Associates
We undertake initiatives to enable associates to work safely and with peace of mind and to allow diverse human resources to exercise their potential and play active roles.
Human Resources Management and Labor Management
Basic Perspective
Toyota Industries undertakes a range of initiatives based on our basic perspective to develop and leverage the capabilities of associates and the organization to the fullest by promoting the creation of a highly motivated team.
Toward Fostering Open Workplace Culture
It is essential to create an open workplace so that individual associates can fully demonstrate their abilities in their own ways and find their work rewarding and meaningful. At Toyota Industries, supervisors and more experienced associates have been taking the lead in creating a workplace culture that allows members to freely share opinions and suggestions. They also work to establish a relationship so that they can sincerely work to solve difficulties or troubles faced by members.
As for building a relationship that allows anyone to talk about anything in a timely manner, which is a focused, common theme of labor and management, we are making Company-wide efforts and holding labor-management discussions throughout the year.
We also conduct an annual morale survey throughout the Company covering various aspects, including workplace culture perceived by each associate, an individual's willingness to grow and growth achieved and supervisors' management of subordinates. The survey results are fed back to associates, and each department head is leading efforts to create a better workplace.
In order to help promote personal and trust relationships among associates outside work hours, we are also keen to conduct activities to facilitate communication, including internal ekiden long-distance relay races and summer evening festivals.
Nurturing Human Resources and Promoting Active Roles
It is crucial to build a flexible and robust organization that can adapt to future uncertainties and various changes. Accordingly, we strive to nurture human resources who can trigger changes in the surrounding environment and themselves and back up associates tackling challenges.
On-the-Job Training (OJT)
We engage in human resources development in each workplace with a focus on the OJT cycle consisting of three steps: setting a role and theme for each associate, giving guidance and providing performance evaluation and feedback.
The basis of our human resources development is one-on-one dialogue held semiannually between a supervisor and subordinate to discuss the subordinate's growth and aspired role (career plan) and to review his or her capabilities. Based on the results of the dialogue, we formulate a departmental development plan for each member and share it with him or her to increase work motivation and encourage further growth and greater roles.
Moreover, we place emphasis on human resources development through a broad range of experiences and have proactively taken measures to provide various opportunities for active engagement, including a system of overseas training, an internal job posting system and a job rotation system in which associates will eventually return to their original positions after assignment to different workplaces for a certain period of time.
We assign one senior member in the workplace to each new associate to help them learn the basic rules as a working person and ensure smooth assimilation. After one year from the posting, the department head interviews each new associate to eliminate difficulties and convey growth expectations.
As a tool to support OJT and supervisors' management of subordinates, we implement a 360-degree feedback system designed to provide an opportunity for them to reflect on their actions and facilitate behavioral change.
For leader positions, we have a succession plan system, which specifies successor candidates for each of the department head positions as well as executive officer positions at affiliated companies in and outside Japan. The system also validates required qualities and formulates development plans. Through the system, we assign roles and opportunities to those who may assume positions that are strategically important in our management to facilitate their development.
Off-the Job Training (Off-JT)
We provide various training programs that are practical and useful in the workplace, including induction training for new associates, training for newly promoted associates and training to gain specialized knowledge or capabilities.
These programs are also made available to associates of affiliated companies in Japan.
＜Nurturing Young Engineers＞
We operate the Toyota Industries Technical Training School, an in-house training school, to nurture future core human resources in manufacturing operations having basic skills and a strong commitment. Graduates of the school, who have acquired knowledge, skills and mindset/physical training for one year, play active roles at the forefront of our manufacturing operations.
Our annual in-house skills contest is a venue for young associates from within Toyota Industries and affiliated companies to hone their skills. It also serves as an opportunity to nurture practical leaders in monozukuri (manufacturing). The purpose is to maintain and improve the basic skills underpinning the foundation of monozukuri, increase engineers' motivation and facilitate skills exchange among business divisions.
Through participation in the National Skills Competition, we also nurture human resources with skills, knowledge and excellent personality, thus contributing to the growth of monozukuri within the Company as well as Japan.
＜Education to Managers＞
We provide the following training programs to facilitate an understanding of the responsibilities and roles expected of associates who will be assigned to managerial positions in and outside Toyota Industries.
- Training for executives of affiliated companies in and outside Japan (director's responsibilities, compliance, labor management, accounting and financial affairs and public relations)
- Training for newly promoted group leaders (group leader's roles, building a trust relationship with group members, empowering diverse members and human resources development)
＜Nurturing Globally Capable Human Resources＞
We focus on the following three pillars.
- (1) Global leader training
- (2) People-to-people exchange (temporary overseas assignment, overseas training and Intra-Company Transferee (ICT) system*1)
- (3) Training to be held at Group companies outside Japan to cultivate a sense of value shared across the Toyota Industries Group (Toyoda Precepts, business practices, giving guidance to subordinates and roles of each job level)
At the Global Human Resources Conference, in which human resources representatives of affiliated companies outside Japan participate, we discuss these initiatives, formulate medium-term plans every three years and promote related activities.
*1: A system to accept associates of Group companies outside Japan for a certain period
Support for Personal Development
We provide opportunities and venues for personal development and voluntary study to increase associates' willingness to expand their knowledge and perspective and to learn independently. We also provide financial aid to support their personal development.
Appropriate Work Hour Management and Flexible Work Styles
On the basis of labor management, compliance with laws concerning work hours, break time and leave systems, we have been striving to create an environment where associates can maintain their health and work with peace of mind through labor-management communication. To enhance productivity, we have also introduced systems to enable associates to work flexibly without time or place constraints to offer more diverse work style options. Such systems include a flex time system without core-hour requirements, satellite offices, a discretionary work system and a telecommuting system.
Fair Evaluation
Toyota Industries respects diverse values and attributes and implements measures so that each associate is empowered to demonstrate their abilities. At the same time, we conduct fair evaluations based on communication between supervisors and subordinates and provide support for their even greater engagement.
Supporting Active Roles of Diverse Human Resources
To generate new value by flexibly responding to the changing business environment and diversifying customer needs, we aim to create an organization that allows human resources that are diverse and proactive to exercise their abilities to the fullest and make accomplishments through co-creation.
We are promoting initiatives to realize a corporate culture in which associates accept and respect each other's differences, including gender, age, nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, sexual expression, disabilities, experience, sense of value or any other invisible difference.
Empowerment of Female Associates
We aspire to let individual associates take active roles regardless of gender. Accordingly, we have been undertaking a range of initiatives from various aspects, such as changing the mindsets of associates, providing career support for female associates and promoting flexible working practices.
In seeking to ensure that female associates engaging in production operations fully work and take active roles until an older age, we also hold a work style seminar for female production associates and a training program on women's empowerment for newly promoted production associates.
As health support for women, we have implemented initiatives such as providing basic knowledge videos for all associates and setting up a health consultation service with specialty doctors.
As a result of these efforts, Toyota Industries received Japan's “Eruboshi” certification and an “Excellent Company” award under Aichi Prefecture's “Female-Friendly Company” certification program.
Targets and Major Initiatives for Promoting Active Roles of Female Associates
| Target 1 | Ratio of female managers: Double the ratio to 2.4% in fiscal 2025 and triple it to 3.6% in fiscal 2031 compared with fiscal 2015 when the target was defined | |
|---|---|---|
| Result | 2.0%, or 1.7 times the fiscal 2015 level (as of March 31, 2024) | |
| Example efforts | Training for newly promoted group leaders; training for career development for female associates; career development support through dialogue; formulating and implementing individual career plans; role model exchange meetings; pre-maternity leave seminars | |
| Target 2 | Ratio of female graduate recruits: 40% in office work positions and 10% in engineering positions | |
|---|---|---|
| Result | 53% in office work positions and 3% in engineering positions (among new hires in April 2024) | |
| Example efforts | Recruitment events for female students; participating in initiatives of the Toyota Female Engineer Development Foundation | |
| Target 3 | Ratio of male associates taking parental leave: 30% in fiscal 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Result | 45.6% (fiscal 2024) | |
| Example efforts | Providing videos describing systems for supporting work-life balance for expectant mothers, their spouses and supervisors; communicating relevant systems through a parental leave handbook for male associates | |
Initiatives for Persons with Disabilities
We respect the idea of people with and without disabilities working together and sharing life and work values. Under this basic policy, we continue to employ persons with disabilities every year. Before hiring, we offer them the opportunity to gain work experience (internship) so that they can feel reassured about joining Toyota Industries. After employment, we implement various measures to ensure that they receive fair opportunities for achieving growth and taking active roles. These include dispatching sign language interpreters when they receive training, providing tools to support communication, such as Boogie Board digital writing pads and UD Talk (a real-time speech-to-text app), having supervisors and senior members pay special attention to them and assigning counseling staff in the General Affairs Department at each plant, bachelors dormitories and the Human Resources Department in the Head Office. Through these efforts, we have established a system to support their workplaces.
Moreover, we invite persons with disabilities as lecturers to each of our grade-based training programs to foster a deeper understanding of persons with disabilities and nurture a supportive workplace culture.
Ratio of associates with disabilities: 2.56% (non-consolidated)
Creating an Age-Inclusive Workplace
We provide practical digital skills education for experienced associates, who have broad work experience and perspectives, to learn the knowledge on digital technologies and know-how to use them through themed practical work in the workplace. They contribute to the workplace by actively promoting the use of digital technologies after finishing their education.
The ratio of older associates (ages 50-64) working in manufacturing departments reached about 70% (or 1,200 persons) at the end of fiscal 2024, and we expect that the percentage will continue to rise. In order to enable them to work and take active roles in production operations, we have been creating better, less physically stressful production lines for them. Efforts include setting up standards for the handling of heavy objects and a work environment that makes it easier for older associates to work, and improvement in processes using digital technologies. The number of processes updated in a worker-friendly way reached 2,200, and we plan to continue undertaking further improvements.
Efforts to Support Work-Life Balance
We back up active roles of associates balancing work with family life by enhancing our support to individual associates in various life stages and creating an environment where they can work with peace of mind. As for childcare, in particular, we have been working to foster a culture that allows associates to take parental leave more easily and have already created an environment where all associates wishing to take such leave can do so. As a result of these efforts, Toyota Industries received Japan's “Platinum Kurumin” certification and won a “Family-Friendly Company” award from the Aichi prefectural government.
We also provide support for associates balancing work with fertility treatment or family care by providing a system of leave and financial aid.
Support During Pregnancy, Childbirth and Childcare
| Pregnancy | Handbook for Balancing Work with Nursing Care On-demand pre-maternity leave seminars |
|---|---|
| Childbirth | Leave system for spouses whose wife is giving birth Providing childbirth gift money |
| Return to work | Interview with supervisor before returning to work to discuss how to work after being reinstated |
| Work-life balance | Shorter work hours for childcare In-house daycare centers (mutually available among five bases) Financial aid for childcare costs (for using babysitters, travel by family members and daycare center fees) Leave system to allow parental care of children with illnesses |
| Other | “Welcome-back” system (for associates who have left work to accompany their spouses for a job transfer or to provide child or family care) Inviting family members to Company events (plant tours, sports days, summer festivals, etc.) |
| Support for Family Care |
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| Support for Fertility Treatment |
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Working with Colleagues from Different Countries
Currently, some 53,000 associates are working at bases outside Japan, accounting for about 70% of all associates of the Toyota Industries Group. To foster a mutual understanding among associates working in different countries and regions, Toyota Industries actively dispatches associates to production bases and offices outside Japan on temporary assignments and as trainees. We also operate the Intra-Company Transferee (ICT) system to accept associates of overseas bases at Toyota Industries for a certain period.
Number of Associates Sent Overseas
(Temporarily Assigned, Expatriates and Trainees)
Number of Associates Registered or Accepted under ICT System
Efforts for Mid-Career Recruitment
We have been reinforcing mid-career recruitment to incorporate external knowledge. For office work and engineering positions, in particular, we have reinforced the recruitment of young persons with a few years of work experience to bring out their potential and plan to adopt a referral recruitment system*2 in addition to our conventional recruitment of work-ready persons with specialized knowledge. In fiscal 2025, we plan to increase the ratio of mid-career associates in office work and engineering positions to 32% of all main career track associates. In fiscal 2024, mid-career associates accounted for 14% of all new hires. They are assigned to their desired business divisions or job categories and after finishing induction training, take active roles in each workplace.
For our production floors, we actively promote short-term workers to full-time associates to ensure stable production by securing excellent human resources.
*2: A system of recruitment to receive referrals of potential associates from Toyota Industries associates
Safety and Health
Basic Perspective
Based on the idea of building “a homelike atmosphere at work that is warm and friendly” as stated in the Toyoda Precepts, we formulated the Safety Vision in 2013 after holding repeated discussions on the “basic stance on safety” and “optimal safety we seek.” The vision has been instilled at all bases in the Toyota Industries Group.
| Safety Vision Each and every associate in the Toyota Industries Group, guided by the spirit of our corporate creed, aims to create a corporate culture that places a top priority on maintaining safety in all areas and focuses on mutual courtesy and safety as well as realizing workplaces where associates work each day with a sense of happiness and pride. |
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Structure for Promoting Safety and Health
Under our basic policy of placing a top priority on safety and health, we have been striving to eliminate accidents and occupational disorders. As part of such efforts, we have established the necessary committees, including the Central Safety and Health Committee and Plant Safety and Health Committees.
Occupational Safety and Health Management System
In accordance with the concept of an Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS/ISO 45001), we have established a required management structure in each plant (or business division) headed by the chair of each Plant Safety and Health Committee (responsible senior executive officer) and have been achieving improvements in safety and health activities on an ongoing basis from human, object and administrative standpoints based on risk assessment.
Prevention of Accidents and Disorders through Safety and Health Education
In order to cultivate knowledge, awareness and the skills necessary to prevent accidents and disorders, Toyota Industries proactively provides safety and health education, including education required by law to cultivate relevant knowledge and skills and to raise safety and health awareness, in addition to grade-based education and job-category-based education. Through these efforts, we are promoting the development of human resources and workplaces that place the highest priority on safety.
- Acquire qualifications (cultivate personal skills)
Licenses; skills seminars; special education; repeated education for capability improvement - Raise safety and health awareness
Education to improve ability to predict hazards; education to actually experience hazards (safety dojo) - Prepare for roles associated with positions/grades
Induction training; training for production associates; training for newly promoted senior experts and chief experts; training for newly promoted experts; safety and health manager education - Prepare for job categories and business characteristics
Education on emergency measures; education on equipment lockout; education for equipment safety inspectors; risk assessment education
Prevention of Occurrence and Recurrence of Accidents and Disorders
Since the occurrence of a serious accident in 2019, we have been working to eliminate accidents related to powered machinery and constantly upgrading our physical and administrative measures. Specifically, we have incorporated into our new and existing equipment a mechanism that cuts off power whenever an operator accesses a machine with its safety device disabled. We have also rebuilt our equipment safety assurance system. The system includes a visualization of which parts of the equipment are shut down, the control category under which it is operating and safety feature checks by qualified equipment safety inspectors.
Moreover, to make further efforts toward zero accidents, we believe that it is important to prevent accidents caused by the unsafe behavior of operators themselves, including taking a shortcut, omitting a step in a particular work process or showing disregard for safety. Since fiscal 2023, as part of human-related measures, we have been undertaking an initiative to quantitatively assess the tendencies of individuals, namely risk perception and risk-taking attitude*3.
In fiscal 2024, we laid down internal rules to consider individuals' behavioral tendencies when selecting personnel for implementing emergency measures to deal with irregularities that may lead to very serious accidents and have thus reinforced our efforts to prevent accidents related to powered machinery.
We will continue to work toward the development of safe workplaces and safety-oriented human resources based on an approach to always shut down a machine (cutting power) when something is wrong and make sure to prevent accidental operation by others (enforcing lockout) while taking fundamental measures to remove the root cause.
*3:
Risk perception: An ability to recognize a risk as a risk
Risk-taking attitude: Tendency to intentionally accept a risk and act accordingly even when one perceives the risk
Health
Basic Perspective
As a task for the medium term, we are promoting health improvement of associates, mainly focusing on the prevention of lifestyle diseases and mental health support activities, to counter risks of health problems associated with aging and greater stress. To enable associates to work and take active roles over the long term, we provide support toward the cultivation of an autonomous health-oriented culture in which associates care about their own health and take action voluntarily and willingly.
Formulation of Philosophy of Health Management
Based on the basic perspective, we have formulated the Toyota Industries Group Declaration of Health Commitment. Centered on the idea that the health of associates and their families will vitalize the Company and lead to our sustainable growth, we will make Company-wide efforts to establish the foundation for health and productivity management.
Toyota Industries Group Declaration of Health Commitment
At Toyota Industries, we want every one of our valued employees and their families to live healthy and fulfilling lives, both mentally and physically. The health of our employees and their families not only ensures vitality within the company, but also leads to sustainable corporate growth.
We aim to contribute to making the earth a better place to live, enrich lifestyles, and promote a compassionate society by supporting industrial and social infrastructure around the world through the continuous supply of products and services that anticipate customers' needs. We therefore declare our commitment to creating a company where everyone can be happy and active in their work, while maintaining good mental and physical health, in accordance with the spirit of our corporate creed.
April 2024
Koichi Ito, President
Toyota Industries Corporation
Toyota Industries Group Declaration of Health Commitment PDF 197.0KB / 1pages]
Structure for Promoting Health
To further reinforce our health and productivity management*4, we have established the Subcommittee for Promoting Health Creation, for which the Safety & Health Promotion Department and our health insurance association serve as an administrative office. The subcommittee, in which related departments and our workers' union are participating, formulates medium- to long-term health targets and a strategy map (policy) for health and productivity management while exchanging views concerning associates' health. It also creates improvement plans and continuously provides support for enhancing the health of associates.
*4: Health and productivity management is a registered trademark of the NPO Kenkokeiei
Health & Productivity Management Strategy Map
We have created a health & productivity management strategy map, identifying the management issue to be resolved through health & productivity management as “achievement of associates well-being and maximizing individual and organizational performance." Our ultimate goal indicators are "reduction in presenteeism," "reduction in absenteeism," and "improvement in work engagement," and we are conducting activities based on these objectives.
As a key initiative, we are focusing on lifestyle disease prevention through "KENKO Challenge 8," strategically implementing and evaluating measures that lead to changes in associates awareness and behavior.
Health & Productivity Management Strategy Map PDF 224.0KB / 1pages]
Health-Related Goal Indicators
We have set associates well-being as the primary KPI and are carrying out health initiatives centered around KENKO Challenge 8, aiming to achieve our targets by 2030. Below are the health-related goal indicators we are working on.
| Category | FY2024 | 2030 Target | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main KPI | Well-being score (*5) | 12.2 | 16 or above |
| Sub KPIs | Absenteeism (*6) | 1.16% | 1.0% or below |
| Presenteeism (*7) | 17.3% | 10% or below |
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| Work engagement(*8) | 3.00 | 3.50 or above |
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| Activity Goals | KENKO Challenge 8(*9) | 5.67 | 6.5 or above |
These data are based on valid responses from full-time employees.
(*5) WHO-5 Well-being Index. Maximum score of 25 (Average score for 14,021 full-time employees. Response rate 97.6%).
(*6) Percentage of employees who were absent for 4 or more consecutive days due to personal illness or injury (Number of participants: 14,626 full-time employees).
(*7) Percentage of work loss based on the Single-Item Presenteeism Question (Average for 13,744 full-time employees. Response rate 95.7%).
(*8) Average score on the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), with a maximum score of 6 (Average for 14,038 full-time employees. Response rate 97.7%).
(*9) Average score at which employees are practicing the eight lifestyle habits (1. Desirable weight, 2. Breakfast, 3. Snacks, 4. Sleep, 5. Exercise, 6. Alcohol consumption, 7. No smoking, 8. Stress level) (Scale of 1 to 8) (Average for 13,114 full-time employees. Response rate 91.3%).
Prevention of Lifestyle Diseases
Milestone Health Class
As a collaborative initiative of Toyota Industries, its workers' union and health insurance association, we conduct periodic age-based health education for all associates (every five years, from the age of 30) and offer a Milestone Health Class as part of this education. To provide motivation for better health, we provide feedback to associates on the results of an annual health checkup along with advice to improve lifestyle habits. In fiscal 2020, we started providing such information as physical fitness propensity scores and countermeasures, physical fitness for work, assessment of physical fitness age and recommended exercises to increase motivation for promoting physical fitness.
KENKO Challenge 8
Since fiscal 2022, we have continuously been promoting the “KENKO Challenge 8 (8 Challenges for a Healthier Lifestyle)” initiative to promote the cultivation of appropriate lifestyle habits in daily lives by defining eight lifestyle habits and giving each a score. To instill the initiative among associates and increase their health literacy*10, we provide the results of a KENKO Challenge 8 survey and health-related information to encourage behavior change. Additionally, in fiscal 2024, we analyzed the correlation between lifestyle habit scores and work performance and motivation and, based on the findings, held a lecture by an industrial physician at a meeting of the Plant Safety and Health Committee. With a declining labor force and aging society, it is essential to maintain the physical fitness of associates. However, the score for “Exercise” was lower than other lifestyle habit items defined in the initiative. In the future, we will promote various efforts and initiatives to encourage associates to exercise during a break or after work.
*10: Knowledge, willingness and ability to obtain, understand and utilize health-related information
Weight Reduction Program
To prevent and ameliorate metabolic syndrome, we implement a new weight reduction program that uses a body composition analyzer (BCA), in addition to providing the Milestone Health Class and health guidance to associates whose body mass index (BMI) is above 25.0. The program has led to reductions in the body-fat percentage and visceral fat level as well as behavior change among the participating associates. Some participants noted the use of a BCA makes it easier to see a difference (or a positive effect) as it visualizes their body shape. We plan to use a BCA in annual health checkups and health guidance to raise associates' interest in changing themselves and provide better motivation for their behavior change.
Mental Health Support
As part of mental health support activities, we have in place a system to offer early consultation through a health-related hotline. Other activities include upgrading our self-care/ line-care education to prevent new cases of mental health problems and operating a return-to-work support program for persons on long-term leave for the prevention of relapses. We have successfully achieved positive results through these activities.
As for activities for early detection, we have been continuously reinforcing line care by associates' immediate supervisors and seeing an increase in cases seeking advice from the internal hotline while a problem is still in the mild stage. Since associates with milder mental health problems aim to recover while still on the job, we assist them in taking action themselves to restore their conditions as well as support the workplace in improving its work processes and environment.
Additionally, we have been conducting an annual stress check on all associates since fiscal 2017. We feed back the check results to all participants and workplaces with suggestions for improvement while setting up an individual interview with a doctor for those wishing to do so, including making an individual recommendation to associates showing a high level of stress and those found to have tendencies of problems through the internal check, and providing improvement support to individual workplaces.