Strengthening Human Capital

Vision and Policy

We have been working to strengthen our human capital by implementing various measures based on "acquiring diverse talent," "sustainable development," "appropriate allocation," "creating a rewarding workplace environment," "enhancing management participation awareness," and "fostering corporate culture." During MEX26, we will provide priority investment for implementing various measures to "develop individual strengths," "work as a team," and "take on challenges."

Acquiring Diverse Talents

Management, System, and Structure

Return Entry System
We support a balance between work and home life through childcare and nursing care by implementing our "return entry" system, which rehires employees who have left us for reasons such as childbirth, childcare, or nursing care within five years of their leaving provided that the employees and the company have mutually agreed.

Goals

Recruitment ratio of female graduates at Maxell, Ltd.: 50％ or higher for administrative jobs, 25％ or higher for engineering jobs

Achievements

Sustainable Talent Development and Appropriate Placement

Vision and Policy

Maxell provides education with set points from key initiatives, based on our three education policies.

1. 1.People are the most important resource for a company, and in addition to fostering a culture of ongoing education,
   we aim to be a company in which people grow and develop.
2. 2.Develop human resources able to identify societal changes, work sincerely toward achieving greater creativity and technological capabilities, and provide value to employees, customers, and society.
3. 3.Develop human resources with mindsets of global, diversity and inclusion.

In fiscal 2021, we revamped the personnel treatment system for managerial positions and redefined the roles expected of Maxell's managers. This was established to make it easier for each manager, who is expected to be a leader of transformation at Maxell, to recognize the standards of work they should practice. The role definition explicitly states that "committing to value as a prerequisite means managing the organization, creating a path to achieve objectives, and responding to customer demands and values, which in turn generates corporate value." This awareness is thoroughly instilled.

Roles Expected of Managers

1. 1.Strengthening organizational foundation
2. 2.Building implementation processes
3. 3.Creating customer value
4. 4.Creating corporate value

Management, System, and Structure

We finished introducing a talent management system in fiscal 2022, with the aim of making personnel information more visible, and have carried out human resources development and promotion.
We will update our KPI in the future, aiming to introduce this system to our Group companies by fiscal 2026.

Goals

・Talent management system: Introduce to the Group companies by FY2026
・Career interview implementation ratio: 100％
・Education for personnel evaluators: 2 times/year
・Improve job satisfaction ratio in employee awareness survey: 90％ or higher (FY2026)
・Creation of skill maps for desired talent (FY2026)
・Achievement of the company-wide education plan: 100％, ongoing

Achievements

Employee Awareness Survey
At Maxell we conduct an employee awareness survey once a year. In fiscal 2023, we expanded the scope of the survey to our domestic Group companies; we innovated the survey questions and created and developed reports by department in order to further increase the clarity of issues as we work to strengthen our human capital.
We established seven new elements for engagement: enthusiasm, immersion, dynamism, positive feeling in the workplace, a sense of future engagement, a unified direction, and satisfaction with the current situation. We achieved a score of 63％ compared with our target score of 90％ or higher of positive respondents. To reach our goal, we will work on policies as a company, mainly initiatives such as talent management to enable individuals to build their careers and acquire the skills they need, organizational invigoration through communication initiatives, and management enhancement measures. We are also carrying out development for our survey reports, including department-based measures, and working to implement improvements by workplace.

　

Activities

Implementation of Hierarchical and Functional Education
In fiscal 2023, we redefined the core succession talents in our talent portfolio and revised the selection and education programs for next-generation leaders. By implementing talent development initiatives in the three fields of "global," "sales and marketing," and "technology," we offer training programs tailored to different levels of expertise in each specialized area, as well as global education opportunities such as overseas training. Additionally, we regularly update educational themes and methods to align with current trends, fostering the development of talent capable of creating new value through a variety of educational curricula.
For successor development, we redefined the qualities, abilities, and experiences required for Maxell executives and selected candidates for the next and subsequent generations through talent meetings. We revised the education for selected candidates to focus more on practical workplace training, planning, and promoting rotations to strengthen the human foundation for creating strong and new businesses.

　

Development of "IoT/AI" Engineers for IoT Business Creation
We aim to develop IoT/AI engineers who can play an active role in the creation of IoT businesses, acquiring knowledge on programs related to IoT through practical education provided via the "IoT Human Resources Development Program." Specifically, we provide opportunities for employees to learn practical programming and master the programming language Python with the aim of nurturing personnel who can use their IoT and AI knowledge to implement devices and applications. Approximately 60 employees are currently participating. By steadily implementing such initiatives, we are strengthening our ability to connect needs and seeds based on reliable technologies, ultimately enhancing our capacity to create new businesses based on IoT and AI technologies. In addition to the specialized training mentioned above, to enhance the IT literacy of each employee, we have created an environment in which employees can continue to learn, including the preparation of a platform where they can learn basic computer skills and Office operation skills that are useful in the workplace. In fiscal 2023, we implemented 100％ of our different education plans, including the transmission of skills. We will continue our education and training according to our plans in fiscal 2024.

Creating a Rewarding Work Environment

Management, System, and Structure

Maxell has created a diverse work system, enabling all employees to engage in flexible workstyles according to their lifestyle and life stage. Notably, we have established a system that exceeds the legal level of childcare and nursing care to ensure a balance between work and home.
With regard to the use of childcare leave by men, we have offered five days of new paid childcare leave for a child's birth since fiscal 2023; this had a usage rate of 42％. We have established a KPI of a 100％ usage rate in fiscal 2024, and are promoting the creation of workplaces in which it is easy to take leave.

Flexible Work Systems
We aim to create a workplace where employees can flexibly choose their work style according to their life stage by introducing flexible work hours and telework.

Goals

・Encouragement for men to use childcare leave: 100％ usage rate (FY2024)
・Reduce the total annual working hours of employees: 2.5％ reduction compared to FY2023 1,850 hours (FY2026)

Achievements

Maxell has established various work systems to enable all employees to work flexibly according to their lifestyle and life stage. In particular, to support the balance between work and family life, we have systems that exceed legal standards for childcare and nursing care. For male childcare leave, we introduced a new 5-day "Childcare Leave at Birth" as paid leave in fiscal 2023, achieving a 42％ acquisition rate. From fiscal 2024, we aim for a 100％ acquisition rate as a KPI and will work to create a workplace where it is easy to take leave.

Employees Taking Childcare and/or Nursing Care Leave

	FY2019	FY2020	FY2021	FY2022	FY2023
Childcare leave, etc.*	9 employees	9 employees	14 employees	15 employees (5 male, 10 female)	16 employees (12 male, 4 female)
Nursing care leave	1 employee	1 employee	0 employees	1 employee	1 employee

Activities

Maxell is implementing the following initiatives to create a more comfortable company for all employees.

Work-Life Management (Support for Balancing Work and Life Events)

Since fiscal 2016, we have introduced a telework system to help employees balance work with life events such as childcare and nursing care. In fiscal 2018, we created guidelines for work and rest, and held explanatory meetings and workplace study sessions to broadly promote work-life management among employees. To deepen understanding of caregiving, we distributed a "Handbook for Balancing Work and Caregiving" to all employees, supporting the balance between life events and work.
In fiscal 2019, we conducted telework trials in some departments regardless of the reason, promoting understanding of the system from both supervisor and subordinate perspectives.
Additionally, we set a "Health Management Day" once a month, strongly promoting leaving work on time across the company to improve work-life management for all employees. In some departments, we implemented a "Monthly Paid Leave Trial," encouraging the use of annual paid leave once a month, which increased the number of days taken by more than two days from the same period.

Creating a Comfortable Communication Environment for Work

1. 1.As a countermeasure against COVID-19 from fiscal 2020, we implemented widespread telework regardless of the reason. We formulated telework guidelines, updating them as needed based on the results of the telework trial conducted in 2019 and societal needs, balancing infection prevention and business activities. Internally, we promote more efficient work styles using online communication tools.
2. 2.By establishing "Meeting Operation Methods Review and Email Etiquette," we are working on the following:
   ・Meetings should be limited to less than 1 hour.
   ・Use paperless meeting materials.
   ・Avoid sending emails during nights and holidays.
   ・Omit greetings in internal emails.

Promoting Digitalization to Assist Work Style Reforms
To strengthen our management foundation, we are carrying out business reforms and revamping our core systems to standardize operations, moving away from the current form of management in which each domestic and overseas site establishes its own operational foundation individually. In this way, we are working toward lower operation costs, stronger corporate governance, and optimized utilization of human resources. Particularly in indirect departments such as general affairs, accounting, and business operations, we aim to achieve as much automation and operational efficiency as possible. By promoting the following digitalization initiatives, we strive to improve productivity and reduce costs.

Digitalization Measures for Work Style Reforms and Productivity Improvement
・Establish and strengthen telework environments
・Standardize, streamline, and stabilize online meetings, promoting efficient meeting formats
・Promote paperless operations
・Promote the use of cloud services
・Digitize approval and circulation procedures
・Improve operational efficiency and digitalization using RPA (Robotic Process Automation)
・Strengthen security for the expanded use of cloud services and telework

Labour Safety Policy and Efforts to Prevent Occupational Accidents

Vision and Policy

At Maxell Group, we are promoting labour safety and health activities as a united group based on our basic labour safety and health policy, which states, "Put the Highest Priority on Safety and Health." In fiscal 2024, we are intensifying our efforts to prevent accidents by rigorously applying basic actions and using the "5 Whys" analysis to address unsafe behaviors and conditions. Our goal is to eliminate occupational accidents.

1. 1.We diligently carry out safety and health activities, enhance collaboration within the group, and comply with all relevant laws and regulations.
2. 2.To eradicate occupational accidents, every individual actively participate in safety and health activities, aiming to create a safe, secure, and comfortable workplace and foster a safety culture.
3. 3.We promote health management initiatives to maintain and improve the health of all group employees involved in business activities.
4. 4.Through education and training, weenhance fire and disaster prevention awareness, building resilient business sites that contribute to the local community.

Management, System, and Structure

Maxell Group appoints an executive in charge of safety and health as the chairman of the company-wide Safety and Health Committee. This committee holds "Company-wide Safety and Health Committee" meetings every six months with safety and health managers, safety and health promotion officers, and labour union representatives. At each business site, monthly statutory Safety and Health Committee meetings are held, involving safety and health managers, consisting of management personnel, and safety and health promotion officers elected as representative of employees. These meetings provide a platform for discussing and communicating safety and health measures, including the workplace's basic safety and health policies, annual goals, and promotion plans.

Goals

Zero fatalities and serious accidents in 2024 (Maxell Group)

Achievements

As of fiscal 2023, Maxell, Ltd. has had no instances of fatal accidents or serious work-related incidents (including fatal incidents) that resulted in disability (for company employees, temporary workers, and resident contract employees) for five consecutive years from fiscal 2019. We will strive to prevent serious work-related accidents by thoroughly implementing measures to stop work-related accidents, including risk reduction measures based on risk assessments, Safety and Health Committee meetings, and internal safety patrols. We will also work to grasp data from the whole Group and disclose information.

Activities

Efforts to Reduce Overwork Hours
Maxell maintains a balance between work and employees' personal lives through the flexible use of annual paid leave and a flexible working system so our employees are healthy in body and mind and can carry out activities that fully demonstrate their abilities in their work.
Through the Labour-Management Council meetings that are held at each business site every month, we implement activities in which labour and management are united, while gaining an understanding of overtime and the number of days of paid leave taken. More specifically, every month we set days when people should clock out at their expected time, spread this information to employees via opening messages on computers and flags on the premises, and encourage employees to leave on time. To promote the use of leave, in fiscal 2023, we also set common days to encourage people to take paid leave across the company, in addition to activities at each business site. We will continue reducing overall working hours in fiscal 2024, both by shortening long working hours and encouraging people to take paid leave. This will increase productivity.

Compliance with Labour Standards
Agreements on overtime and holiday work are necessary for employees to work beyond statutory working hours, based on Article 36 of the labour Standards Act. Maxell Group concludes these agreements annually. Over the past three years (fiscal 2021-2023), there have been zero cases of non-compliance with labour standards.

Strengthening Health Management and Addressing Mental Health

Vision and Policy

Maxell believes that employees' vibrant performance is essential for corporate growth and enhancing corporate value. Therefore, we focus on health management initiatives aimed at maintaining and improving employees' health.

Health Management Initiatives

We use employees' health checkup and receipt data to implement preventive programs for those with or at risk of lifestyle-related diseases. For overseas assignees, we ensure thorough health checkups and strengthen health management. Regarding mental health, we conduct stress checks based on legal requirements, focusing on employees' stress resilience, explaining how to use stress check results through seminars, and evolving preventive activities to avoid high stress through new initiatives such as diagnostic assessments and instructor-led guidance.

Enhancing Management Participation Awareness

Vision and Policy

We are aiming to increase management participation awareness and continue raising our corporate value through employees holding company shares, as well as furthering value-sharing with shareholders. With these goals in mind, we have introduced a share-based remuneration system to deliver restricted stock and an employee shareholding association system.

Management, System, and Structure

Share-based Remuneration System
We grant restricted stock with a five-year transfer restriction once a year to the managerial level employees of Maxell, Ltd.

Maxell Group Employee Shareholding Association System
We have introduced a shareholding association system for employees and post-retirement employees of Maxell, Ltd. and the domestic group companies.

• Social | Sustainability
• Diversity Promotion Initiatives