At the Hokuriku Electric Power Group, we aim to be very active in both our work and personal lives, so we promote reforms of the way we work in order to improve labor productivity, in addition to improving our work itself.
To improve our work, members of management take the initiative in improving workplace efficiency through discontinuing, reducing, or changing things that are conventionally done. At the same time, managers in each workplace are encouraged to be "supportive bosses" who support both employees' careers and personal lives, taking into account the work-life balance of the people who work under them. (In February of 2017, the Hokuriku Electric Power Group put into practice the Supportive Boss Declaration.)
In order to promote these efforts, we have established an investigation team composed of members of different divisions (the Cross-Functional Way of Working Reform Team), to proceed with improvements-including awareness reform and work style reform, application of technical innovation, investigating new work systems based on employees' needs, and more-that are more than simple extensions of existing ways of working from the past.
By pursuing efficient and productive ways of working, we also promote the creation of lifestyles rich in variety.
We have expanded areas of work where our driven female employees can work, developing and showing their skills not only in sales, regional PR, fuel procurement, and other office work, but also in technical work such as equipment operation, design work, maintenance work, and more.
We have established the Progress Promotion Team, a specialized organization that works to promote diversity, through which employees of diverse points of view and sensibilities can complement and positively influence each other, making the Hokuriku Electric Power Group stronger as a whole.
Promoting women playing active roles involves not just expanding our childcare-related support system, but also the introduction of a mentor program to back the activities of female members of management with the help of female leaders from various industries, as well as the inauguration of the "Shine! COSMOS Project,"* an inter-industry exchange meeting that aims to deepen mutual understanding of women's career development and ways of working by sharing information with other local businesses. (Inaugural companies: Intec Inc.; Hokuriku Bank, Ltd.; and Hokuriku Electric Power Company)
*The "COSMOS" in the name stands for...
[CO] ... Communication
[S] ... Skills
[MO] ... Motivation
[S] ... Smiles
In addition, our target for female members of management has been set as "By 2020, aim to roughly triple the numbers from 2015" (going from 24 to about 70), and, in January of 2017, our efforts toward reaching this goal earned us the highest of the three ranks of "L-Boshi" certification from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, based on the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace.
We look forward to continuing to work to promote diversity, to create workplaces full of vitality and to help individuals and organizations reach their maximum potential.
We offer childcare and nursing care leave systems for employees who are engaged in child-rearing or taking care of sick family members.
In FY2016, our childcare leave system was used by 100% of female employees who gave birth (17 employees), as well as by two male employees.
In addition, in order to allow employees to continue working while engaged in child-rearing or nursing care, we have established a shortened work hour system for child-rearing or nursing care, as well as temporary care leave systems to take care of sick children or other family members.
Starting in FY2016, we have increased the number of days provided for paternity leave, as well as extending the length of time the shortened work hour system for child-rearing can be used, among other system revisions and improvements. In addition, to help support employees currently on leave for child-rearing, we offer loans of mobile PCs and seminars on returning to work that are designed to also be attended by family members, as well as other efforts to expand our support for employees raising children.
As a result of our efforts to enable employees to balance their work with child-rearing, and create pleasant workplaces where employees can fully develop and demonstrate their skills, in May of 2013, we received "Kurumin" certification from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, based on the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children.
In addition, in February of 2017, we were honored as a Toyama Prefecture Child-rearing Model Business, and in the following April as a Fukui Prefecture Child-rearing Model Business.
