Diversity Management

Basic Approach

As a general trading company, Sojitz aims to continue creating new business and developing capable people. To realize this vision, Sojitz has positioned “diversity as a competitive advantage” as a central theme under which the company will transform the diversity of its human resources into an organizational strength for consistently creating value with speed amidst a rapidly changing business environment.

Sojitz continues to actively hire and recruit women, non-Japanese workers, and mid-career hires with a range of professional experiences, among other diverse human resources with unique strengths and capabilities. We seek to create an environment in which all diverse employees can realize their full potential, and the company conducts trainings for managers to promote awareness of diversity. In addition to these ongoing initiatives, as part of Sojitz’s Medium-term Management Plan 2023, the company will promote diverse career paths and working styles through human resource measures to leverage diversity in organizational decision-making and new business development in order to pursue sustainable value creation.

Main Themes

・Managing diverse human resources
・Empowering women in the workplace
・Balancing work with care for family members; empowering employees nearing retirement age; utilizing talent of diverse nationalities; employing persons with disabilities; fostering understanding of LGBT

System to Promote Diversity

Sojitz’s policies, goals, and progress on diversity and other human resource strategy initiatives are regularly presented to the Management Committee and Board of Directors and extensively discussed by management. In order to link the promotion of diversity to long-term sustainable growth, Sojitz has established the DEI Management Section as part of the Corporate Sustainability Dept. to work with the Human Resources Dept. to lead the planning, administration, and promotion of diversity policies which synergize with work style reforms, health management, and other measures.

Furthermore, in order to accelerate diversity initiatives throughout the company, we have included a category in the “human resource development” section of each organization’s performance evaluation that measures the degree to which an organization has implemented initiatives to transform diversity into a competitive advantage.

The status of diversity and other human resource initiatives are regularly reported to the Board of Directors, and Sojitz holds individual meetings with the Corporate Planning Department, the Human Resource Department, and outside directors. Sojitz reflects the advice and guidance received through these meetings in diversity measures and initiatives.

Managing Diversity

The importance of diversity management is communicated in company-wide messages from the president and at training seminars for manager-level employees in order to emphasize how harnessing employees with unique backgrounds and values can drive the organization’s results.

We have also announced a “Sojitz Commitment to IkuBoss” which aims to increase the number of management-level employees who embody diversity management. These managers not only develop, empower, and leverage the diversity of each subordinate, but ensure they themselves maintain physical and mental health to excel in the workplace. We are working to spread understanding of this “IkuBoss” ideal throughout the company.

The Sojitz Commitment to IkuBoss

An IkuBoss at Sojitz understands the diverse values, working styles, and career histories of each subordinate, helping them leverage their unique strengths to create results.

At times, an IkuBoss at Sojitz may entrust subordinates with difficult tasks; at other times, an IkuBoss may play the unsung hero, working behind the scenes. An IkuBoss seeks to create both strong individuals and a strong team.

An IkuBoss at Sojitz strives to achieve work-life management which places due value on both subordinates’ work and personal lives to facilitate a healthy working culture and crate New way, New value.

October 2018

* The “IkuBoss Corporate Alliance” is a network comprised of companies seeking to develop the next generation of ideal leaders, or “IkuBosses.” These managers are defined as bosses who not only encourage staff and subordinates to pursue professional development alongside their personal lives (work-life balance), but who can take time to enjoy their personal lives themselves while still ensuring the organization produces results. The member companies of the IkuBoss Corporate Alliance understand how necessary IkuBosses are for a healthy workplace, and they are actively working to change management mindsets within their organization.

Examples of Other Diversity Initiatives：Diversity Management Training

We held Diversity Management Training for managers and general managers in FY2018, on the topic of “Management which Leverages Diversity to Maximize Results.”

Participant Comments:

“The training reminded me that ’Diversity’ isn’t just some buzzword; it’s an essential part of Sojitz’s business management strategy.”
“I want to communicate more with female staff in order to provide them with more opportunities for assignment overseas, organizational transfers, and new duties, while giving more attention to the timing that’s best for them.”

IkuBoss Training and Unconscious Bias Training

On November 28, 2019, the founder and representative director of the NPO Fathering Japan, Tetsuya Ando, conducted an IkuBoss training seminar for all 61 general managers at Sojitz. After completing the training, all the general managers affirmed their agreement with the Sojitz Commitment to IkuBoss with their signatures.

Starting from FY2021, all general managers and section managers have received e-learning training on IkuBoss to promote understanding of the Sojitz Commitment to IkuBoss. Additionally, Sojitz holds trainings on unconscious bias for general managers.