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Diversity & Inclusion

  • Initiatives for Diversity & Inclusion
  • Initiatives for Empowering Our Diverse Workforce
  • Diverse Work-Styles and Work-Life Balance
  • Initiatives for Diversity & Inclusion

    Message from Management

    President and Representative Executive Officer Masahiro Minami

    In this era of rapid globalization and quickly evolving technology, proprietary products and services are becoming commoditized in the blink of an eye.

    In such a changing world, the Resona Group must constantly change, without being caught up in the past or certain ways of doing things, in order to continually provide new value that makes our customers happy.

    When people with the same thought process come together to tackle innovation, it is liable to result in innovation within the existing framework or status quo.

    By promoting diversity and inclusion, we will actively gain a new awareness through mutual respect within our diverse workforce and embracing the fact that different thought processes exist.

    The new ideas generated from this awareness will drive innovation, which will enable us to be a highly creative financial services company that is constantly evolving.

    Group CEO, Director,President and Representative Executive Officer

    Masahiro Minami

    Resona's Vision for Diversity Management

    We are promoting diversity and inclusion as a mode of value creation driven through new awareness gained by having each and every employee understand, recognize and elevate different ways of thinking.

    Resona's Vision for Diversity Management

    Looking Back on Our Initiatives

    Following the injection of public funds, we made great strides in the promotion of diversity during our management reforms. The various personnel systems generated from the proposals of the Resona Women’s Council, which reports directly to management, helped to largely propel our promotion of women’s empowerment, and in recent years, we are working to realize diverse work-styles through the introduction of the Smart Employee System and other means.

    Looking Back on Our Initiatives
    • *1Resona Bank and Saitama Resona Bank
    • *2Resona Bank
    • *3Saitama Resona Bank

    Implementation Structure

    We have established a closely integrated implementation structure by creating diversity management offices or diversity management groups inside the Human Resources Division of Resona Holdings and Group banks.

    Regarding our initiatives for diversity, progress is reported to management and the board of directors regularly, and we are moving ahead based on their evaluations and views.

    Implementation Structure

    Initiatives for Raising Awareness

    Diversity Training for All Employees

    We have been conducting diversity training for all employees since FY2018, with explanations provided by department managers in each workplace.

    FY2023 Unconscious Bias Training - Resona Group's promotion of diversity
    FY2022 Unconscious Bias Training - Diverse work styles and diversity promotion
    FY2021 Unconscious Bias Training - promoting diversity

    Diversity Management Training for Managers

    We hold diversity management training for managers.During the sessions,participants engage in group work regarding human resources administration not influenced by such factors as gender nor age.

  • Initiatives for Empowering Our Diverse Workforce

    Initiatives for Empowering Women

    Resona Women’s Council

    In April 2005, the Resona Group established the Resona Women's Council, an advisory body reporting directly to management, with the goal of reflecting the voices of female employees in management. The council, comprised of around 20 female employees working at the Resona Group, has achieved a number of accomplishments to date that encourage long-term employment while advancing the career of women. These include improving the workplace environment, supporting work-life balance and aiding career development.

    Main accomplishments of the Resona Women’s Council

    • Enhanced Childcare Leave Program
    • Job Return System
    • Mentorship Program
    • System for Converting Employment Status*
    • Job Return Support System
    • *In 2015, we introduced the “Smart Employee” program where an employee can limit their working hours or the scope of their duties compared to others, and later we expanded this to a system enabling employees to switch between job types.

    Career Seminars for Female Employees

    We hold training and seminars for each position to foster career awareness.

    Senior manager positions

    Mentorship Program Program for expanding the horizons of newly promoted female general managers with officers or senior general managers serving as mentors. Female employees can request to be appointed as officer or group leader.
    Officer Roundtable Discussions Held for participants in the mentorship program.

    Managers

    My Career Training(advance) Leadership training for managerial appointees
    Networking Seminar Promotes exchanges and networking with role models
    (Implementing within each operational training and career training)

    Persons in charge

    My Career Training(basic) Fosters career awareness for becoming a manager
    Career Design Forum Network building for cross-industry exchanges

    Challenges in Empowering Women and New Initiatives

    We established targets to reach a 30% or more ratio of female executives*1, a 20% or more ratio of female line managers in senior manager positions*2, and a 40% or more ratio of female line managers*2 (percentage of managers supervising others) by FY2030, representing a 10% increase over June 2021.

    As of March 31, 2024, the ratio of female line mangers in senior manager positions was 14.8% and the ratio of female line managers 32.8%. We will continue working diligently toward achieving these targets.

    Furthermore, regarding the ratio of female executives, in May 2019 our top management joined the 30% Club Japan, an initiative aiming to increase the representation of women in executive positions. We also endorse the "Challenge to 30% in 2030" campaign organized by the Japan Business Federation.

    • *1Resona Holdings
    • *2Sum of Resona Holdings, Resona Bank, Saitama Resona Bank, Kansai Mirai Bank and Minato Bank. The figures of FY2023 and before include those of Kansai Mirai Financial Group.

    Targets for Female Line Managers and Results

    Number of Board Members/ Ratio of Female Executive

    (Resona Holdings)

    Male of board members (persons)

    29

    Female of board members (persons)

    4

    Ratio of female
    executives (%)

    12.1

    As of June 26,2024

    Initiatives for Promoting the Active Role of Seniors

    In April 2006, we introduced the Master Employees Program where employees who reach mandatory retirement age at Group companies can be rehired up to the age of 65. In October 2019, we increased this maximum age to 70. In addition, we introduced a selective retirement system in April 2021 enabling employees to report their retirement between the ages of 60 and 65. After retirement, employees may be rehired as Senior Smart employees up to the age of 70.
    By enabling employees to independently select their working style during their 60s based on work-life balance, we are striving to provide workplaces where they remain motivated to work by effectively utilizing their wealth of knowledge and skills.

    Initiatives for Empowering People with Disabilities

    The Resona Group is working to create a "Workplace that is comfortable" where all employees can understand and acknowledge one another, make use of their abilities and play an active role. Following the enactment of Japan’s Act for Eliminating Discrimination against People with Disabilities in 2016, we regularly hold training on the theme of human rights of people with disabilities for all employees. In FY2022, we held video-based training on a total of three occasions covering the topics of basic knowledge of customer services for people with disabilities and deepening understanding of points to keep in mind.

    In October 2021, Resona Holdings invested in Biwako Business Services that actively hires people with disabilities mainly in Shiga Prefecture, and changed its trade name to Resona Mi Rise Co., Ltd. with the goal of further accelerating the Group's initiatives for diversity and inclusion.
    By expanding its long-standing know-how in the hiring of people with disabilities to the entire Resona Group, we will work toward a more inclusive society with increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities and more appealing workplaces where everyone can feel a sense of purpose at work.

    Initiatives to Empower Global Human Resources

    We continue to hire several non-Japanese students studying at Japanese universities as part of our new graduate recruitment every year. The Resona Group believes that human resources with a global perspective, who can identify trends in global business, technology and financial services in a timely and appropriate manner, and utilize this not only in international business, but in every division, regardless of nationality, are essential. We will continue to foster such a global perspective at the companywide level. Locally hired staff play an important role at the branches of our overseas subsidiaries. At Bank Resona Perdania in Indonesia and at Resona Merchant Bank in Singapore, we actively promote qualified local staff to management positions to engage in business closely tailored to the local market.

    For more information on recruitment activities at Bank Resona Perdania. please refer below.
    Bank Resona Perdania : Sustainability Report

    Initiatives for Human Rights
  • Diverse Work-Styles and Work-Life Balance

    Supporting a Balance between Work and Infertility Treatments

    In recent years, an increasing number of married couples are undergoing infertility treatments, which will increase the number of employees receiving these treatments while working. Amid this growing awareness, insurance began covering infertility treatments in April 2022.

    Taking this into account, we introduced a childbirth support program to help employees strike a balance between work and infertility treatments. Through our support for fostering the next generation, from pregnancy to childcare, we hope to retain employees for the long-term by providing a balance between a meaningful lifestyle and high quality work. This program allows an employee to use leave or accumulated paid leave to pursue infertility treatment, while our mutual aid society also offers a financial assistance program.

    Supporting Employees to Balance Work and Childcare

    The Resona Group has established Job Return Support Systems including various seminars and programs for taking childcare related leave and working while raising children. This ensures that we have a work environment in place supporting employees to balance work and childcare.

    To support long-term employment, we have introduced a working reduced hours program that can be used by employees until their child(ren) enters the first grade of elementary school, as well as the System for Converting Employment Status that allows employees to convert to Smart Employee with limited working hours from when their child(ren) enters the first grade through the sixth grade of elementary school.Also, for employees who resigned due to their family situation, the Group has introduced the Job Return system, which gives these employees the right to return to work as a Smart Employee. Through such initiatives, we are working to develop a workplace environment that supports diverse working styles.

    For employees returning to work before their child becomes the age of one, we pay an allowance for employees who returned from childcare leave early, regardless of gender, to encourage an early return to work.

    In addition, we provide a full-time work support allowance to employees who are raising children up to the age of attending elementary school and who have not reduced their working hours, thereby strengthening support for employees in households where both spouses work.

    Each Resona Group company has acquired Platinum Kurumin certification as a "childrearing support company" in recognition of our various initiatives to support employees' return to work from childcare leave.

    Ratio of Working Mothers
    Employees Taking Maternity / Childcare Leave

    First-Time Father and Mother Seminar - Programs for Childcare

    The First-Time Father and Mother Seminar is held for female employees prior to giving birth, men whose spouse will be having a child and their supervisors in order to make them aware of childcare related programs and foster understanding. At the same time as providing explanations about how to prepare for maternity leave or childcare leave, this seminar provides a venue to think about work-life balance, especially in terms of work and childcare, through the advice of senior colleagues.

    The seminar is held using a television conference system and also streamed via our at-home learning system, enabling employees to watch at any time and from anywhere.

    Job Return Support Seminars

    We host Job Return Support Seminars for employees on childcare leave to not only alleviate any concerns but also provide networking opportunities and maintain motivation. This is achieved by providing explanations of programs they can use after returning to work and any changes that may have taken place in their duties during their leave as well as by holding discussions or interactive talks with employees who have taken childcare leave before. Since 2020, we have held the seminar online so that employees looking after a child or children at home can participate.

    Additionally, we offer the Job Return Support Seminar for employees who have returned to work from childcare leave within the previous one year period. The seminar encourages participants to share information among themselves regarding any challenges they may face collectively. It also seeks to ease any anxiety about returning to work and foster awareness about future career development options through presentations given by employees who have taken childcare leave before.

    Next-Generation Development Support Guidebook

    We compiled the Next-Generation Development Support Guidebook that contains details on programs and procedures for childcare geared toward employees who will be having a child and their supervisors.

    Work-Childcare Balance Career Interview Sheet

    We created this sheet to share information before and during childcare leave between the employee and their supervisor to promote in-depth discussions about their career, work-styles, and childcare needs after returning to work.

    Men’s Participation in Childcare

    Joining the Iku-Boss Corporate Alliance
    Joining the Iku-Boss Corporate Alliance

    Since male employees tend to take somewhat shorter periods of childcare leave compared to female employees, we need to establish programs easily accessible to male employees and further promote an environment that encourages them to take advantage of these programs.

    As the initiative to address this challenge, we held the Work-Style Reform and Iku-Boss Seminar for the heads of all workplace in FY2018. Subsequently, they and top management made an Iku-Boss declaration. Today, we still require newly appointed office heads to create an Iku-Boss declaration and display it behind their own desk. This visualizes their commitment to support the work-life balance of their subordinates and to create a workplace environment where both men and women can share the responsibilities of work and the household.

    In addition, in FY2018 Resona Holdings joined the Iku-Boss Corporate Alliance. We are now working to develop Iku-Boss with an understanding of work-life balance.

    The ratio of employees taking spousal maternity leave at Resona Bank and Saitama Resona Bank has been 100% every year since FY2017. In our action plan following the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, we established the target to increase the acquisition rate of childcare related leave by men to 80% by FY 2025 based on the recognition that work-style improvement and changes in mindset are needed for promoting work-life balance, including among male employees. We have already achieved this target and are now working on initiatives to increase this percentage even further.

    Since October 2022, the first 14 days of childcare leave at birth (postpartum paternity leave) is paid, and we are encouraging employees to take five days of spousal maternity leave. We will continue our efforts to further promote the use of leave, including the development of a work environment in which both men and women can take leave if they wish.

    Joining the Iku-Boss Corporate Alliance
      Ratio of employees taking spousal maternity leave Ratio of male employees taking childcare leave
    FY2023 100% 100.8%
    FY2022 100% 98.2%
    FY2021 100% 80.3%
    • *Resona Bank, Saitama Resona Bank, Kansai Mirai Bank, Minato Bank.
    • *The total may exceed 100% depending on the fiscal year because “Employees who started taking childcare leave during the target fiscal year / Employees who had a child during the target fiscal year” are counted in accordance with the standards of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

    Support for Balancing Work and Family Care

    Since we expect an increase in employees with concerns about family care in the future, we are working to create programs that enable flexible work-styles and ensure these programs are easy to access.

    Employees can take family care leave up to one full year, while there is no cap on the number of times they can take this leave as long as it adds up to one year. Resona Bank and Saitama Resona Bank offer a program for working reduced hours program, and employees who want to reduce their work burden can use the System for Converting Employment Status where they can switch temporarily from employee to Smart Employee or Partner Employee.

    We keep employees informed by compiling the Work-Family Care Balance Support Guidebook, which contains simple and clear information on Japan’s nursing care insurance system and the family care programs accessible at the company, and by creating "Work and Family Care Balance - Working at Resona," which contains actual examples of how employees have used company programs. Every year we hold the Family Care Seminar in order to alleviate concerns employees have about family care through information provision, and prepare them for balancing work and family care.

    Work-Style Reform and Work-Life Balance

    We are working to increase productivity and to expand options for diverse work-styles in order to increase competitiveness by maintaining and improving organizational strengths. This is achieved by developing an environment where everyone can thrive professionally, regardless of time or other constraints. We have introduced a variable working hours program for all employees to ensure flexible work-styles tailored to the individual needs for balancing work and family life. In addition, under certain conditions, employees have access to work-styles tailored to their job, by using the discretionary labor system or flex-time system. In 2017, we introduced a telework program and in 2019 we introduced satellite offices, as a way to expand support for balancing work with childcare or family care, and offering more flexible workplaces.

    We introduced Smart Day, which takes place once a month, where employees are encouraged to leave work at 3:00pm or take a half day or full-day of paid vacation. All employees are also expected to leave work by 7:00pm every work day. Other measures include handing out cards with the planned time of leaving work that day and using stopwatches for meetings at all offices. Through these efforts, we aim to improve work-life balance while boosting the efficiency of our day-to-day operations. We commend examples where work-style reform has made considerable contributions to improving brand power, with the unique initiatives of each business location shared within the Group for rollout.