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CSR(Corporate Social Responsibility)

Hitachi

Employees: The Key to Hitachi's Future

Respecting employees' individuality and promoting activities to achieve work-life balance

[voices] Taking Child Care Leave with Understanding and Support in the Workplace

[image]Daisuke Komaki, Researcher, Information Service Research Center, System Development Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd.

Daisuke Komaki
Researcher, Information Service Research Center, System Development Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd.

In the 2nd Questionnaire Survey on Companies Facilitating Child-Rearing by Fathers, (by Fathering Japan and Daiichi Life Research Institute), Hitachi was the top company for the second consecutive year. According to our employee, Daisuke Komaki, who took six months' leave from July 2008, "The project I was in charge of was at a crucial stage, so I think everyone was surprised, but thanks to their understanding and support I was able to devote myself to looking after my child. The person who took over for me upgraded his skills, and I think the entire experience promoted understanding for men taking child care leave."
Hitachi gained high marks for not imposing any restrictions on how many times employees can take child care leave, for expanding the system's scope to three years up to the end of the first year of school, and for understanding the work-life balance.

Diversity: A Base for the Healthy Expression of Individuality

At Hitachi, we believe that respect for people in all their diversity, respecting their ways of working, builds synergy among employees and helps to create new value.
To realize this goal, we have been encouraging diversity awareness at all group companies, mainly through the Diversity Development Project launched in August 2006, which reports directly to the President and CEO. From fiscal 2008, we also started promoting work-life balance as a key element of diversity. In "Strengthening The Base '08–'09 -For Sustainable Growth-,"*1 a project for all employees, we have been reforming our ways of working based on the themes "lively work styles," "enhancing physical and mental health," and "support for enlivening workplace communication."
The results so far: many business groups have come up with their own activities, and awareness of diversity and wor-klife balance in Japan and overseas has been gradually increasing. In fiscal 2009, we will continue these activities, based on the same themes, in cooperation with all Hitachi employees.

*1
Strengthening The Base '08–'09 -For Sustainable Growth-
Activities for all Hitachi Group employees to strengthen management foundations for future growth (April 2008–March 2009)

Male/Female Employee Ratio (March 2009)
[graph]

Ratio of New Male/Female Graduate Recruits in Fiscal 2008
[graph]

Trend in the Number of Female Managers
[graph]

Trend in the Number of Employees Taking Child Care Leave
[graph]

Trend in the Number of Employees Using Nursing Care Leave
[graph]

Trend in the Number of Employees Working Shorter Hours
[graph]

Individuals and the Team Create Dynamism Together

[image]Kenji Ohno Vice President and Executive Officer (Human Capital), Hitachi, Ltd.

Kenji Ohno
Vice President and Executive Officer (Human Capital), Hitachi, Ltd.

The most important management task is to enhance corporate value by creating a vibrant work environment, while fully harnessing the abilities of every employee. At Hitachi, we try to make full use of diverse human resources and to reduce long working hours to improve work efficiency and communications. We have also established systems that combine work with child rearing or nursing care, and have been striving in each business group to create an atmosphere where these systems can be easily used. As a result of our efforts to change our way of working-by reducing overtime and encouraging employees to take all vacations-we reduced the statistics for long working hours by half compared with the previous year. In employee surveys, the percentage of those who feel that they have too much work has also decreased.
To emphasize diversity as well as further enhance our organizational strength, we will continue to promote business innovation and to reform employees' awareness of the way they work.

Co-sponsoring Women's Summit Tokyo 2008

In October 2008, Hitachi co-sponsored Women's Summit Tokyo 2008 together with other companies that promote diversity, contributing to the creation of a network of women working in many business fields. Two hundred women from 20 companies in a variety of businesses took part, engaging in a lively exchange of opinions on the theme of pursuing a career.

Participation in the Work-Life Balance Promotion Project

[image]
"Working well, leading a good life"-Logo of the
Work-Life Balance Promotion Project

Hitachi is participating in the Work-Life Balance Promotion Project launched in 2008 by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. This project aims to foster a balance between work and life by publicizing specific activities and their results from 10 leading companies in different business fields based on the Charter for Work-Life Balance and the Action Policy for Promoting Work-Life Balance.
In July 2008, management executives of the participating companies issued the Declaration by Top Management, stating the aims of the project and implementation priorities. In March 2009, an action program was produced, outlining the results of implementation at each company, including Hitachi, and the activities they will conduct from fiscal 2009 onward.

Promoting Employment for the Physically and Mentally Disabled

We strive to meet the legally mandated ratio of physically and mentally disabled employees by holding employment fairs and consulting with Group companies. As of June 2008, 2,975 disabled people were employed in Japan, accounting for 2.06 percent of employees at Hitachi, Ltd. and 1.84 percent at Group companies. We will continue to create more opportunities for the disabled by improving the workplace and expanding the range of work.

Trend in the Employment Ratio for Physically
and Mentally Disabled People
[graph]

Fostering Women's Leadership

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Women's Leadership Network launch

Together with other companies in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) supports the Women's Leadership Network. To promote the leadership of working women, this network was launched in November 2008. Two HDS executives, Susan Lynch, Senior Vice President and CFO, and Nancy Long, Senior Vice President for Global Human Resources, spoke as network executives at the event. The network's activities have been widely recognized, being shortlisted for the 2008 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, which honors the achievements and social contribution of people and organizations around the world.

Employment

We believe that employment should be protected by government, employers, and employees. The continuation of employment is also an important management issue. In response to recent economic trends, and to ensure the most appropriate employment and allocation of personnel, we are striving to maintain and expand employment by transferring people from mature to growth businesses and by creating new businesses in environmental and other fields.

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