Promotion of women's activities
-The PPIH Group's Women's Activities Promotion Goals
50 store managers by the FY2026, 100 store managers by the FY2030
8.8% by the FY2026, 5% by the FY2030
Subject: Domestic
Turnover Rate of Female Employees: 9.7% (1.9% improvement from June 2021)
- (1)Training of Female Managers
-"RISE!100", a training program aimed at producing 100 female Store Managers
-Introduce female employees who are active in the company through in-house newsletters, etc
-College-type career development online seminars (for female employees)
- (2)In-House Awareness-Raising Activities
-Unconscious bias training (for managers)
-Women's health seminars (for Directors, Managers, and female employees)
-Diversity Management (DM) Examination (for all employees): A test to promote understanding of diversity issues, in which participants are required to answer questions related to diversity and pass the test if they exceed a certain level
-Distribution of a progress report to stores and departments to check the progress of women's activity indicators
(3)Creation of a Comfortable Working Environment
-Conduct awareness surveys of female employees to grasp the actual situation
-Distribution of a support book for taking maternity/childcare leave (women's version/men's version)
-Establishment of "Don Kids" onsite daycare center
-Introduction of "low-dosage pill cost assistance" as a part of the company's welfare program
-Approach for women's participation and advancement
We view each stage of the promotion of women's activities as connected and will implement this plan as a cyclical plan to achieve accelerated and sustainable corporate growth by approaching the issues at each stage simultaneously and in multiple ways.
We believe that the understanding and cooperation of all layers and staff involved in each stage, from recruitment to promotion to management positions and employee growth, is essential, and we are planning a variety of measures that will enable the entire group to tackle this issue.
-Introduction of initiatives and activities
"RISE!100", a training program that aims to produce 100 female Store Managers
As a concrete measure to increase the ratio of female Store Managers, we launched the "RISE! 100" training program in May of 2021, with a total of three sessions conducted by August of 2023 in order to educate staff on the necessary attitude, knowledge and skills for Store Managers.The number of female Store Managers has been steadily increasing, with several of them coming from the participants of each session. The training program is supervised by the director in charge of diversity management, and some of the lectures are given by the director.
In addition to web-based training (24 sessions in total) to acquire the skills, know-how, and compliance knowledge necessary to become a Store Manager, the program also includes social events with current female Store Managers and 1-on-1 meetings for career counseling, etc. The training program, which lasts about six months, helps female employees reduce their anxiety regarding the Store Manager position, build an internal network, and build a career image. In addition to regular follow-up with those who have completed the training, we are also working to further enhance the program and continue to provide training on an ongoing basis.
| as of June 2021 | as of June 2022 | as of June 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Female Store Managers | 13 | 26 | 31 |
| as of June 2021 | as of June 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| No. of Female Store Managers | 13 | 26 |
Unconscious Bias Training
We have been conducting "Unconscious Bias Training" for all Manager level employees since November 2023 in order to promote the creation of an organization where diverse human resources can work comfortably, and to eliminate Unconscious Bias, which is said to be one of the factors which hinders career development and motivation.
By conducting training 4 times a year, we aim to help Managers recognize their own Unconscious Bias and change their behavior, thereby contributing to the career development of subordinates with diverse personalities and a more open organizational climate.
| Training Theme (Month) | Training Contents |
|---|---|
| First Session (November 2023) What is Unconscious Bias? |
-Unconscious Bias Check -What is the Nature of Unconscious Bias? |
| Second Session (January 2024) Background of the Occurence of Unconscious Bias. |
-Why do we have Unconscious Bias? -Bias: Learning from Case Studies. |
| Third Session (March 2024) Unconscious Bias: How we Perceive our Thoughts |
-Imposter Syndrome and How to Handle it. -Thinking Habits and 2 Mindsets. ~Positive Thinking and Reassessment~ |
| Fourth Session (May 2024) Reducing Unconscious Bias |
-What is Diversity Inclusion? -Reducing Bias through "Un-Learning" |
"Women's Health Seminar" conducted by outside lecturers
In order to improve the basic knowledge of Directors and Managers on the necessity and concept of women's activities in companies, knowledge on women's health, and knowledge on health necessary for women to consider their own working styles, a total of six "Women's Health Seminars" were held from June to November 2022 for Directors, Managers, and female employees, respectively.
For Directors and Managers, the seminar was designed to help them understand health issues specific to women and to create a workplace environment in which their subordinates, regardless of gender, can play an active role. The seminar for Female Employees was designed to help them learn about possible future physical and mental changes, as well as to use this knowledge to think about work-life balance, career planning, and other ways of working that will enable them to be active. The total number of participants in the six sessions is expected to reach 1,000. A total of 755 people participated in the six sessions, and a lively question-and-answer session was held.
Women's Health Seminar
Some of the projected materials for the Women's Health Seminar
Women's Health Seminar
Some of the projected materials for the Women's Health Seminar
"College-Style Career Development Online Seminar" for Female Employees
In order to develop female Store Managers, career development seminars are held once or twice a year by outside lecturers on the theme of skills development, with the aim of improving skills and acquiring new knowledge.
Throughout the sessions held from September~October 2023, a total of 200 female employees freely attended seminars of their choice on themes that promote individual growth by strengthening their skills and mindset at work, such as communication, logical thinking, management, and leadership (8 sessions, 90 minutes each). In the post-attendance questionnaires, many positive comments were made regarding career development and the seminar's effectiveness, such as "I have been able to apply the information from the seminar to my work", "It gave me an opportunity to take a fresh look at myself" and "I was able to get a better understanding of my own issues".
The "DM Certification Test", a measure to promote understanding of diversity
Since 2021, we have been conducting the DM (Diversity Management) Examination, a web-based test to deepen understanding of female advancement promotion, "Ikubosu"* and LGBTQ+. The DM (Diversity Management) Certification Test is an e-learning system that allows employees to take the test while studying, and was administered to all employees in 2023, with over 10,000 employees passing. Those who pass the test are presented with a seal of approval as proof of diversity promotion, and this has helped to raise awareness of our efforts both inside and outside of the company.
*An "Iku-boss" is a boss who is able to enjoy his or her own work and personal life, while also considering the work-life balance of subordinates and staff working together in the workplace, supporting their careers and lives, and achieving results for the organization. PPIH has been a member of the Iku-boss Federation since April of 2021.
Sticker of success to be presented to passing applicants
| as of June 2022 | as of June 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Successful applicants | 10,705 | 10,458 |
Introduction of female employees who are active in the company
Female employees who are active in the company are interviewed by Chairperson Ninomiya, and the content of the conversation is introduced on the portal site for internal use. We introduce many female employees who are advancing their careers while balancing life events such as marriage and childbirth, and create opportunities for female employees working in the PPIH Group to think about their career development.
Distribution of the Women's Activity Report
In order to quantitatively keep track of the progress of the promotion of women's activities, the DM Committee sends a monthly report on women's activities to the Managers of each branch and department. This report provides numerical and graphical information on the rate of improvement in four areas: the ratio of female employees, the ratio of female managers, the promotion rate for female employees, and the retention rate for female employees.
Conducted awareness surveys for female employees
With the aim of increasing the retention rate of female employees and further improving their performance, we conduct an annual awareness survey for female employees. We ask our female employees to answer questions about their awareness of the company's systems, their own career aspirations, and the systems and training they need from the company.
Distribution of support books for taking maternity/paternity leave
To support employees entering new life stages, such as marriage and childbirth, we have created and distributed to all employees a support book for taking maternity and childcare leave that introduces the PPIH Group's systems, mainly maternity and childcare leave, and provides information on how to apply for them.
Maternity and childcare leave support book
(Women's Edition/Men's Edition)
Maternity and childcare leave support book publication page (excerpt)
Introduction of a subsidy program for low-dose birth control pill expenses as a part of the benefit programs
In March 2023, the PPIH Group introduced a benefit program for female employees and their life partners to subsidize the cost of taking low-dose birth control pills. Low-dose birth control pill is said to be effective not only as a contraceptive but also for improving menstrual pain and PMS. By subsidizing the cost of taking the pill, we support female employees in maintaining their mental and physical health and contribute to creating a workplace where they can further demonstrate their abilities. By subsidizing not only female employees but also their life partners, the program aims to promote understanding of women's health issues among male employees.
