Labor Practice
Basic ideas and policies
We are striving to improve the working environment to give employees more motivation and provide better working conditions so that they can maintain a good balance between their personal and working lives through discussions with stakeholders such as labor unions.
Commitment to respecting human rights
As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, we respect human rights in all aspects of our business activities by operating in accordance with the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, strive to prevent and mitigate negative impacts on human rights, and comply with national and regional laws and regulations concerning human rights.
In Japan, for example, we prevent child labor by carrying out comprehensive age checks of potential employees. We also prohibit those aged younger than 18 from working at night or on holidays. In addition, in order to prevent forced labor, we do not take custody of our employees’ important personal documents such as passports.
Provision of safe and clean workplaces
We will provide employees with safe and clean workplaces where they can demonstrate their abilities. By making office space, where employees spend much of their time each day, as well as rest rooms, changing rooms and other facilities for employees even more comfortable, we hope that they will be able to work more proactively, increasing their engagement within the workplaces.
Moreover, at the Daimon and Marunouchi offices we have introduced a free-address system to provide employees with greater convenience. We are thus helping them adopt new work styles by improving the workplace environment.
Initiatives to prevent harassment
We are engaged in internal education to create a workplace free of harassment. We conduct education on the prevention of harassment and response to incidents using e-learning every year for all employees. Furthermore, recognizing that raising awareness among management is particularly important, we have been sequentially rolling out training led by external instructors starting from top management, and in 2024, this training was provided to 1,760 managers. From 2025 onward, we plan to organize and implement training for site leaders among general employees.
As part of the consultation system, harassment advisors are appointed and stationed at each location within the company, and training is provided to the advisors to ensure they respond appropriately to consultations. In addition, assuming cases where it is difficult to consult directly within the company, an external consultation desk has been set up, which can be used anonymously. When a consultation is made, an investigation will be conducted based on the individual's wishes, and necessary measures will be taken to resolve the issue. Harassment in the workplace is subject to disciplinary action and is dealt with strictly.
Actions related to minimum wage and living
The wages of our company and group companies comply with the statutory standards of the countries and regions where they are located and, taking into account social trends and market conditions, wage levels are determined to ensure that employees can maintain a basic standard of living. For example, within Japan, through dialogues with labor unions, we aim for a wage level that not only supports basic living but also enriches life, supports self-fulfillment, and enables the acquisition of talented personnel. Regarding contract employees as well, it is assumed that their wages do not fall below the minimum wage set by each prefecture, and efforts are being made to review contracts and raise wage levels to be on par with those of regular employees.
Encouraging employees to take annual paid days off and reducing their working hours
In compliance with the Labor Standards Act of Japan, we are working to reduce overtime work and in cooperation with the labor union are encouraging employees to take their annual paid leave. For 2024, members of the labor union took 17.7 annual paid days off and worked a total of 1978.4 hours on average. We also ensure that employees who work overtime exceeding the predefined threshold are interviewed by an industrial doctor to help them maintain their health.
In order to prevent working to excess, we are implementing the following measures at each of our sites and Group companies:
- Exchange opinions about issues related to labor management and how to make improvements with the labor union
- Set a target for the number of annual paid days off for employees and encourage them to actually take the days off
- Designate a day on which employees will be asked to end their work on time
- Team activity to make improvements for higher operational efficiency
In particular, regarding business efficiency, addressing it as a company-wide issue, in 2025 we will promote the redesign and streamlining of business processes. We aim to visualize the progress and content of improvement actions and realize improvements that incorporate feedback from the field.
System to support employees in maintaining their work-life balance
Resonac has created a flextime system, telecommuting system and a system to support employees raising children and providing long-term care for family members to help them increase their job satisfaction. We also have systems to support employees in maintaining their work-life balance at each life stage, and are continuously implementing measures to encourage employees to utilize the systems, including conducting a campaign to encourage male employees to take parental leave.
Major work-life balance support systems
Regardless of years of service, we have established company policies to address reasons related to balancing work and personal life, supporting individuals in choosing diverse working styles.
Flexible working time system; shortened working hours for childcare/family care; telecommuting system; side jobs; use of annual paid days off in units of half a day; support leave (that can be taken in units of one hour and half a day); special leave system (for marriage, childbirth, bereavement, official duties, disaster damage and transfer); leave system for employees working apart from their families to return home; refreshment leave; absence for child nursing care (partially paid); absence for long-term nursing care (partially paid); leave for infertility treatment (partially paid); leave for maternity health management (partially paid); additional leave (for nursing care, long-term nursing care, infertility treatment and volunteer activities; unpaid); absence for the treatment of non-occupational illness/injury (partially paid); leave for the treatment of non-occupational illness/injury; childcare leave; long-term nursing care leave; and life support leave
Outline of major work-life balance support systems
- Annual paid leave：Regardless of years of service, 20 days of paid leave are granted each year to all employees, exceeding the legal requirement.
- Support leave：Five days of paid leave are granted to all employees annually, which can be carried over for up to 40 days. Leave can also be taken for attending children's school events up to the completion of elementary school, responding to temporary school closures or class suspensions, as well as for caring for children when they need to receive vaccinations or health checkups. These can be taken not only on a daily basis but also in half-day or hourly increments, for purposes such as family nursing and caregiving. They can also be applied to volunteer and community activities, supporting employees' contributions to society and self-fulfillment.
- Refreshment leave: In recognition of their contribution to society, employees are awarded this paid leave of up to three, five and 10 days off when they turn 30, 40 and 50 years old. It is intended to provide them with an opportunity to think about their future at significant milestone years in their life.
- Childcare leave: Can be taken by employees who live with and are raising children younger than two years old until the day before the child’s second birthday. It is possible to take this leave up to twice per child during the period. Apart from this leave, male employees can also take paternity leave following the birth of the child. Moreover, if the Company gives special approval, employees can take childcare leave for up to a total of three years before the child enters elementary school.
- Long-term nursing care leave: Can be taken by employees who have family members in need of long-term nursing care. Depending upon the relationship between the employee and the family member in need of long-term nursing care, a total of 93 days off, or a total of 12 months’ leave during the two-year period from the start of the leave, can be taken.
- Shortened working hours for taking care of children/family members: Can be taken by employees who have children younger than junior high school age or who are taking care of family members in need of long-term nursing care. These employees may choose to reduce their standard working hours by up to two hours per day. With special approval by the Company, they can also shorten their working hours to as little as four hours per day.
- Child nursing leave and nursing care leave: Employees who are raising children up until they finish elementary school, or who are caring for family members in need of nursing care, are eligible. Participation in children's school events, responses to temporary school closures or class suspensions, receiving vaccinations, and nursing or caregiving for children or family members can be taken for up to 10 days a year per eligible child or family member, exceeding the statutory limit.
- Life support leave: his leave can be taken for up to a total of three years for purposes such as self-funded study abroad and volunteering, accompanying a spouse on an overseas assignment, and undergoing specific infertility treatments.
- Telework: It is recognized as one of the work style options aimed at improving productivity and job satisfaction through employees' autonomous efforts. It is also utilized for childcare and nursing care, enabling work-life balance through flexible working arrangements.
Relationship with the labor union
Resonac has concluded a labor agreement with its labor union and has built a strong relationship of trust with the union based on the principle that the two sides agree to cooperate as partners to achieve the growth of both the Company and individual employees and to work together in good faith for desirable corporate activities and treatment of labor union members. Resonac has adopted a union shop system, but other Group companies can form their own labor unions based on applicable local laws in the countries and regions where they operate and in accordance with the wishes of employees. Resonac imposes no limits on these activities.