A Rewarding Company
Professional Development Program
Sojitz offers various kinds of training to support the professional growth of employees. The core training programs are mandatory courses and professional training. For the mandatory courses, we use lectures and exams (business trading, legal/compliance, accounting, TOEIC IP tests (LR/SW)) conducted in-house, as well as an exam conducted by an outside institution (bookkeeping) so that employees can acquire the basic knowledge and qualities required of trading company employees. Our professional training menu focuses on developing their skills and mindset. In skills training, employees acquire the necessary knowledge and polish the skills they will need as professionals working in various fields. In mindset training, we focus on items such as understanding of the Company, understanding of roles, commitment and ability to accomplish assignments, and strengthen human skills and goal achievement through overnight training. Besides required training, we offer optional training such as MBA study abroad and overseas language training programs, as well as self-study support programs for learning Chinese, Portuguese and other languages. For management-track employees, we provide training for newly appointed managers, classroom-based training and training for selected employees. We thus support the professional growth of employees at every level with training appropriate for the business conditions of a trading company.
On-site Personnel Development
On-the-Job Training
Sojitz has introduced a mentoring program to give new employees the ability to work independently in their departments. Mentors are experienced employees appointed by the head of their department to coach new employees in the same department. Through a year-long on-the-job training program, mentors make new employees aware of the conduct expected of them as members of Sojitz, and instruct them on the etiquette, mindset and basic behavior of a businessperson, as well as the business knowledge needed in their department. Mentors receive mentorship training from the same outside instructors who train new employees and managers. This gives mentors an opportunity to receive advice on how to train and teach new employees in a way particular to Sojitz and exposes them to both sides of the mentormentee relationship. In addition, a “Lunch Salon” is held to provide an opportunity for mentors to talk about the growth of their mentees and share effective teaching methods.
|
|||||||||||||||||
Goal Setting and Evaluations
We have implemented a job grade system to determine each employee’s
expected role and corresponding salary, also enabling employees
to be promoted early in their career based on their evaluation results.
Our goal for this performance-based system is to evaluate the extent
to which employees fulfill their commitments, as well as evaluate
actions taken to create medium-to long-term, sustainable results.
Regarding evaluations, we use an appraisal system through which
employees initially lay out their objectives to evaluators and are
informed of competency appraisal categories corresponding to their
job rank. The employee and evaluator engage in open dialogue during
the initial goal setting stage (setting of individual goals, following
the meeting for sharing the goals and strategy of the employee’s
assigned organization), mid-term review (checking of employee’s
progress and reassessment of goals as needed), and year-end review
(confirmation of final degree of goal completion), as well as when
feedback is provided on evaluation results, in order to establish
mutual understanding between the employee and evaluator as well
as connect the results of an employee’s evaluation with his or her
growth over the following year. Evaluations are conducted by superiors
at multiple levels, and the Human Resources and General Affairs
Dept. oversees these discussions. Furthermore, if an employee has
doubts about the results of their evaluation, we also have a system
in place to mediate from an objective standpoint, determine the
final evaluation results, and provide the reasons for and feedback
on these results to employees.
Job Rotation and Internal Recruiting Systems
Sojitz has established programs to promote the professional growth
of employees and broaden their career path. One example is the job
rotation system, which both allows employees to acquire a variety
of professional knowledge and skills by experiencing multiple, different
career paths, while simultaneously reinvigorating the organization.
Other programs include the internal recruiting system that we introduced
in 2006 as an opportunity for employees to define who they are and
carve their own career path by voluntarily applying for development
opportunities.
Extending the Human Resource Strategies to Group Companies
Sojitz provides a variety of training opportunities to Sojitz Group companies. These develop both the skills and mindset employees need to understand the operating environment surrounding Sojitz Group and their role within it. Executives and managers of Sojitz Group companies receive cross-Group training divided by position level, to improve management skills and strategic thinking required at these various levels. All regular employees receive the same basic training and risk management training relating to business skills and the company’s governance policies. Additionally, we are rolling out a number of initiatives to develop talent and create networks within the Sojitz Group, including orientation training for new employees from across Sojitz Group and programs to accept trainees from Group companies for training at Tokyo HQ.
Employee Survey
Sojitz conducts an Employee Survey to grasp the degree of employee engagement and to strive for continuous improvement. The survey is conducted of employees in Japan and overseas, and the FY2017 response rate was approximately 92%. The questions cover employee motivation for achievement and how the workplace environment affects the role of employees. We conduct individual analyses by organization and affiliation, which we use to create action plans for the entire company and for each organization.