Human Rights
Basic Concept
In accordance with the Sumitomo Spirit and the Sumitomo Electric Group Corporate Principles, the Sumitomo Electric Group values a high standard of corporate ethics and unwaveringly upholds the basic policy of conducting fair and honest business activities.
As we continue to develop together with global society, respect for human rights needs to remain a prerequisite for conducting all of our business activities.
Based on the underlying philosophies, we have always promoted initiatives to ensure respect for human rights, including efforts to solve discrimination. In addition, the Sumitomo Electric Group Code of Conduct stipulates respect for human rights and prohibits any form of discrimination or harassment. In March 2019, we established the Sumitomo Electric Group Policy on Human Rights in order to clearly indicate our commitment to accommodating the needs of a wide variety of stakeholders and respecting human rights in compliance with international standards.
To ensure that our initiatives are promoted in line with this policy, we will implement training programs to educate employees about human rights and conduct fact-finding investigations regularly at all of our stakeholders, including domestic and overseas affiliates and business partners, while setting specific operational guidelines as necessary.
*Please see the following page for the Sumitomo Spirit, the Sumitomo Electric Group Corporate Principles, and the Sumitomo Electric Group Charter of Corporate Behavior. Corporate Philosophy
Human Rights Initiatives in the Sumitomo Electric Group
The Sumitomo Electric Group has been implementing human rights due diligence since fiscal year 2022 in accordance with the Sumitomo Electric Group Policy on Human Rights in order to further promote efforts for respect for human rights within the Sumitomo Electric Group.
*Please see the following page for Supply Chain Initiatives.
The labor-management relations
Discussion
Between Labor
and Management
Sumitomo Electric believes that the development of a company goes hand-in-hand with the well-being of its workers' union members. On the basis of this belief, Sumitomo Electric strives to address various relevant issues by thorough discussion between labor and management, each party appreciating the other's standpoint.
The Central Management Council Meeting, which is held four times a year, has been organized in its history of more than 70 years.
Representatives of labor and management meet for opinion exchange concerning business environments and managing conditions in this meeting. We have also set up expert committees of various kinds, such as the Working Hour Reduction Expert Committee and the Health and Welfare Expert Committee.
To facilitate adaptation to diverse work styles and create an environment where all employees can work lively with smiles, we are improving various working systems and reinforcing monitoring functions.
System for Listening to Employee Opinion
Implementation of Questionnaire Surveys of Employees
With the aim of creating a lively working environment, Sumitomo Electric started conducting an annual survey in 2006 targeting employees working at Sumitomo Electric and group companies in Japan. We monitored annual changes in employee liveliness, activity levels of organizations and the effects of personnel-related measures thereby utilizing the results for future planning.
In 2022, we modified the survey contents and renamed it to the Sumitomo Electric Group Global Engagement Survey in order to roll it out to group companies overseas and enhance employee engagement. The results will continue to be used as reference information for various initiatives.
Organization of Town Hall Meetings
Town hall meetings are held with the attendance of executives including the President, administrative members and manufacturing site managers. They involve vigorous exchange of opinions on the direction the company should take and problems to be solved, such as how managers should train subordinates and younger employees and how the workplaces should be operated. We also hold informal meetings to create a lively working environment, at which the HR & Administration Department holds dialogues with younger staffs and listens to their voices directly, on personnel issues including the current situation of each workplace regarding work style reforms, the personnel evaluation system and career building. We use these meetings to improve personnel-related measures, deepen young employees' understanding of the personnel system, and enhance motivation.
