Initiatives to Achieve Gender Equality｜SEPTENI HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

Septeni Group's Vision and Policy for DEI

At the Septeni Group, there are many opportunities for ambitious employees, regardless of gender, age, or nationality. We promote and support diverse work styles based on the belief that each employee of various backgrounds can grow through autonomous and valuable work and contribute to performance, leading to the sustainable development of the Group.

In achieving gender equality, we believe it is necessary to recognize that women potentially face unique career challenges due to gender-specific life events such as childbirth. We are committed to creating an environment where these obstacles are minimized and growth and evaluation are fair beyond gender.

The implementation of measures and the establishment of systems to empower women, who are the majority among minorities, and the insights gained in the process, we believe, will contribute to the respect for diversity of people with various attributes, such as LGBT and other sexual minority employees, employees in caregiving, and cancer survivor employees, and will lead to support for their active participation.

Through the realization of gender equality, we will accelerate the promotion of DEI throughout the Group.

Progress Towards Gender Equality

Since the launch of the cross-departmental project “hug-kumi Committee”* in 2010, aimed at improving women's working styles, childcare support, and work-life balance for all employees, the Septeni Group has been actively working towards achieving gender equality. Currently, under the Sustainability Committee, the cross-group “Gender Equality Subcommittee (formerly the Women's Empowerment Subcommittee)” is at the forefront of our efforts. By proactively identifying changes in employees’ life stages and societal demands and developing measures to address them, we are promoting activities to ensure that each employee of diverse backgrounds can work and play an active role with peace of mind.

hug-kumi Committee*

The hug-kumi Committee was a cross-departmental project launched in 2010 with our representative as the chairman, to improve women's working styles, childcare support, and work-life balance for all employees. We have introduced measures such as a subsidy system for babysitter use, staggered commuting during pregnancy, and gynecological examinations.
*Only for major companies

Goals for Achieving Gender Equality

The Septeni Group has been working on various measures with the goal of “achieving a 25% female manager ratio by October 2023.(*1)” As a result, we achieved 26.6% as of October 2023.

Currently, we are promoting activities with a new goal for gender equality, “achieving a 30% female manager ratio by December 2030.(*2)”

(*1) Major domestic companies
(*2) All domestic Group companies

Current Situation of Septeni Group

Major domestic companies

Ratio of women among new hires as of September 30, 2023
Ratio of women in employees as of October 1, 2023

Ratio of women in managerial positions as of October 1, 2023
Ratio of women in the Board of Directors as of December, 2023

Average tenure of both male and female employees as of September 30, 2023

Efforts Towards Achieving Goals

We are implementing various initiatives to achieve our medium-term goal for gender equality, “a 30% female manager ratio by December 2030.”

■DEI Growth Metrics

At the Septeni Group, aiming to maximize the performance of each employee, we have established the Human Capital Lab, which specializes in researching human resources data, and utilized it for management decisions and human resource development.
In closing the gender gap, we also analyze HR data and derive current issues from it: “DEI Growth Metrics.” Based on the content of the “DEI Growth Metrics,” we are implementing measures for improvement.

Initiatives According to DEI Growth Metrics

【１】 Early Career Awareness for Early Success

From the DEI Growth Metrics, it was observed that employees, both men and women, who excel early (within 4 years of joining) tend to be working in higher positions and this also leads to success after promotion or returning from parental leave. Based on these results, we will conduct two training sessions to promote early success.

①Awareness Training for Young Female Employees

We conduct training mainly for young female employees in their first to third year of joining the Company, with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of “early career development,” taking into consideration life events such as childbirth.
②Awareness Training for Supervisors

We conduct workshop that targets senior management such as executive officers, department heads, and managers. It promotes understanding of the significance of DEI promotion and gender gap elimination, and discusses specific actions to be taken in their own departments.

【２】Support for Diverse Ways of Working

Based on DEI Growth Metrics analyses, we have learned that it is important to reduce situations in which employees are unwillingly limited in their work, such as when they are forced to choose shortened working hours for childcare reasons. We have been aiming to achieve “a state where everyone is working autonomously and actively in valuable jobs regardless of time and place,” which means being a globally competitive company. Recognizing that achieving this goal also contributes to the success of each individual, we will further support diverse work styles.

Diverse Work Styles and Attendance Management

■Flextime System:
Outside of core hours (10:00-16:00), employees can freely choose their working hours during flexible time. (Note: The monthly standard working hours are fixed)

■Work-from-Home System:
Depending on the nature of the work and the work style on any given day, employees can choose to work from home or from the office.

■Attendance Management:
We aim to reduce the risk of health problems caused by long working hours, even during remote work, by utilizing an attendance management system.

Subsidy System for Babysitter Use

To support employees with childcare, we have established a subsidy system for babysitter use. If our employees use the babysitter service contracted by the Company, we will bear 70% of the cost.

Support for Employees Returning from Parental Leave

■Gathering for Employees on Parental Leave
We hold events to support employees on parental leave, where we share the content of the Group Kickoff and explain the process for returning to work, in order to alleviate any concerns or worries about returning to work and to ensure a smooth transition back.

■Parenting Festival
We hold events aimed at refreshing through casual conversation, where employees who are raising children or are interested in childcare can share their parenting concerns and questions with each other.

■Other Initiatives

We share information about various initiatives towards gender equality through platforms such as the Septeni Group's official note.