Human Resources Development
Developing Engaging Work Environment
To create a work environment where everyone can play an active role with satisfaction, the Polyplastics Group has set “enhancing employee engagement” as one of the CSR priority areas and the measures in the Mid-Term Business Plan. Based on the results of our regular engagement surveys, we grasped the organization culture of local Group companies in each country and region as well as the opinions of employees and are developing measures at each company accordingly.
- *“High engagement” refers to a state in which employees are actively involved in the organization and work and are making voluntary efforts.
“Supply Chain Channel” for Positive In-Division Communication
The Group’s supply chain consists of more than 200 employees across all its plants and sales companies around the world.
Overall regular communication (e.g. monthly meetings) and individual communication between the persons in charge have been taken. However, there was not much communication between employees with different responsibilities.
In FY2022, Polyplastics started publishing its in-division newsletter, “Supply Chain Channel,” to improve employee engagement by creating more opportunities for positive communication with everyone working together as one team.
Three employees in the division are in charge of editing. They publish contents that focuses on specialized business knowledge and the feelings of members in the division that cannot be found in Group company magazines.
In addition, in order to provide variation in the information provided in “Supply Chain Channel,” they interview and write articles on the corporate philosophy and activities of business partners such as warehouse companies, resulting in deeper communication with them. This has also served as an opportunity to explore how we can reduce the PCF together as well as promote responsible mineral procurement, which requires everyone in our supply chain to work together going forward.
In the future, they will aim to make the in-division newsletter even easier to read and worth reading while meeting readers’ needs. They are also considering holding events such as town-hall meetings as a derivative project from this newsletter.
Through these efforts, they are aiming to further strengthen communication throughout the division and increase engagement.
Exchange Events Between Departments
Since September 2022, we have held various types of employee exchange events. In FY2022, we held a total of four events for employees who joined the company mid-career and for employees who are raising children. Participants gave positive feedback, such as, “I got acquainted with colleagues who have children, and it was encouraging for my parenting.” As an initiative to strengthen interdepartmental collaboration, which leads to improved engagement, we plan to hold more such events allowing the sharing of a variety of perspectives.
to support employees raising children
Starting One-on-One Talks and Giving Thank-you Cards
At the most recent engagement survey of the Technical Solution Center (TSC) in Shanghai, we identified room for improvement in the respect and recognition of individuals, so we started holding one-on-one talks between managers and employees.
One-on-one talks are held once a quarter, during which managers acknowledge individual employee’s strengths and offer encouragement. Furthermore, on Labor Thanksgiving Day, managers present their employees with thank-you cards.
These initiatives have been very well received by employees, with feedback saying that they felt like the company cares about them.
Conducted IT Training to Develop DX Human Resources
At our Kaohsiung Plant, we are aiming to create a workplace that drives innovation through digital and smart transformation. To enable employees to work toward this goal with a high level of engagement, we are focusing on ICT education provided on a step-by-step basis from a long-term perspective. In FY2022, this included training on ICT technologies and mindsets in line with the latest trends such as IoT, AI, and RPA. We are also working on hardware and software initiatives, including Kaizen event to share the knowledge gained through this education.
Health Management Initiatives
As a member of the Daicel Group, we are expanding initiatives in line with the Daicel Declaration on Health Management while making proactive efforts to maintain and improve employees’ mental and physical health.
Daicel Declaration on Health Management
- The Company will strive to offer a safe and comfortable workplace based on the conviction that its business foundation relies upon the mental and physical health of each employee.
- The Company will act in collaboration with the health insurance society to help each employee as well as their families engage in autonomous and proactive efforts to maintain and improve their health.
Daicel Group Structure for Health Management Promotion
- Basic Approach
- Having employees work healthily and energetically leads to both a fulfilling life for each employee and the continued development of the company. Therefore, our company's “health care team” plays a central role in supporting employees' health management through health checkups and health guidance, ascertaining employee stress levels through stress checks, and working to reduce stress.
- Healthcare Support System
- In order to maximize every employee’s individuality and provide a work environment in which employees are healthy and energetic, we established and expanded the activities of the Healthcare Team in 2014, which is composed of human resource staff, public health nurses, and industrial physicians.
- Establishment of the Polyplastics Healthcare Committee
- We established the “Polyplastics Healthcare Committee” to strengthen our organizational structure. In order to promote health management as the Daicel Group, we are working to improve the workplace environment by planning, designing and carrying out various health events.
- Participated in the Daicel Central Healthcare Committee
- The Polyplastics Healthcare Committee receives advice from the Daicel Group on plans, proposals, and measures regarding its activities.
- Collaborative System with Public Health Nurses
- We have established a collaborative system between Polyplastics’ public health nurses and Daicel's team of public health nurses to share information and solve issues as well as to ensure ongoing awareness. In addition, the nurses regularly publish the Public Health Nurse News as a way to educate and help improve health.
- About the Healthcare System
- Public health nurses help address mental or physical health issues while collaborating with industrial physicians and local medical institutions.
- Continuous Health Management
- Public health nurses follow up with employees based on the results of their regular health checkups, and recommend secondary checkups.
- Special Checkups and Health Guidance
- We are working to prevent lifestyle diseases in collaboration with Daicel’s health insurance society.
- Conducting Stress Checks
- Based on the results of group analysis of stress check results, we are developing activities to maintain and promote health through self-care and mental health care training using e-learning, in addition to following up and recommending improvements for the work environment.
- Initiatives to Reduce Overtime Work
- We are working to optimize the work-life balance of our employees in order to maintain their mental and physical health.
Certified as an “Outstanding Health and Productivity Management Organization 2023 (White 500)” for the First Time
In March 2023, these efforts were recognized and Daicel Corporation and Polyplastics were certified as an “Outstanding Health and Productivity Management Organization 2023 (White 500)” by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Japan Health Council. This was the first time that Polyplastics was certified as a “White 500” company.
We are further advancing our previous health management initiatives and will support the autonomous and proactive health promotion of every employee of the Group and their family.
We encourage the proactive use of paid leave. In FY2022, the paid leave usage rate was 81.3%, achieving the goal of 80%. This result was much higher than the average of 58.3% across Japanese corporations.
- *The benchmark is the FY2022 Japanese national average (from the 2022 General Survey on Working Conditions, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare).
