Embracing Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity: Message from the President

Ever since being listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Hulic has consistently recorded all-time high profits. Now that a decline in the working population is unavoidable, we believe it is essential for diverse human assets to reach their full potential in order for Hulic to continue plotting and achieving its story of steady growth into the future.

To this end, based on a commitment to diversity and inclusion, our only job grades are career-track positions to enable our employees to work without any gender distinctions, and our new graduate recruitment is now almost half male and half female. Nevertheless, sometimes employees need to leave their jobs for a certain period of time due to life events and sometimes they struggle to balance work and home life when they return to their jobs. Hulic has focused efforts on improving the systems such as establishing nursery facilities located at headquarter and childcare leave so that this struggle does not form a barrier.
We also make active efforts aimed at career development for women and we have been enhancing the training and follow up required to achieve the new target of increasing the ratio of female managers to 30% or higher by 2029 every year.

We also put efforts into employment for persons with severe disabilities, who have limited employment opportunities. We have established the Hulic Suginami Office, a dedicated work space at Hulic Ogikubo Building, where persons with disabilities carry out operations as our employees.
With an emphasis on supporting independence, activities include working steadily from 9:15 – 16:15, learning how to use PCs in work breaks, and taking part in family tours at our head office. I myself also visit Suginami Office each year to exchange opinions with everyone in the office.

We believe that it is essential for management to disseminate information actively so that Hulic employees work together to promote these initiatives. We communicate the importance of diversity management through the dissemination of the Message from the President once a month, the implementation of the President’s Questionnaire Survey every six months, and periodic dinner meetings with employees. We are raising internal awareness in collaboration with the diversity promotion project team launched in 2010 under the direct supervision of the President.
Our employees will work together to achieve diversity and inclusion, without any complacency about efforts to date.

Execution of Diversity Management

Hulic's basic approach is for the employees to be aligned with their skill-sets, aptitudes, and personalities that enables individuals to perform at a maximum level and as a result of that the Company to operate a high value-added business with smaller workforce. To achieve this, we believe that it is essential to raise awareness on diversity & inclusion and enhance related frameworks. In 2010, we established the Diversity Promotion Project Team, which continues to engage in regular activities based on such themes as improving work-life balance and career development. In addition, meetings are held once a year with the President, who is responsible for the team, providing an opportunity for employees to directly communicate their thoughts and opinions.
In 2023, we held a lecture on the theme of "Workplace environment that enables divers work styles."

Promoting Female Empowerment

Hulic promotes diversity management because we believe diversity is essential for providing opportunities regardless of gender, and to this end, we are strengthening efforts to develop careers for women in particular. The Diversity Promotion Project Team has been conducting activities regularly since 2010. In 2016, we received the highest certification as an “Eruboshi” company under the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace.
Hulic has set target ratios of female managers with the aim of becoming a company in which women take on active roles. We provide follow-up trainings to all employees to raise awareness of our approach. In FY2023, the ratio of female managers was 18.3%. Further, female ratio of board members is at a high level (the ratio of female directors: 30.0% and the ratio of female directors and Audit & Supervisory Board members: 33.3%, as of June 25, 2024).

Employment of Diverse Human Resources

Participating in the joint declaration on the charter of corporate ethics concerning employment issued by Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), we proactively employ new graduates in accordance with the purpose of the charter. When performing pre-employment screening, we respect the basic human rights of applicants and make efforts to secure diverse human resources based on their aptitudes and abilities, regardless of backgrounds such as race, religion, or nationality, and regardless of gender. The number of employees hired in 2023 (the total number of new graduates and mid-career talent acquisitions) was 34 (males: 26; females: 8); the proportion of women was 23.5%.

Establishing Good Labor-Management Relations

Our Code of Conduct and Hulic Human Rights Policy stipulate respect for human rights in association with equal employment opportunities, freedom of association, and collective bargaining. we conduct interviews between employees and their supervisors when necessary and carry out the President Questionnaire Survey, through which employees can share their views and opinions directly with the President, in an effort to establish good labor management relations.
A range of opinions and requests were received from employees in response to the President’s questionnaire survey and we are working on ways to provide a more comfortable workplace, including installing a bicycle parking lot at the head office.

Efforts Regarding Compensation

The Hulic Human Rights Policy prescribes that we pay wages over minimum wage prescribed in various applicable laws and regulations as well as the Minimum Wage Act.
The average annual salary of Hulic in 2023 was JPY19.08 million (including bonuses and nonstandard wages). This was significantly higher than the average annual salary of JPY6.51 million^* at about 3,800 listed companies for the fiscal year ended April 2023 - March 2024 and the same of JPY7.03 million^* in the real estate industry for the same period. In this way, we provide employees with compensation that exceeds their living wages, which is competitive when compared with the domestic and industry labor markets.

• *Source: Teikoku Databank, Ltd.

Introducing the program of employee stock ownership

The Company introduces the programs of employee stock ownership as one of the fringe benefits for strengthening the sense of solidarity between the Company and employees. The target is for all employees at Hulic and Hulic Group companies. In addition, the Company adds encouragement pay to the contribution.

Promoting Employment of Persons with Disabilities

Hulic employs some people with severe disabilities and has established the Hulic Suginami Office, a dedicated workplace, mainly for sending out direct mail, together with experienced supervisors. As of June 2023, the employment ratio of persons with disabilities was 2.74%† on a Group basis (7.05% on a non-consolidated basis).^*

• *Figures marked with “†” have been guaranteed by an independent assurance provider for the values included in our Integrated Report.
• *The Data covers Hulic Co., Ltd. and subsidiary companies that have been certified as special subsidiary companies under the Act on Employment Promotion etc. of Persons with Disabilities.

Employment System for Seniors

We have introduced a reemployment program for seniors in accordance with the Act on Stabilization of Employment of Elderly Persons. Under this program, we continue to hire any employee that has reached the retirement age but who wishes to continue working until the age of 65. We offer staggered commuting and half-day leave for these employees and have facilitated environment same as the employees before retirement with leave and absence systems.
We expect abundant knowledge and expertise that the senior rehires possess to be inherited through communication and interchange with younger employees. We also set up a special short-term contract system in 2021 that extends the period of continuous employment until the age of 70 so that we have motivated and capable employees between the ages of 65 and 70.

Job Return System

Hulic has instituted a job return system that allows employees who left the Company due to marriage, giving birth, childcare, caring for a family member, or other unavoidable reasons, to return to their same job within a five year period with the same compensation and benefits as before. The purpose of this system is to support a balance between work and childcare as advocated in the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising the Next Generation and to secure human resources that have wide-ranging experience and a depth of professional knowledge.