Diversity & Inclusion
We aim to utilize diverse talents
In the Sumitomo Electric Group, over 280,000 employees are working actively in about 40 countries around the world. We believe that for Sumitomo Electric to win the global competition and grow further, it is essential that we fully mobilize the Group's technologies, products, business models and all other resources, and we acknowledge that it is most important to secure and utilize highly capable employees who support the efforts.
The Group has traditionally attached a high value to human resources based on the Sumitomo Spirit. To clarify the basic policies on human resources, we instituted the Sumitomo Electric Group Global Human Resource Management Policy (Global HRM Policy) in September 2011.
This policy specifies the Group's commitment to creation of an environment that helps employees realize growth and self-actualization through work, provision of various career opportunities regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability, promotion of diversity and development of global leaders, in order to accelerate our global human resource recruitment and promotion. We have declared the policy to inform people in and outside of the Group about it.
For promoting diversity and inclusion, we define “inclusion” as multiplying diverse perspectives within an organization, relationships of trust, and demonstration of capabilities, thereby demonstrating capabilities exceeding the capabilities of individual employees. By proceeding with diversity and inclusion, we strive to generate even better solutions, creativity and ideas.
Global Human Resource Management (HRM)Policy
We provide workplaces where all the employees can work actively, grow both personally and professionally through work, achieve self-actualization, and contribute to the society.
We offer various career opportunities and globally pursue "the right person in the right position" regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
We value and promote diversity in the workplace in order to enhance the creativity of the organization and to sustain the growth of the business.
We develop global leaders who lead and give energy to our global business. Global leaders are those who understand and share the Sumitomo Spirit and the Corporate Principles and can lead highly diversified teams.
Global Grade
System and SEG Global Executives
We have adopted the Global Grade System, which is a human resource development system that allows talented and qualified persons to seek career development beyond the borders of individual companies to engage in the management of Group companies in Japan and overseas or perform even higher duties. We give board members and equivalents from overseas subsidiaries, except for those of listed companies, the global leader (GL) grade, and recognize them as SEG Global Executives. At present 42 persons, most of whom are executives of overseas Group companies, are recognized as the SEG Global Executives. They are provided with a wide range of career opportunities to help them play more active roles as global leaders.
Distribution of Group Magazine
The periodical “ALL SEI” is distributed to Group employees both in Japan and overseas in six languages four times a year. ALL SEI is published to enhance the understanding and spread of the Sumitomo Spirit, the Sumitomo Electric Group Corporate Principles, and our management policy and vision. It also carries dialogues between SEG Global Executives and information on business activities in each country in order to share information and cultivate a sense of unity among the Group’s global employees toward the creation of a “Glorious Excellent Company.”
Recruitment of Diverse Human Resources
We believe that diversity is to accept a set of different values and unify them toward the same goal, transforming the differences into our strengths.
To support the development of our various business activities including those in new fields and global markets, we continue to actively recruit women, foreign students, mid-career employees and other diverse personnel.
Women's Empowerment
We strive for women’s empowerment with the recognition that it is one of the driving forces to promote diversity and inclusion
While paying attention to various aspects of diversity, we consider women's empowerment, which is one of the most familiar issues in the company, to be the first step toward promoting the establishment of an organization where employees with various attributes can feel rewarded and show their abilities to the fullest. With this recognition, we are working to take various measures, including the enhancement of organizational power and the creation of culture to develop human resources.
《 Support of Career Development 》
Women are more susceptible to life events and accordingly tend to have difficulty in imagining their career path. Therefore, we launched a training program for managers to understand the necessity and importance of developing female subordinates and manage female subordinates in a way to motivate them in 2016. We also initiated a“ mentoring program” for female managers and assistant managers elected from different divisions in fiscal 2021, which aims to support the autonomous career development of female employees and create an environment for human resource development that makes use of their individuality.
Evaluation by External Organizations
《 Certification with “L-boshi” 》
We were certified with“ L-boshi (3 stars)” in August 2016. L-boshi ('L Star': L stands for Lady, Labour and Laudable) is a certification granted by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan to companies that are outstanding in terms of encouraging women to play more active roles based on the Act of Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace.
《Selected as a Nadeshiko Brand 》
In recognition of its outstanding achievement in the encouragement of women to work actively, as well as the attractiveness of the brand that focuses on the medium to long-term improvement of corporate value, Sumitomo Electric was selected as an FY2021 Nadeshiko Brand among listed companies by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan and the Tokyo Stock Exchange in March 2022 for the 4th time following the first in March 2017, the second in March 2019 and the third in March 2021.
Promotion of Employment of the Persons with Physical or Mental Disabilities
As part of our efforts to recruit diverse personnel, we have steadily worked to employ persons with physical or mental disabilities. With the aim of further promoting the employment of persons with disabilities and improving their employment rate, we established Sumiden Friend, Ltd. in July 2008, which was certified as a special subsidiary under the Act for Employment Promotion etc. of the Disabled in February 2009.
This company is engaged in greening activities, such as the rental and maintenance of foliage plants in our company and Group companies, and the job of stuffing bags with buffer materials for the packaging of our products. It is expanding its business scope, and is now involved in converting drawings into electronic data with the use of PCs, and shredding and recycling used paper.
* There is a corporate group application system, in which disabled employees of a special subsidiary are considered to be the parent company’s (or corporate group’s) employees when calculating the percentage of disabled employees.
