We believe that highly motivated employees with diverse skills and talent form the foundation of the JT Group’s success and contribute to our sustainable growth. In light of this, the JT Group proactively takes steps to secure long-term engagement and employee satisfaction.
Our employees are assets to the Company, and their skills and spirit are the driving force behind everything we achieve. We are pleased to be an employer of choice, and our positive workplace culture and environment help us to attract, retain, and develop talented individuals. We are also taking further steps to create a diverse and inclusive culture.
Human Resource Management
The JT Group human resources management philosophy
Human capital in the JT Group
In the midst of an era of discontinuous changes in society and the business environment, we redefined and announced the JT Group Purpose “Fulfilling Moments, Enriching Life” in 2023. The Purpose indicates the direction in which we are working to ensure the sustainability of society and the JT Group.
All efforts to fulfill the Purpose begin with each and every JT Group employee, and we recognize that they will be more important than ever to our success.
Based on this understanding, we continue to apply the principles of the JT Group Human Resource Management Philosophy as our basic approach to human capital. In defining human capital, we look at it from three angles: Our People who generate corporate activity; an Organizational Culture that encourages better corporate decisions and activities; and Ownership, which facilitates a beneficial cycle between our people and organizational culture. In addition, we have set six priority themes to steadily expand and cultivate our human capital. We regularly monitor indicators to track the progress and impacts of initiatives under each theme.
For our Human capital and initiatives, please refer to the following.
Six priority themes for human capital growth
To expand and cultivate our human capital, the JT Group aims to attract external talent and engage our people, foster an organization where employees can thrive, and empower each individual to grow while maximizing their strengths and skills. To achieve this, we have set six priority themes to focus on. We have also established metrics to track progress and impacts of initiatives based on the themes, and we monitor these continuously to verify and improve our initiatives. We will promote initiatives for expanding human capital with an aim to further enhance our corporate value.
Diversity, equity & inclusion
The JT Group believes that creating an environment where diverse people can continue to thrive leads to sustainable growth. We regard the various differences among employees, including their attributes and backgrounds, as valuable sources of competitiveness, and place great importance on diversity among our people. We are committed to creating an environment in which diverse people are treated fairly regardless of differences in attributes and values, and can continue to perform at their best.
Gender equality—Unleashing the talent of our women
JT Group
We believe that diversity is a foundation of business success and contributes to sustainable growth. As set out in our Human Resources Management Policy, we are committed to respecting every employee and ensuring fair treatment regardless of personal attributes, including gender.
We provide fair remuneration based on roles, responsibilities and performance, regardless of gender. We also continuously monitor gender pay gaps and take steps to support fair and equitable treatment across our workforce.
Talent attraction
For the JT Group, which operates multiple businesses globally, sustainable growth requires securing the talent needed for each region and business. To remain a company of choice for diverse talent, we are working to secure highly capable people by establishing attractive compensation levels tailored to each region and business, as well as by recruiting talent in ways that reflect the characteristics of each business. In addition, we are focused on recruiting and supporting the growth of management talent who will lead the future of the Group, leaders for each business, talent that drives business expansion and optimization, and people who explore new areas of value for society.
Attractive working conditions
The JT Group recognizes the importance of creating work environments that enable each employee to maximize their capabilities and contribute to organizational performance. We maintain systems that allow employees to autonomously choose workstyles that suit them, regardless of constraints related to work location or hours, or individual workstyle preferences. We are also working to create workplaces with a high level of psychological safety so that diverse talent can fully demonstrate their strengths and capabilities.
Work-life balance
JT
JT believes that with desirable work-life balance our employees get both a sense of fulfillment on the job and opportunities to broaden their perspective and experience and put their talents to greater use. Based on that conviction, we have built and are promoting systems and programs to support the range of workstyles as well as opportunities for employees to think differently about ways to work, by which we intend to foster an organizational culture that encourages every employee to embrace the diverse workstyles of their coworkers. We make programs available that employees can employ flexibly as they wish to make work easier and more satisfactory, especially when they want more time for family, raising children, caring for the sick and elderly, and other responsibilities.
Programs for supporting work-family balance
| Leave | Financial assistance | Flexible work options | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Childbirth and raising children | Maternity leave before and after childbirth for self and spouse, childcare leave, short-term leave to support parents returning early to work | Daycare, extended daycare, after-school program and babysitting | Flextime, telework, reduced work hours, exemption from overtime work and late-night work, Provision of lactation rooms |
| Elder and nursing care | Non-expiring paid holidays saved for future use, caregiving leave | Elder and nursing care |
Health and safety
The JT Group recognizes that providing healthy, safe, and supportive working environments, both physically and mentally, is fundamental to enable all employees to perform at their full potential and to ensure stable and reliable business operations across the JT Group. That is why we uphold the philosophy of “People come first,” placing the utmost importance on safety and health and aim for zero harm that is zero work-related physical injury or mental damage in the JT Group Health and Safety Policy. We put a range of measures in place, including strengthening safety culture and awareness, ensuring appropriate risk controls, and expanding health-related support under this policy.
Development support
The JT Group believes that enabling each employee to realize the career they aspire to through their activities within the Group is important for strengthening human capital. As such, we actively support employees in independently thinking about and choosing their careers, and in taking action toward realizing their individual career plans.
Learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of employees
JT Group
To support employees' growth and career development, we provide a range of learning opportunities tailored to individual development needs. These include access to Udemy, an online learning platform that helps enhance digital literacy, as well as a Digital Ambassador Program that equips employees to become advocates for digital ways of working. Digital Ambassadors help share knowledge, encourage the adoption of digital tools and technologies, and lead initiatives that improve efficiency and effectiveness across the organization. We also provide e-learning opportunities for all JT Group employees.
Foster a feedback culture for employee growth
JT Group
We are working to foster a culture in which the entire organisation supports employee growth.
As part of our efforts to create opportunities for dialogue, we have established systems such as appraisal interviews that assess departmental and individual performance and goal achievement while providing feedback on employees’ strengths and areas for development, as well as one-to-one meetings that encourage ongoing dialogue.
To further support each employee’s growth, we provide opportunities for managers within each department to discuss performance and development needs from multiple perspectives prior to appraisals. We also provide opportunities to explore new experiences and developmental opportunities that support continued growth.
Internal and external collaboration
The JT Group is working to create opportunities that foster collaboration across regions, functions, and employees within the Group. We also actively promote collaboration with external companies and community organizations, bringing together diverse perspectives and knowledge beyond the boundaries of the Group to encourage activities that create new forms of fulfilling moments.
Progress of initiatives
Human Capital Data and Key Metrics
Freedom of Association and Labor Unions
The JT Group supports the rights of our employees to free association and collective bargaining, even in countries where those rights are not legally protected. Our management team strives to maintain open, constructive relationships with unions and labor-management councils, and works closely with unions to ensure that we treat employees fairly and better than legally required, especially when they are affected by any closure of a business site due to adverse business conditions.
The JT Group has been enjoying positive labor-management relations for many years, adhering closely to the labor laws of every nation in which we operate. Our management team works to build open, constructive relationships with unions and labor-management councils, regularly discussing business plans, strategies, challenges, and other subjects with union representatives in each country.
In the European Union, following its laws and regulations, we have voluntarily forged agreements with European Works Councils. EWCs provide workers with information and opportunities for discussion about international labor issues related to business in Europe. They consist of representatives of corporate employees and management, and conduct regular annual talks.
- Human Resource Management : The strategic approach to attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining employees.
- Employee Engagement : The level of commitment, motivation, and involvement employees have toward their organization.
- Diversity and Inclusion : A workplace culture that values differences and promotes equal opportunities for all employees.
- Freedom of Association : The right of employees to form or join organizations and unions of their choice.