Personnel affairs, benefits
To support the ongoing growth of our employees and help them pursue their careers and life goals, the S-Pool Group has developed a career system to encompass diverse work styles, a behavioral evaluation system to enable growth into invaluable human resources, and systems to realize the principle of pay for performance.
Systems to back career formation and support employee lifestyles
The S-Pool Group promotes the growth of both the Company and our employees by accounting for the
life and career each employee strives to achieve and by establishing multiple career courses and
programs to help realize these goals.
In addition, we've developed systems to ascertain information constantly and develop new systems
as needed to enable flexible adaptation to changing values in the process of career formation.
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Establishing multiple career courses
The S-Pool Group adopts multiple career courses tailored to each employee's reasons for working.
The courses established to match career orientations are the Company Course, which focuses on the advancement of individual operating companies; and the Group Course, which stresses business reforms and business development in line with the changing external environment.
Courses established to match preferred employee workstyles include the Management Course, which focuses on organizational management and business development; the Professional Course, in which employees advance business operations drawing on their specialized knowledge; and the Associates Course, which supports employees in other ways. -
Awards program for years of continuous service
The S-Pool Group has established a program of awards presented for every five years of continuous service, designed to expresses our gratitude for employee contributions to building the corporate culture as well as business growth achieved throughout their tenure. -
Re-employment system for retirees
The Group's mandatory retirement age is 65 years. However, we offer a re-employment system for retirees who wish to continue working through the age of 70 years if his or her health permits. -
Support system for multiple job holding
To support employee career formation and lifestyles, we've established a system that permits multiple job holding where the concurrent work satisfies certain conditions (e.g., the work does not compete with the Group's business; does not result in overwork; the employee has at least five years of service after joining the Group as a new graduate). -
Support for those seeking to earn professional qualifications
This system covers all or part of the cost of earning professional qualifications specified by each operating company. It is intended to further expand business possibilities for the company and increase employees' individual value on the labor market through mastering specialized capabilities. -
“Boomerang” system
Since its founding the Group has employed a “boomerang” system to maintain a culture that makes it easier for previous employees to return to their positions. Numerous employees have used this system for various reasons. Some have subsequently been promoted to executive positions. -
Support for individual asset formation
The Group does not have a system of retirement benefits in place because the fluctuating value of currency changes over the years and poses the risk that it may not be possible for the Group to pay the promised value at the time of retirement. Another reason is that employees would be unable to exercise their rights fully unless they remained employed by the Group until mandatory retirement age.
Instead, we encourage employees to join the employee stock ownership program. This increases employee motivation to participate in management by supporting their long-term asset formation with 100% support for stock acquisitions when employees join the program.
Systems and support for various employee life events
To minimize the impact of employee life events on careers and to prevent career interruptions after returning to work, the S-Pool Group maintains systems to enable diverse work styles. In particular, since circumstances may vary with factors such as physical health and family conditions, we strive to adapt flexibly to individual cases with respect to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.
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Shortened working hours system
The Group offers a system of shortened working hours to enable diverse work styles. Numerous employees use this system, which allows them to choose flexibly from options such as working three days a week or five hours a day in accordance with the restrictions imposed by various life events and other circumstances. -
Career support before and after childbirth
Changes in physical conditions before and after childbirth and family conditions related to support for childbirth and childcare vary from one individual to another. As much as possible, the Group strives to enable changes in work locations and job duties to suit individual employee wishes and conditions, based on interviews by specialized human resource staff. Childcare leave is available regardless of form of employment. -
Congratulation and condolence funds system
The Group pays congratulation funds to employees upon marriage and childbirth and condolence funds in the event of the death of a close relative or similar event.
Support for the costs of living
In addition to compliance with minimum wage laws, the S-Pool Group works to maintain wage levels that enable employees to do rewarding work. To realize a system of pay for performance at higher levels, we revise our personnel systems periodically and reconsider remuneration systems to boost employee income.
Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
While we currently do not have a company labor union, we respect the constitutional right to freedom of association and collective bargaining for all employees. In addition, in Japan, we conclude the agreement on off-hours work and work on days off with representatives of the majority of employees at each site (majority representatives), pursuant to the Labor Standards Act (Article 36 Agreement). This agreement applies to all employees other than managers.
Employee Engagement
The S-Pool Group conducts an annual employee survey because it believes that efforts to continually enhance employee morale and motivation, satisfaction and assent, and engagement will lead to further improvement of corporate value.
In the employee survey conducted in 2022, employee engagement was checked in four categories: satisfaction with the workplace environment, self-contribution to work, team unity, and feeling of personal skill growth.
Compared to the previous year's results, the survey achieved 0.2points improvement in "satisfaction with workplace environment," 0.3points improvement in "self-contribution to work," and 0.2points improvement in "feeling of personal skill growth.
In the category of "team unity," there was a decrease of 0.2 points, due in part to organizational expansion. Each organization has analyzed the issues highlighted in the survey and promptly implemented measures, including the introduction of new policies.
Encouraging participation in volunteer activities
The S-Pool Group's businesses contribute to local communities by concluding agreements with
numerous local governments as part of its multifaceted business activities. We also pursue various
measures to support recovery from disasters in local communities closely involved in our
businesses.
In particular, we establish internal programs for volunteer activities in areas affected by
disasters. Through these programs, we recruit and dispatch volunteers to respond to disasters and
undertake the activities necessary alongside local residents, as well as provide the supplies
needed for such activities and materials to support recovery.