People

The Kuraray Group consists of employees from various nationalities and backgrounds, and the active participation of all diverse members is crucial to the long-term and sustainable improvement of corporate value.
　Based on the Kuraray Group Global Human Resource (HR) Policy, the Kuraray Group is making efforts to develop its organizational system regarding the promotion of diversity, cultivation of human resources, and just and fair evaluation of performance, as well as fostering a healthy corporate culture and creating new employment opportunities, so that each employee can grow personally through work.

Number of Employees As of December 31, 2023

	Total	Male	Female
Kuraray Group as a whole	11,906	9,580	2,326
Kuraray only	4,427	3,809	618

• (Note) The number of employees directly employed as regular employees and full-time contract employees, excluding contract employees and part-time contract employees.

The Kuraray Group carried out its first global engagement survey in 2022, called Our Voice. Based on the survey results, each department is actively discussing workplace issues and taking steps to make the workplace a better place to work. By heightening employee engagement, we will work toward employee retention and give impetus to the goals of transforming people and organizations set out in “PASSION 2026.”

Employee Turnover Rate (Kuraray Co., Ltd.) FY2023

	Number of Employee Turnover	Turnover rate
Personal reasons	67	1.51%

Talent Development

The Kuraray Group operates a training scheme at each Group site in accordance with its global personnel policy. The program is designed to support acquisition of the knowledge and skills required for jobs and career-building efforts by employees themselves.

The Kuraray Group respects values and careers of each individual and provides opportunities to develop the skills and abilities necessary for both employees and the company to grow together. In addition to reaffirming Kuraray's "Philosophy" and enhancing opportunities to share our “Values,” we will systematically expand our "Global Talent Development Program" in parallel with the "English language proficiency improvement support measures" and "short-term expatriate staff dispatch system" as shown in the figure below, so that diverse human resources can be active on the global stage. We will also strengthen our business operations from a long-term perspective by developing talents capable of taking general managers equivalent positions through "Executive Candidate Development Program", and by building a talent pool.

Global Talent Development Program

The Kuraray Group launched a Global Talent Development Program starting in 2007, to foster personnel who can actively play a part on the global stage, both locally and internationally. Over 1,100 persons globally have attended in the 16 years up to 2023.

Global Team Training (GTT) is a prominent example of our training, aimed at developing global leadership among section manager class personnel, and has been held 21 times with approximately 410 attendees. The network of training alumni offers significant contributions toward promoting group-wide communication that goes beyond national borders.

Our trainee program is an another successful example, where we send young employees between Japanese and overseas companies for a three-month period. More than 120 people have participated, and many of them have been engaging in achievements as global talent later, such as being stationed abroad.

DX Talent Development Program

A new DX Talent Development Program was launched in 2023 with targets set for participation in classes according to three levels of digital literacy (Gold, Silver, and Bronze). All employees will take the Bronze class, and at least one Gold class employee (a person who can plan and promote DX) will be trained in each department.

Japan

In Japan, Kuraray Group plants and companies plan and implement their own talent development programs and provide their employees with finely tuned support for skill development and career-building. Training is open to regular as well as part-time and contract-based employees.

We also have an incentive system under which we furnish grants for acquisition of certain public qualifications by employees for their own self-improvement.
　In 2020, we launched the talent development project Kuraray PRIDE as a mechanism to strengthen our business creation capabilities. The project includes workshops to think about new business creation, training exchanges with other companies, and classes in which employees introduce Group divisions, various lectures by outside speakers, and among other content. Some lectures are filmed and translated into English for sharing with the entire Group.

Mechanism to Support Autonomous Career Development

The Kuraray Group has a mechanism to support career self-development. Its aim is to create an organization in which individual employees actively tackle their career development and engage in work enthusiastically. Part of the scheme involves training for employees on designing a career. The training, Designing Your Own Career, is providing for four levels of employees; Freshers who joined the Company three years prior, Early Middle in their thirty-five years old, Middle in their forty-two years old, and Senior employees in their fifties.

Since the program was launched in 2015, 1300 people have received the training.
　After the training, trainees are interviewed by an in-house career advisor and their supervisor. Later on, they receive support to attain their career goals.

Establishing a Consistent Talent Infrastructure across the Group

We are working to develop a consistent talent management infrastructure for the Kuraray Group. Our aim is to optimize talent utilization globally so that both individuals and the organization can reach their full potential.

Introducing a Shared Global Personnel and Talent Information System

To realize the active involvement of diverse talents in the right place and treatment according to their roles and results across the Group worldwide, it is essential to build an HR platform that includes a globally common, fair and impartial personnel system and personnel database.

In 2023, the Kuraray Group competency was revised to be used in various HR measures on a global common basis. We plan to use this competency as a standard for evaluating behavior in the personnel evaluation system, and in the future, we plan to support the ability development of each employee by disclosing the competency required for representative job positions.

In 2024, we will establish unified job grade standards and operation procedures for the entire group, and to further enhance the persuasiveness of the treatment system according to roles and results, we will continue to review salaries, allowances, bonuses, and working systems.

Regarding personnel database, we have expanded the target group and information on career and training courses. We will use this system to conduct successor development plan and visualize the talent situation of the management level and the availability of successor candidates for important positions globally in 2024. We plan to utilize this for planned talent development and appointment of diverse talents.

Mechanisms that Encourage Challenge and Collaboration

The Kuraray Group has instituted a personnel evaluation system in which elements such as improvement of job execution capabilities, performances, roles, and the spirit to tackle demanding targets (as opposed to seniority or personal factors) are reflected in remuneration. We have adopted a target management system in which supervisors and subordinates meet to set targets for job responsibilities and skill development and evaluate performance. We also provide ongoing training for evaluators.
　In addition the Kuraray Group seeks to foster an organizational culture where employees take on challenges without fear of failure, without settling for the status quo, adopting a forward-thinking attitude and embracing new perspectives. To this end, we recommend setting “challenge goals” for individual employees, and evaluating employees not only by results but also in light of the processes and actions they take to achieve their goals. Moreover, to spur the creation of business value for the Group as a whole, we encourage active participation in collaborative activities that transcend organizational barriers.

Diversity and Inclusion

In our Medium-Term Management Plan “PASSION 2026,” we set a Diversity and Inclusion goal of becoming “a company where each employee in a diverse workforce works enthusiastically and tackles challenges without fear of failure, generating a succession of innovations while responding to change and continuing to grow.” The Group provides support through the development of various policies and systems and by promoting a change in awareness to enable diverse personnel to maximize their abilities and contribute to their own growth and the growth of the Group.

・Establishing Basic Principles of Diversity and Inclusion

In 2021, we formulated “Basic Principles for Diversity and Inclusion” shared globally across the Group.
　The principles define “Equality”, “Diversity and Inclusion” for the Group. They also stipulate the prevention of “Discrimination” and outline the roles of the company, human resources, and employees in creating a vibrant workplace and culture. We will implement specific actions to instill these principles and promote diversity.

・Supporting Women’s Career Advancement

Especially in Japan, we recognize the career advancement of women as a priority area of Diversity and Inclusion. Our ongoing efforts focus on three areas: hiring more female employees, expanding their scope of work, and supporting their further active participation. In 2020, we launched career training for female head office employees and roundtable discussions with female managers of other companies. In 2021, we held a program of exchanges between female employees working at our plants. In 2022, a community was also established where women working at the head office can casually discuss concerns and questions unique to women as members and is continuing its activities. In addition, we set a numerical target regarding the ratio of female new graduate recruitment to promote the hiring in 2024.

・Developing a Childcare and Family Care Leave System

Kuraray has a framework in place to help employees provide childcare and family care. Considering the time required to enroll children in a day-care center, employees are able to take the childcare leave until the child’s second birthday if necessary. We recommend that male employees take childcare leave to encourage fathers’ greater involvement in child rearing. In 2024, we set a numerical target regarding the ratio of male taking childcare leave and encourage male employees to take. To help employees balance work and family care, in addition to establishing a family care leave system, we also provide employees with basic knowledge about caring for family members.

・System Allowing Employees to Take Temporary Leave from Duty to Live Abroad with Spouse Assigned to Overseas Post

A system has been established and implemented allowing employees to take a temporary leave from the duty to accompany their spouse who is assigned to an overseas post or in a similar circumstance. Those employees who take a temporary leave from the duty are allowed to return to their posts in the Kuraray Group when the overseas assignment of their spouse terminates or when the similar circumstance ends.

・“Come-back" Rehiring System

In addition to the system to rehire employees after family care leave and the system to rehire employees who retired for personal reasons for those who wish to work at Kuraray again, we newly launched the “Come-back” rehiring system through the Kuraray Alumni Network and other channels in 2019. Our doors are wide open to employees so they can thrive at Kuraray again by drawing on their experience outside the Company on top of their career at Kuraray.

・Efforts to Support LGBT employees

In the Basic Principles of Diversity and Inclusion, the Kuraray Group declares that it will not discriminate against any employee on the basis of sexual orientation, and that we will create a working environment in which all employees cooperate. To achieve this, we hold seminars for HR personnel to learn about responding appropriate to diverse employees and establish a comfortable workplace. In harassment training for managers, we call for the prohibition of discrimination or harassment due to sexual orientation.

・Employment of Persons with Disabilities

We continue to meet the statutory employment rate for persons with disabilities: The rate for Kuraray in June 2023 was 2.32%. We are also working to improve and share knowledge about persons with disabilities. We have set up facilities to employ people with intellectual disabilities in collaboration with local social welfare facilities at four plants in Japan, and hold seminars and information exchange meetings for facility supervisors.

Diversification of Work Systems and Initiatives for Work-style Reform

Kuraray is promoting diversification of work systems and work-style reform to establish a working environment where each and every employee can work in good physical and mental health while striking a balance between work and private life and in turn, deliver results.

・Flexible Work-style

In an aim to enhance productivity and achieve work-life balance, Kuraray introduced a telework program in 2018, a conventional flextime system in 2019, and an hourly flextime system in 2020. In 2022, Kuraray expanded the scope of employees eligible for these systems, as well as introducing other measures such as a coreless work schedule that allows employees not to work during core hours under certain conditions. In this way, we revised our system to improve convenience.
　In addition, the handling and operation of approval for dual employment has been reconsidered, and a system has been established to allow employees who wish to work concurrently to take on challenges outside of their main job based on certain rules.

・Efforts to Curb Long Working Hours

Kuraray has established and operates the work-interval guidelines that states employees must take more than a certain number of hours as an interval (10 hours or more) between the end of the previous work day and the beginning of the next work day.
　Going forward, as a result of taking into consideration the work-life balance of employees in the context of the revised Child Care and Family Care Leave Act (for male employees taking childcare leave) and other factors, since it is possible that we will face personnel shortages in some areas, we will provide necessary personnel backup.
　In addition, we will secure personnel by calculating the appropriate number of employees in each department, so that workplaces can operate without disruption within appropriate working hours. We will also build a framework that allows sufficient time for cultivating human resources and transferring skills from employees who are approaching retirement.

・Appropriate Working Hour Management

Kuraray is developing the infrastructure for a work attendance management system. The system is used for appropriate work hour management by enabling employees to register working hours accurately so that we can identify any discrepancies with the uptime of PCs of all employees who use a PC including managers. The system will flag any departments with overtime work exceeding a certain number of hours so they can work on reducing overtime work by preparing a working hour improvement plan to mitigate long work hours in addition to health support such as having industrial physicians and other professionals interview the personnel whose overtime work exceeded the set standard.

・Efforts to Promote Paid Holidays

As a result of efforts to improve the rate of taking annual paid holidays, targeting 80% or more, we achieved a rate of 91% in 2023. Kuraray will continue its efforts to maintain and improve the rate in 2024 onward.

・Global Initiatives

Also at Kuraray’s overseas bases, efforts are being made to carefully manage working hours and secure employees’ private time based on the laws of each country. In addition, amid growing international collaboration across regions, we established the Kuraray Group – Guidelines for International Remote Meetings in 2022, which stipulates the establishment of core time zones for meetings and other criteria.

Scheme for Management of Healthy Minds and Bodies

・Basic Policy for Occupational Health

Based on the Kuraray Group Human Resource (HR) Policy, Kuraray has stipulated the Occupational Health Action Policy to promote occupational health promotion activities. The Director responsible for Administrative Unit, who is in charge of occupational health activities, attends the Central Council on Occupational Safety held every year, where attendees from both labor and management discuss the current situation and issues in occupational health activities, which are to be reflected in next year’s activities.

The Troisdorf site of Kuraray Europe GmbH and the Legnago and Rho sites of Chemviron Italia S.r.l. have been certified ISO45001, which is an international standard for the Occupational Health and Safety Management System.
　Moreover, Kuraray Co.,Ltd. has been accredited as a KENKO Investment for Health under the large enterprise category in 2024, as it was in the previous year. We aim to realize policies, systems, and work environments that enable all employees to contribute to the company's growth and pursue their own growth and happiness through the performance of their jobs, regardless of the work they are involved in or where they are located. As part of this effort, we consider the maintenance and promotion of employee health to be an important issue. The sick leave rate (*total number of days of absence from work divided by total number of working days x 1000) is a key indicator for measuring the effectiveness of the program, and we have been measuring the effectiveness of the program for more than 30 years. In recent years, we have been working to improve the sick leave rate due to mental illnesses.

・Mental Health Care Schemes

Kuraray has four care schemes including schemes for self-care and line care in an effort to reduce mental disorders. Kuraray has implemented and is promoting a stress check, training for the prevention of mental or physical disorders, a consulting system such as counseling, and a work attendance system allowing employees in a rehabilitation program to work on a time schedule suiting their rehabilitation programs when they return to their workplaces.

・Schemes to Prevent Harassment

Kuraray is striving to ensure employees’ mental health and improve the working environment through schemes to prevent many forms of harassment, with a focus on power harassment (abuse of authority) and sexual harassment. Kuraray promotes measures including training sessions to prevent incidents of harassment, activities to utilize the results of stress checks and other tests, and work to reinforce our counseling desk system. Anti-harassment training is held at Kuraray Group companies inside and outside Japan, and all managers, supervisors and general employees have taken the course at Kuraray Co., Ltd. The anti-harassment training includes the topic of discrimination. In addition, in 2023, training was conducted for contact persons started in order to strengthen their ability to respond.

・Support for Health Improvement

Enhancement of health awareness of employees is promoted through personal guidance on health, promotion of health improvement campaigns and other means. Our priority measures in 2023 are as follows.

• “Health Improvement Operation” is carried out companywide urging employees to voluntarily work on improving their lifestyles as countermeasures against metabolic syndrome. In addition to requiring employees to set targets for exercising, they are provided specific health guidance as individual measures. The ratio of employees who received specific health guidance is 44.5% (2022). Health checkups featuring checkup items surpassing those required by laws are provided so that we can find employees at an early stage who need to improve their health.
• Anti-smoking activities include the introduction of non-smoking hours, restrictions on smoking areas, seminars, smoking cessation challenges, and other measures in a manner appropriate to the actual conditions at each business location. Since the smoking rate currently exceeds the national smoking rate, the first goal is to reduce the smoking rate to that level.
• Since sleep deprivation and sleep disorders greatly affect the quality of life, a new initiative to improve sleep (target: to reduce the percentage of those who are not rested from sleep to less than 15%) has been launched from 2023.
• Since heavy drinking can cause many physical and mental problems, efforts to improve drinking habits (target: reduce the percentage of heavy drinkers to less than 10%) have been initiated since 2024.