and mindset required for a particular business operation. For example, one goal in the Manufacturing Human Resources category, where a large number of R&D personnel is a key strength of ours, is further increasing the number of people with skills for R&D, an upstream activity for manufacturing. We are focusing on providing training and various opportunities that can strengthen skills required for R&D jobs with the goal of making our brand even more powerful.
World Holdings Training System (Group Common)
- In addition to the annual chairman’s lecture for new graduate employees, the experience stories of two new graduate alumni in leadership positions per session.
- Reaffirm the Group’s Purpose through Customer Lectures
- Conduct a follow-up interview on-site one month after training (with the direct supervisor: discussing how the training is being applied)
- Lecture by the Chairman and Management for Mid-Career Hires
| Mid-career hire / On-site Employee | |
|---|---|
| WHD Mindset Training | Learn the corporate philosophy, company creed, and history to deepen your understanding of the company. Build a spiritual bond among employees and nurture company pride. |
| WHD Mind Follow-up Training | Review the past year to confirm achievements and identify challenges. Welcome executive guests to confirm the business vision and expectations. |
Workplace environment policy
The World Holdings Group is dedicated to retaining highly skilled people who come from a broad range of backgrounds and cover many types of skills. This is accomplished by providing workplace environments where people can fully utilize their skills. These environments enable people to do their work by utilizing their individual strengths with confidence and no restrictions involving locations and time.
Working style and career diversity
World Holdings Group companies have many programs that give people flexibility concerning their career paths and how they do their jobs. Flexible working hours, remote work, child care time off, refreshment time off and other programs allow people to work in a manner that matches every stage of their lives. Some group companies allow employees to work fewer hours or work at home until a child reaches third grade. There are also activities throughout the group for discovering hidden skills of employees. The priority is matching “the ways we live” at every stage of life, such as by providing work for people with limited time due to child or elderly parent care or for seniors who want part-time work.
Health and productivity management
The World Holdings Group places emphasis on health management due to the belief that expenditures for the good health of employees yields returns in the form of higher vitality and productivity.
Mental health programs that include stress checks are one part of health management at group companies. To prevent mental health problems, there are self-care training programs and access to the external consultation desk that maintains anonymity. Stress checks to identify people with issues and follow-up interviews by physicians are also used to prevent problems. For improvements, we plan to upgrade stress management for everyone at the World Holdings Group and use the same stress check tools at all group companies.
For other health management programs, every business segment determines the greatest risk factors involving health with respect to business activities. Furthermore, subsidiaries have their own health management systems and programs for good health. For example, employees at subsidiary GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION OF KYUSYU INC. undergo examinations for preventive measures for lifestyle diseases and cancer. Employees are given recommendations for staying healthy, receive private consultations with an industrial physician, do anti-stress exercises every day and participate in other activities. Due to these programs, GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION OF KYUSYU INC. was certified as a 2024 Certified KENKO Investment for Health Outstanding Organizations. Some group companies provide regular dental examinations and assistance to stop smoking, including financial support and nicotine patches. For a healthy body and mind, there are also special days off for life events and many other benefits for the people of the World Holdings Group.
Compliance violations, harassment and other problems
The World Holdings Group has strict and effective measures concerning compliance violations, violations of laws, harassment, disrespect of human rights and other activities that are detrimental to the workplace environment. Preventive measures include the establishment of internal standards and rules, training programs, and activities to make everyone aware of the internal reporting system. All group companies are committed to preventing these incidents and the reoccurrence of problems that have occurred.
The Compliance Committee oversees activities concerning compliance. Employees receive a Compliance Manual that has standards of behavior, compliance rules and other information. There are also training programs. Using these measures reinforces the awareness of compliance and makes people even more dedicated to preventing problems.
The Basic Policy for Sustainability and Human Rights Policies have guidelines about harassment, discrimination and other improper behavior involving human rights. We do not allow any discrimination or harassment involving gender, age, nationality, race, ideology, beliefs, religion, disabilities, gender identity, sexual orientation or other personal characteristics. We make all companies in our supply chains, both group and external companies, aware of the importance of respecting the rights of everyone. Furthermore, we have established a Basic Policy for the Prevention of Harassment as the basis for these prevention measures throughout the World Holdings Group. We provide examples of behavior that is power or sexual harassment or harassment concerning the use of time off for maternity leave, childbirth or caring for a child or parent. In addition, employees have access to a consultation service. Strict measures are in place to prevent any negative consequences for individuals who report harassment or cooperate with a harassment investigation.
Diversity management
The World Holdings Group is dedicated to enabling people of various backgrounds to realize their full potential in all four business segments for conducting business operations that reflect the changing human resource needs of client companies and the changing needs of workers. Priority is placed on diversity with respect to gender, career paths, age and nationality.
Gender
The World Holdings Group has established a unified stance about the gender of employees that is based on the Basic Policy for Sustainability, Human Rights Policies and the Basic Policy for the Prevention of Harassment. Furthermore, based on the nature of its divisions and business activities, every company and business unit has established rules involving gender diversity.
Recruiting of new graduates and people with prior work experience
As the scale of business operations increased, the World Holdings Group placed emphasis on recruiting people with prior work experience who can be productive immediately. As a result, people who were hired immediately after graduation from a college or other school and managers are currently a small percentage of all employees. Hiring people with prior work experience, including people who can be placed in management positions immediately, will remain a priority for the soundness of business operations and workforce composition. In addition, we will take actions for more recruiting diversity concerning new graduates and people with prior work experience, such as by selecting group companies that will step up the recruiting of new graduates. By basing hiring and assignment activities on these policies, we want to increase people hired as new graduates and managers as a share of all employees.
Jobs for seniors
All group companies have programs for creating more workplaces where older people can work for the purpose of benefiting from the many years of experience these people have. At Yamato Staff Supply Co., Ltd., which joined the World Holdings Group in 2023, there are about 11,000 post-retirement and other older men and women who had jobs for many years at a Yamato Group company.
Foreign workers
As Japan’s working age population continues to decline, the World Holdings Group plans to increase the hiring of foreign workers and the placement of these people in key positions. This growth will also require increasing the number of non-Japanese managers and activities are planned for accomplishing this.
In addition to standard recruiting activities, the Human Resources and Education Business plans to accept interns and others from companies in other countries and give them training to fill important positions. These activities are aimed at assisting foreign trainees, engineers and others with career goals after returning to their respective home countries and at providing services required for the global strategies of various companies.
03.Risk management
The Human Resources Task Force, which is overseen by the Sustainability Committee, identifies risk factors concerning human resources and assesses the potential impact of these risk factors on business activities. Information about risk factors is passed on to the Risk Management Committee to facilitate the unified management of risk at the World Holdings Group.
04.Indicators and Targets
Notes:
1. Total of major subsidiaries and associates in the Human Resources and Education Business (WORLD INTEC CO., LTD., WORLD STAFFING CO., LTD., Dimples’ Co., Ltd.)
2. Percentages are the average of 25 major consolidated subsidiaries in Japan. Averages for individual companies are calculated based on responses using the same survey questions for all group companies.
3. Percentages are for division manager and higher positions at World Holdings and consolidated subsidiaries.
