Our People
Creating an environment in which employees can engage in their work
Motivation
Promoting diversity and female participation
Our Human Resources Department plays the lead role in an effort to create an environment in which all employees can make the most of their skills and abilities. We’re pursuing the following initiatives as part of an action plan (series of objectives) we developed based on the Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace:
- 1.Increasing the number of female employees to at least 25% of all hires and promoting female participation in all job categories
- 2.Raising female employees’ career awareness and transforming their interest in managerial positions
- 3.Increasing utilization of flex-time programs to 25% and introducing remote work programs
Female employees are becoming involved in a wider range of settings, for example through programs that have them play an explanatory role at tradeshows and through product courses for beginners, in response to proposals from trainees in a career development course that we offered to female employees in the past.
Lifelong engagement thanks to later retirement
In April 2017, Hioki raised the age of retirement to 65. A re-employment program lets retirees work from age 65 to 70. Passing on skills and experience to younger colleagues and continuing to participate in social life while experiencing the joy of work help these employees maintain their physical and emotional health. Providing an environment in which employees can work with peace of mind and a sense of security about the future is an essential part of ensuring Hioki can continue to grow and develop on an ongoing basis.
Programs
Childcare and nursing care leave
Employees can take childcare leave until their child turns three, and they can utilize shortened working hours and flex-time programs after they return to the job. We’re working to create an environment that’s conducive to child-raising, for example by holding information sessions about parenting support programs for male employees and pursuing workstyle reforms.
We also offer leave so that employees can provide nursing care to family members (for a total of up to 365 days) and shortened work hours as part of our effort to realize worker-friendly workplaces where employees can value time with their families even as they make the most of their skills and abilities on the job.
Opportunities for part-time employees to move to full time
In 2008, we introduced a system that offers part-time employees opportunities to move to full-time positions. We believe that chances to refine their skills and take responsibility for higher-added-value tasks help boost motivation and engagement.
Human resources development
Extensive training programs
Hioki offers a range of training opportunities based on the belief that employee growth facilitates corporate (organizational) growth. These programs encompass broad content, including specialized skills, management skills, career development, and general education. Through ongoing education, we draw out the latent skills of individual employees in order to contribute to the sustained growth and future development of the company and to employee motivation.
Employee training offered by talented engineers
Educational curriculums and training programs offered by the Manufacturing Department are overseen by employees who were recognized as outstanding technicians by the governor of Nagano Prefecture in 2010. In this way, we strive to offer engineer training in a planned, systematic manner under the supervision of leaders who possess solid technological skills that have earned them official recognition.
Career path support program
To cultivate future managers and foster personal growth, we give decision-making authority equivalent to that of a division manager to product development leaders during the product development process, entrusting them with managing the development schedule as well as team members. We also dispatch employees to sales companies in foreign countries for a period of one to two years so that they can experience the global market directly and take advantage of that experience in product development and planning.
Safety and health management
Risk assessment
Hioki introduced a safety and health management system in 2008. As part of that system, we carry out risk assessment by reviewing potential hazards in advance when changing production line layouts or deploying new equipment and quantifying dangerous experiences and other events in the course of daily company life. In this way, we strive to identify risk factors, assess potential impacts, implement countermeasures, reassess impacts, and minimize hazard sources.
Medical checkups and professional counseling
It is thanks to their health that employees and their families are able to enjoy rich and fulfilling lives while concentrating on their jobs. To foster self-management of health and early discovery of health issues, Hioki offers medical checkups at its expense for employees and dependent spouses when they turn 30 and then annually after they turn 35. We also emphasize emotional health and have put in place structures that make it easy for employees to consult public health nurses and counselors.
Headquarters environment
Situated in a verdant natural setting, the campus that includes Hioki's headquarters is known as "Hioki Forest Hills". Making good on the company’s vision of a plant set in a park-like environment, all employees planted trees in 1988 to give the campus its green, leafy ambience.
Hioki operates various welfare facilities to enrich employees’ lives.
Hioki Lodge, a dormitory for unmarried employees
Hioki Hall
Restaurant
Cafe
Teahouse
Training room