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Sustainability Material Issue 4 Promoting Work-Life Enrichment
Objective
Create an environment that helps employees fulfill their ambitions through synergy between work and private life.
| Indicators (2030) | Employees who feel that life outside of work (role at home and activities outside the office) has a positive impact on work ⇒75% or more |
|---|---|
| Progress (2023 results) |
54% (Japan) |
| Globally Common Measures to 2030 | Create an environment that enables employees to fulfill their life ambitions and achieve their ideal lifestyles. |
In order to utilize the power of our human resources, it is necessary for a diverse range of people to demonstrate their diverse abilities and work in their own way. For this reason, we view work and life as one, and aim to create an environment that helps employees fulfill their ambitions through synergy between work and private life. We are committed to creating an environment in which each employee can realize their ambitions in life. To this end, we provide a variety of support services to help each employee realize their mid- to long-term life plan and daily lifestyle.
For individual employees to be able to realize their mid- to long-term life plan, it is necessary to expand the range of life planning options for events that have a large impact on life, such as childcare and nursing care.
Lion has enhanced support for employees engaged in nursing care of family members as part of efforts to create an environment that allows employees to continue to work with peace of mind while handling such responsibilities. In addition to ordinary annual paid leave, we have in place programs to support nursing care providers, including nursing care leave of up to 365 days, shorter work hours for nursing care (short hours flextime system), nursing care leave and accumulated leave for nursing care (accumulated expired annual paid leave). Furthermore, we have set up a support website targeting employees aged 40 and over to better provide information on nursing care, including videos of caregiving seminars for managers and individuals.
| Nursing care | 365 days of nursing care leave |
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| Shorter work hours for nursing care (short hours flextime system) |
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| Nursing care leave |
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Accumulated leave (Close relative nursing care) |
*Accumulated paid leave may also be taken for the employee’s own medical care or for volunteering |
Lion is proactively enhancing its programs that support employees who are balancing work and childcare. We are expanding related programs in line with our action plans based on the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children and the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace and working to increase awareness among employees. As a result of these efforts, in 2023, 105% of eligible female employees (under the Act on Childcare Leave, Caregiver Leave, and Other Measures for the Welfare of Workers Caring for Children or Other Family Members, applicable to full-time employees only, full-time contract employees are excluded) took childcare leave. The number of male employees taking childcare leave is rising at 71% across a wide range of departments.*
* Based on calculations of the percentage of childcare leave, etc. used in accordance with the Child Care and Nursing Care Leave Law
Employee motivation often falters during the early childcare years. Lion offers support for employees to help develop their careers while raising small children. For example, we have set up a website offering information for employees returning from childcare leave and raising small children as well as support for employees wanting to learn new skills while on childcare leave. To ensure proper understanding of the programs available, we hold individual orientations, attended by eligible employees and their supervisors, as well as pre-reinstatement seminars and post-reinstatement interviews in order to facilitate a smooth return to work and support ongoing career development.
Furthermore, to promote the professional participation and advancement of employees who are raising children, Lion offers a new work style—the short hours flextime system—combining the reduced work hours system and flextime system (the flextime system applies to all employees, excluding those working in certain workplaces at plants).
| Childbirth | Maternity leave |
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| Special leave for spouse’s childbirth |
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| Childcare | Childcare leave for birth |
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| Childcare leave |
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| Shorter work hours for childcare |
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| Exemption from overtime work |
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| Leave to nurse sick children |
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* Initial leave is the first leave taken, either for childbirth leave or childcare leave
When Lion relocated its head office in 2023, it installed family rooms and nursing rooms to enable employees who are raising children to work with peace of mind, as well as enable them to bring their children to work as necessary. Family rooms are primarily for use by employees who bring their children to work, but can also be used as regular meeting rooms. Nursing rooms have been set up for breastfeeding, pumping and lactation, and are used to support health and childcare for employees returning to work during the breastfeeding stage.
Lion is aggressively working to create environments that allow employees to work while raising children so that all employees can exercise their abilities to the fullest.
As a result, Lion has fully accomplished the first five phases of its Action Plan based on the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children and received Kurumin certification for each. Through such initiatives as encouraging the use of childcare-related systems, providing support for smooth reinstatement after childcare leave and encouraging male employees to take parental leave, we have achieved a 100% retention rate for female employees one year after giving birth and a 71% usage rate for childbirth leave or parental leave among male employees (for the period of April 2015 to December 2018).
In addition, under the 5th Phase (covering April 1, 2015 to December 31, 2018) of our Action Plan, we advanced efforts to promote healthy work-life balance among all employees, not only those raising children, such as encouraging the use of annual paid leave and expanding the use of the work-from home system. As a result of these efforts, in 2019, Lion received special Platinum Kurumin certification from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.
| 2007 | 1st Phase | Received Kurumin certification as a childcare-supporting company from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare |
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| 2009 | 2nd Phase | Received Kurumin certification as a childcare-supporting company from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare |
| 2011 | 3rd Phase | Received Kurumin certification as a childcare-supporting company from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare |
| 2015 | 4th Phase | Received Kurumin certification as a childcare-supporting company from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare |
| 2019 | 5th Phase | Received Kurumin and Platinum Kurumin certification as a childcare-supporting company from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare |
At present, under the 6th Phase of our Action Plan (covering February 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022), we have achieved our goal to create employee-friendly environments that allow employees to work while raising children and exercise their abilities to the fullest. After the 6th Phase is finished, we will continue to utilize our system that exceeds Kurumin certification criteria and disclose the required information on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s website.
Perspectives of Employees Balancing Work and Childcare
I used Lion’s childcare leave in 2016 and again in 2019 when I gave birth to my children. Lion’s various support systems had been well established when I had my first child, but they were further strengthened for my second child, and I felt that they created a very comfortable working environment for mothers. I was very anxious about returning to work after childcare leave because I could not imagine a life of raising two children while working, especially considering that I have not only one child, but also my second child. However, when I attended the Back-to-Work Seminars, I heard stories from more experienced mothers and was able to get a better picture of what it is like to balance work and family life. Talking with other mothers who were returning to work at the same time made me feel like I could do my best, and Lion’s systems were being improved, so I was able to look at returning to work in a positive light.
I met my husband while working at Lion, and when I had my second child, he was also able to take childcare leave. The Company as a whole is very supportive of parenting, regardless of gender, so we were able to enjoy raising our children without hesitation, which I appreciated.
Now, I am currently utilizing the short hours flextime system, the full flex system, and the telecommuting system. In addition, my superiors and coworkers are very understanding, so I am able to work in a flexible manner, which is very helpful, I feel that I am truly blessed to be able to work while raising my children.
To achieve the daily lifestyles that employees seek, it is necessary to reduce overtime and long working hours, make the leave system more accessible and increase flexibility in working hours and locations.
We have been working to reduce long working hours and encourage employees to take annual paid leave since 2010. Through e-learning programs for employees throughout the Company, covering such topics as compliance, we are promoting understanding of appropriate work management, including work hour management. In addition, in order to achieve our 2024 target of 80% annual paid leave taken, we are implementing initiatives for all employees to take at least 5 days per year under a labor-management agreement.
In 2015, we introduced a work-from-home system that promotes flexible work styles not bound to specific workplaces. This was done with the aims of accommodating autonomous work styles in line with the diversity of our employees and increasing productivity. To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the adoption of work styles that do not require employees to be present in offices or commercial premises was rapidly expanded. In January 2021, we reinforced our telecommuting and full-flex systems (eliminating core time and enabling employees to take discretionary off-the-clock breaks), giving employees the choice of when and where to work. This shift toward more independent work styles that accommodate diverse needs has resulted in a usage rate for these systems of around 50%. The practice of work styles suited to individual needs continues to take root, helping improve professional fulfillment. Furthermore, because it is difficult to enable production site employees to freely set their own hours, we have established a system for such employees to take time off in hourly increments, not only for child and nursing care, but also for things that do not require a lot of time off such as family pick-up and drop-off, going to the doctor, or school events. This system makes it easier for employees to balance their private lives and work, helping to bolster motivation.
Since 2019, we have been relaxing rules about work attire. This is aimed at enabling employees to practice work styles that spark open innovation and creativity to the greatest extent possible.
In 2023, Lion relocated its headquarters, and the traditional mindset of requiring every employee to come into the office and sit in an assigned seat has been replaced with a work environment that, depending on the nature of their work and their mood, promotes employees’ freedom of choice regarding time and place as well as work style, whether in person or from home.
In these and other ways, we are fostering employees who focus their efforts on the essential creative, high-value-added aspects of their work as well as a corporate culture that rewards doing so.
Lion has a special volunteer leave system (up to five days per year) to support employees participating in Company-designated volunteer activities as well as a general volunteer leave system (in which employees can use expired annual paid leave) to support employees participating in volunteer activities of their own choosing.
Japan is frequently affected by natural disasters, such as flooding and earthquakes. Through employees’ active participation in activities to promote recovery in affected areas, we aim to contribute to local communities and enhance participants’ awareness of social contribution.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Users (days taken) | 15 (19days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* From 2020 to 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of employees who participated was 0.
Since 2013, we have conducted an annual employee awareness and behavior survey of domestic Group employees in order to confirm changes in employee awareness and behavior, with the aim of achieving a state in which every employee feels fulfillment in their work. The results of the survey are used for measures to improve job satisfaction of employees.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lion Corporation (excluding employees on loan) |
Overall survey response rate | 85.8% | 83.0% | 84.3% | 89.5% | 93.5% |
| Total response rate from men and women employees | 95.7% | 97.3% | 80.5% | 77.1% | 74.5% | |
| Male | 96.5% | 97.5% | 82.8% | 78.2% | 76.4% | |
| Female | 94.3% | 96.8% | 77.0% | 78.1% | 75.4% | |
| Below 30 y/o | 94.0% | 95.3% | 74.9% | 71.9% | 75.2% | |
| 30–39 y/o | 93.9% | 96.7% | 78.9% | 76.9% | 70.6% | |
| 40–49 y/o | 96.1% | 96.8% | 79.0% | 75.9% | 72.8% | |
| 50–59 y/o | 95.7% | 97.9% | 84.6% | 79.5% | 76.7% | |
| 60 y/o and above | 98.0% | 97.2% | 85.4% | 82.1% | 78.4% | |
| Non-Management Positions | 94.4% | 96.6% | 77.5% | 74.9% | 72.1% | |
| Management Positions (Including officers) | 98.7% | 98.8% | 89.6% | 85.1% | 82.1% | |
*In response to the improvements in employee awareness, the survey options were modified in 2021 to enable us to understand the current situation more rigorously and aim for a better state.