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Promoting Diversity and Inclusion

The business environment is currently in turmoil. If Kyocera Corporation is to continue to grow in the future, it is essential that we not only attract even more diverse human resources, but also bring out the skills of each employee as much as possible.

Diversity and Inclusion Efforts

Considering the promotion of women's careers in the workplace as its core management theme, Kyocera has conducted a wide variety of enlightenment programs since 2006 under the overall responsibility of the President, mainly focusing on developing more female managers, increasing the ratio of women to all applicants employed, supporting more systems to balance work and parenting, and bringing about a corporate culture reforms. As a result, the number of female managers as of April 2019 reached 79 (versus six in 2006). In 2019, the Diversity Promotion Division was established as a dedicated section to facilitate company-wide diversity promotion activities, targeting not only female employees but also all employees, based on the senior management's policy. In addition, Site-Specific Diversity Promotion Committee was also set up at each of Kyocera's major domestic plants and offices. The main committee members are selected among employees at each workplace, so they are expected to carry out various activities and programs and respond to site-level opinions and issues on diversity.

Kyocera's Diversity and Inclusion Vision

Kyocera aims to be a dynamic and attractive company that takes on new challenges and continues to grow, by creating a work environment for diverse human resources to work with satisfaction, respecting the individuality and values of each employee, and promoting diversity and inclusion.

Ideal state

Fostering a Corporate Culture that Espects Diversity

Transmitting the Message from our Top Management

Promoting diversity and inclusion is in line with Kyocera Corporation's Management Rationale, namely "to provide opportunities for the material and intellectual growth of all our employees, and through our joint efforts, contribute to the advancement of society and humankind." We also recognize it to be an important management issue if Kyocera is to achieve future growth. Accordingly, we communicate this message from our top management and share it with all our employees via media such as our company website, in-house intranet, and company newsletter.

A message from the president on our  company website
A message from the president on our company website

Workplace Round-Table Discussions with Top Management, and Articles in our Company Magazine

Employees with diverse backgrounds, including foreign nationals, mid-career hires, employees with childcare or nursing care experience, employees with overseas work experience, and employees with disabilities, participate in discussions with top management on various issues under the theme of "Making Diversity a Strength of Kyocera. The content of their discussions are then shared in our company newsletter.

A round-table discussion between our chairman and employees
A round-table discussion between our chairman and employees

Educational and Awareness-Raising Activities for All Employees

As part of our efforts to foster a culture of respect for diversity, we conduct e-learning for all employees on topics such as "Unconscious Bias" and "Psychological Safety."

Educational and Awareness-Raising Activities for Managers

Diversity management training is run for management class employees. The aim is that they will acquire the mindset and management skills appropriate to an era of diversity.

An e-learning course on unconscious bias
An e-learning course on unconscious bias

Support Systems (to Balance Work and Child-Rearing, Family Nursing Care, Medical Treatment, etc.)

Kyocera Group companies in Japan provide a variety of support mechanisms, including a parental leave program and a shortened workday system, to help employees balance their careers and parenthood. Employees providing family nursing care support can apply to have working hours shortened or adjusted for an indefinite period. Since it is important to reduce employees' anxiety regarding the balance between work and family obligations, the Guidebook for Balancing Career and Nursing Care is also available on the company's intranet to provide relevant information to employees. A program allowing employees to take leave for up to two periods of as long as one year to allow for fertility treatment has been established as well.

Use of Main Support Systems (Kyocera Corporation)

Number of employees using the parental leave system 282
Number of employees using the
parental leave system
* Figures for April to March in FY2019 to FY2023 are disclosed.
Number of employees using the shortened workday system 477
Number of employees using the work-hour change system 101


Images:Number of employees using the shortened workday system
* Figures are disclosed as of March of each year.

Expanding Childcare Leave to Male Employees

Changing family structures are bringing an increase in households in which both parents work full-time outside the home. Kyocera Corporation is developing a culture that encourages employees, regardless of gender, to be involved in childcare in a way that allows work-life balance. We understand that our employees need to balance work and family commitments, and we encourage our male employees to be involved in parenting their children. Our approaches have led to an increase in the ratio of eligible male employees taking childcare leave from 3.6% in FY2020 to 21.2% in FY2023. We set a goal to achieve 50% by FY 2026. Through management seminars and other efforts, we continue to create a work environment in which all employees feel comfortable taking childcare leave.

Ratio of Men Taking Childcare Leave (Kyocera)

Ratio of Men Taking Childcare Leave (Kyocera)

Support Systems for Work-Life Balance

  System Details
Child-rearing Paternity leave at birth system Kyocera's paternity leave system allows employees to take up to 4 weeks of parental leave over a period of no more than 8 weeks after their spouse gives birth. (Leave can be divided into up to two installments)
Childcare leave system Kyocera's childcare leave system allows employees to take leave in no more than two installments up to the day before the child's first birthday. Leave can also be extended until the child's second birthday, depending on the situation.
Accumulated annual leave* can be used during part or all of an employee's childcare leave.
*Accumulated annual leave: Employees are allowed to accumulate up to 20 days of expired paid annual leave.
Reduced working hours The system is available to female employees from pregnancy or until the child completes sixth grade in elementary school. Up to 2 hours per day can be reduced.
Work-hour change system The system is available to female employees from pregnancy or until the child completes sixth grade in elementary school. Work start/end times can be adjusted by up to 90 minutes in total per day.
Childcare assistance The system is available until the employee's child completes sixth grade in elementary school. The maximum annual amount of subsidy is 200,000 yen per child.
Child nursing care vacation This system offers five vacation days per child per year, or 10 days for two or more children, available until the employee's child completes sixth grade in elementary school. Vacation is also available by the day or by the hour.
Nursing care Family nursing care leave system The system is available to employees providing family nursing care. A one-year of leave is acceptable in total per care receiver. (Leave can be divided into several times.)
Shortened workday system No fixed duration: work can be shortened up to two hours per day.
Work-hour change system No fixed duration: work can be shortened up to two hours per day. Work start/end times can be adjusted by up to 90 minutes in total per day.
Family nursing care vacation Employees providing nursing care are eligible for five days of leave in total per year per care recipient and ten days in the case of two or more care recipients. Leave is also available by the day or by the hour.
Medical treatment Shortened workday system Working hours can be shortened by up to two hours per day if deemed necessary by the company based on the diagnosis of a doctor or the judgment of an industrial physician.
Work-hour change system Employees are allowed to adjust the start of workday by up to 90 minutes in total per day if deemed necessary by the company based on the diagnosis of a doctor or the judgment of an industrial physician.
Support system for fertility treatment Our Fertility Treatment Support system allows employees to take two periods of leave for up to one year. Accumulated annual leave by the hour is also available.
Other Come-back entry system The system allows employees who left Kyocera for reasons such as child-rearing, family nursing care, or other personal reasons, to re-enter the company. Former Kyocera employees are eligible for this system within seven years after their departure. When a former employee applies for re-entry, Kyocera's job openings and the applicant's desire will be reviewed for appropriateness, and their re-employment will be approved if they are matched.
Annual paid vacation system on an hourly basis Employees are allowed to take up to five days (40 hours) of leave in hourly units up to 7 hours per day from the provided annual paid vacation.
Accumulated annual leave The system allows employees to take paid leave by the hour (up to three hours per day) for the purposes of family/child care, parenting, participation in the school events of their children, or their own medical treatment.
System of leave in the case of spouse transferring overseas Employees who are unable to continue their duties as a result of their spouse being transferred overseas may take leave for a maximum of five years.
Photo: Guidebook for the Balance of Work and Nursing Care
Guidebook for the Balance of Work and Nursing Care
Image: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare certification mark
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare certification mark
Image: Milking space (head office)
Milking space (head office)

Creating a Comfortable Workplace Environment for All Our Employees

Promoting an Understanding of LGBTQ Issues

We have revised our in-house regulations to recognize same-sex partners as spouses, and to prohibit conduct that, in word or deed, disadvantages another employee in connection with their sexual orientation or gender identity.
In addition to revising the regulations, we are implementing the following initiatives aimed at promoting an understanding of LGBTQ issues.

Publication of SOGI and LGBTQ guidelines

Inviting outside lecturers to boost awareness in General Affairs and Human Resources divisions (LGBTQ mini seminars, friendly seminars)

Development of an Ally (LGBTQ friends and supporters) community in the company

image: Our SOGI and LGBTQ Guidelines
SOGI and LGBTQ Guidelines
image: Participation in LGBTQ events
Participation in LGBTQ events
image: Original Ally goods
Original Ally goods

Awarded Gold Rating in the PRIDE Index 2023

Kyocera was awarded the top "Gold" rating for the third consecutive year in the PRIDE Index 2023, an index that evaluates companies' initiatives relating to LGBTQ individuals and other members of sexual minority groups.

PRIDE Index 2022 Gold
PRIDE Index 2023 Gold

Training Diverse Human Resources and Encouraging them to Play an Active Role in the Company

Promoting Female Engagement (Encouraging the Promotion of Women to Managerial and Executive Positions)

Our target is for Kyocera Corporation to have 8.0% of management positions held by women by March 2026. We are improving training opportunities for management candidates and actively promoting capable female employees to managerial positions. As of the end of FY2023, Kyocera Corporation had 143 female managers (4.8%), and within its executive team, one female director and two female executive officers (7.3%). We will continue to seek new ways of promoting the participation of women throughout the Group.

Transitions in the Numbers and Ratios of Female Managers (Kyocera Corporation)

Reference: Average ratios of management positions held by women in Japan, by industry -- The average ratio in electronic component, device and circuit manufacturing, electrical machinery and appliance manufacturing, and information and communication equipment manufacturing industries was 3.4% (period: July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023)
Source: "Average values" in standards relating to certification systems based on the Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (May 2023)

Implementation of Female Leaders' Training and Lecture Meetings

Targeting female employees, we invite external lecturers to conduct lecture meetings that incorporate mindset and skill improvement elements that will be needed by female employees to succeed as future leaders. These are opportunities to build networks that cross over locations and departments and obtain new perspectives and realizations for conducting work. Moreover, regarding female empowerment as part of our management strategy, we also hold lecture meetings to deepen understanding to ensure that all employees, including men, engage in initiatives for female empowerment.

image: Lecture meetings concerning promotion of female empowerment
Lecture meetings concerning the promotion of female empowerment

Female Employee Statistics

As of April 1, 2023

Percentage of female employees* 19.0% (Number of female employees: 4,043 / Total number of employees: 21,304)
Percentage of female managers* 4.8% (Number of female managers: 143 / Total number of managers: 2,975)
Percentage of management positions in profitable divisions held by women* 2.9% (Number of female managers: 57 / Total number of managers: 1,967)
Percentage of women in (Executive positions and above) 7.3% (Number of female executives: 3 / Total number of executives: 41)

Kyocera Corporation

Equal Pay

Male to female earnings ratio for managers Male: 100 Female: 100.4
Male to female earnings ratio for employees Male: 100 Female: 73.1

Employment for People with Disabilities

Kyocera is committed to the hiring of people with disabilities and to promoting their continued employment. Employees with disabilities hired by Kyocera are assigned with consideration so that their jobs and workplaces match their capabilities. As of June 2022, the rate of employees with disabilities was 2.36% (2.30% the previous year). Kyocera intends to develop specific action plans and actively employ people with disabilities to enhance the ratio of employees with disabilities.

Number/Employment Rate of Employees with Disabilities

Image: Number/Employment Rate of Employees with Disabilities

Message from Diversity Promotion Division

Making Diversity a Strength for Kyocera

Management based on the bond of human minds is a principle that Kyocera has kept since its founding. Employees with different experiences and values have cared for and helped each other like a family, striving together with the goal of making Kyocera a wonderful company. This view is consistent with diversity & inclusion, a concept which aims to pursue respect for the human rights and diverse personalities of all individuals. Implementation of this concept will result in the happiness of all employees, the growth of the company, and contribution to the development of society; this represents a key aspect of management at Kyocera.
In the over 60 years since its establishment, Kyocera has become a global corporation of abundant diversity, where people endowed with wide-ranging knowledge and skills come together. To leverage these assets and realize growth that continues into the future, we believe that it is necessary to fully bring out the abilities of each and every member of our diverse workforce and convert them into Kyocera's strengths and innovations. Now above all, it is time to return to the challenger spirit of our founder and vitalize communication that goes beyond organizational and national boundaries so that we can generate synergies of diversification, further extend our business, and contribute to society.
Against this background, the Diversity Promotion Division was established in 2019. We aim to be a dynamic and attractive company that challenges and grows continuously by creating a work environment for diverse human resources to work with satisfaction, respecting the individuality and values of each employee. The entire company is working together to promote "Diversity and Inclusion" in the belief that it will enable us to move closer to realizing Kyocera Corporation's Management Rationale, namely "To provide opportunities for the material and intellectual growth of all our employees, and through our joint efforts, contribute to the advancement of society and humankind."

Executive Officer General Manager of Corporate Communications Division and Diversity Promotion Division Eri Yoshikawa
Executive Officer
General Manager of Corporate Communications Division
and Diversity Promotion Division
Eri Yoshikawa

Creating a Comfortable Workplace Environment

The Kyocera Group maintains a fundamental management rationale to provide opportunities for the material and intellectual growth of all our employees, and through our joint efforts, contribute to the advancement of society and humankind. To realize Kyocera's Management Rationale to grow and develop the company on sustainable basis, it is essential to maximize employees' abilities. To continue growing in the current rapidly changing global business environment, we believe that attracting more diverse employees and letting every employee fully demonstrate their abilities are important.

Personnel System

The Kyocera Group is constantly working to create a range of innovative human resource initiatives based on its human resources rationale. Through these initiatives, we aim to create a workplace environment where all employees can feel pride in the company and satisfaction in their work. Furthermore, we aim to create a workplace culture where everyone can share their joy and challenges, and contribute to achieving our company's management rationale.

Workstyle Reforms

Implementing Flexible Work Systems

Kyocera Corporation has introduced telecommuting to allow remote work. We are also promoting videoconferencing and virtual meetings using cloud services throughout the Kyocera Group. Moreover, our style of work is becoming increasingly diverse according to job functions and responsibilities. Encouraging the adoption of workstyles that suit the characteristics of jobs, Kyocera Corporation has introduced a flextime system in an effort to boost the company's total productivity.

Optimizing Workstyles

To improve productivity and deter long work hours, Kyocera Corporation has set limits on labor hours for its department and section managers. We are also making workflow enhancements that optimize labor to produce results in less time.

Adoption of Telecommuting (for office workers)

Developing Human Resources with Diverse Skillsets

Advanced Specialty Course (Certification of Group Principal・Principal Engineer)

In Japan, Kyocera Corporation has also set up "Advanced Specialty Course " using qualification grades as a system to recognize and treat human resources with advanced skills. Qualified employees can be certified, for example, as a "Group principal engineer" or "Principal engineer." Further, in Senior Professional and Professional qualifications, employees who maximize their high-level expertise and practical skills contributions can be certified as "Experts."

  • Group principal engineer: Individuals who have top-class expertise within their industry and contribute to the company
  • Principal engineer: Individuals who have top-class expertise within the Group and contribute to their department

Expert System

Employees who have a high level of expertise and practical skills in their SP (Senior Professional) and P (Professional) qualifications and who can be expected to achieve even greater results by entrusting their work execution methods and time allocation to themselves are certified as "experts" covered by overtime compensation guarantees in the same way as managers and supervisors.

《System of Qualifications: Generalist Course and Advanced Specialty Course》

System of Qualifications: Generalist Course and Specialist Course

Communication Approaches

Regulations Review Project

Employees’ needs and lifestyles become diversified along with changes in the social climate. Labor and management are therefore working together on checking systems and standards to ensure they are always appropriate, fair and impartial.

Labor and Management Exchange Conference

Meetings of labor and management representatives are held each month in Kyocera plants and offices. The purpose of the meetings is to verify working conditions for employees and the workplace environment, and to actively exchange views on matters needing improvement, among other issues.

People Analytics

Kyocera uses people analytics to solve HR issues and improve HR policies to enable more appropriate decision-making through the use of HR data.

Initiatives

Item Summary
Identifying Risks to Retention Improvement By analyzing the circumstances of resignations, we strive to identify factors that contribute to resignations and improve the work environment.
Organizational Network Analysis The workplace vitality assessment enables activities to improve workplace vitality and engagement.
Data Analysis to Resolve HR Issues and Improve HR policies Analysis of supervisors' competence which encourage their subordinates to take on new initiatives to foster a better, more dynamic work environment.

Analysis Result Examples

Initiatives to Improve Workplace Vitality and Engagement

The Kyocera Group (in Japan) regularly conducts an employee engagement survey. The survey is conducted using a five-point scale (five being the highest possible score) on questions concerning attitudes toward work, workplace openness, participation in management, and trust in the company, etc. The results are analyzed on an organization-by-organization basis to diagnose the vitality of each workplace. Using the survey results as a reference indicator, division and team leaders lead workplace improvement activities to enhance vitality at each workplace.

Survey Results for FY2023
Number of People Surveyed 27,915
Number of Respondents (Response Rate) 27,012 people (96.8%)
Number of Questions 74 questions
Language Japanese only

FY2022・FY2023 Results of Workplace Vitality Assessment

Results of Workplace Vitality Assessment in FY2022
Item Kyocera Group
Average (FY2022)
Kyocera Group
Average (FY2023)
Energy 3.41 3.43
Commitment to work 3.55 3.56
Active involvement in management 3.53 3.55
Workplace atmosphere 3.64 3.65
Workplace openness 3.72 3.77
Initiative 3.78 3.80
Understanding of management policies 3.63 3.64
Supervisor's management 3.67 3.69
Trust in the company 3.70 3.75

Percentage of Employees Who Gave a Rating 4 or Higher

FY2017 59%
FY2019 57%
FY2022 51%
FY2023 52%

Results of the FY2023 Workplace Vitality Assessment (by Gender)

Results of the FY2023 Workplace Vitality Assessment (by Gender)
* In the radar chart by gender, data for employees who selected "do not answer" for gender are excluded.
Item Male Female
Energy 3.44 3.43
Commitment to work 3.57 3.56
Active involvement in management 3.59 3.38
Workplace atmosphere 3.65 3.68
Workplace openness 3.75 3.87
Initiative 3.81 3.80
Understanding of management policies 3.68 3.47
Supervisor's management 3.69 3.70
Trust in the company 3.76 3.77

Results of the FY2023 Workplace Vitality Assessment (by Age Group)

Results of the FY2023 Workplace Vitality Assessment (by Age Group)_1 Results of the FY2023 Workplace Vitality Assessment (by Age Group)_2
Item 29 years old or younger 30-39 years old 40-49 years old 50-59 years old 60 years old or older
Energy 3.40 3.31 3.40 3.51 3.65
Commitment to work 3.48 3.47 3.57 3.66 3.72
Active involvement in management 3.26 3.52 3.67 3.72 3.57
Workplace atmosphere 3.74 3.53 3.59 3.73 3.68
Workplace openness 3.92 3.75 3.70 3.71 3.74
Initiative 3.81 3.76 3.80 3.84 3.80
Understanding of management policies 3.27 3.48 3.74 3.95 3.85
Supervisor's management 3.77 3.65 3.64 3.70 3.69
Trust in the company 3.67 3.60 3.75 3.90 3.92

Supervisors Who Encourage Subordinates to Take on New Initiatives

We are analyzing the influence of the division manager's leadership style and workplace conditions on employees' willingness to take on new initiatives and how the degree of influence varies by employee demographics. The analysis showed that, across all generations, the willingness decreased when the division manager's vision-creation ability was low and increased when the workplace was more accepting of different opinions. Therefore, the training for new section managers addresses workplace openness, and training for division managers addresses the importance of presenting a vision, or "what they want to be," in running the division. By incorporating the results of this analysis into management training and other programs, we are fostering a more dynamic work environment.

:Example of Analysis Results
Example of Analysis Results