1. 1We regard differences in gender, nationality, culture, and so forth as unique qualities of the individual, and we ensure diversity through measures such as promoting the career development of women and utilizing global human resources. Such approaches allow us to promote innovation and enhance the flexibility and speed with which we respond to risks and changes.
2. 2We encourage the growth of the individual, enhance our ability to act as an organization, and reinforce the basis for sustained growth by engaging in active communication and the sharing of values.
3. 3We aim to become one of the world’s top companies in the metal materials sector by designating diversity as a driver of growth, as we transform ourselves into a globally competitive business and challenge ourselves to meet new targets.

Cultivate a structure and environment in which all human resources can broaden their potential and play active roles Recognizing that human resources are the source of our competitiveness, the Proterial has worked to enhance and strengthen its human resource development program, believing it is important to develop people able to take action at the global level at Proterial. Additionally, in our evaluation system, we are revising our seniority-based pay system and have incorporated diversity management as one of our manager evaluation metrics. We place great importance on the fact that our managers are responsible for providing the employees who report to them with equitable growth opportunities with an understanding of their values, restrictions they face due to life events and other causes, and their backgrounds, and for getting them actively involved in various measures and initiatives.
In addition, we support exchanges among our diverse employees and the realization of diverse careers through human resource exchanges both inside and outside the Proterial, the proactive hiring of experienced personnel, the utilization of the My Challenge internal free agent system which allows employees who want to expand their potential to transfer across business divisions or job categories, and the introduction of leave to allow employees to accompany spouses on overseas assignments.

The Proterial, which is moving ahead with global business expansion, recognizes human resources as the source of competitiveness. With this understanding, we will become a company where diverse human resources gather, test their opinions against others’ views, and work with enthusiasm and pride.

After initially holding interviews with women in career-track positions during 2015, Proterial began conducting initiatives to promote the development of careers among women. These initiatives have included holding the Women’s Forum at which female employees of Proterial from different workplaces interact, introduce various careers, and discuss issues, dispatching employees to outside training, and actively hiring and promoting women. We also present PAPA APRON to employees who have reviewed the division of housework and childcare duties with their partners to encourage the involvement of men in housework and childcare. Similarly, we have engaged in other activities to raise awareness of unique women’s health issues, including holding seminars on women’s health.

We believe that it is essential to create an environment where diverse employees can share different values and ideas, pursue highly productive workstyles and approaches to their jobs, and realize a sense of fulfillment and personal growth in their work. Accordingly, we have continued to steadily improve operational efficiency and promote and establish work with no restrictions on time or location by pursuing ICT measures, allowing all employees to have real job satisfaction and feel truly comfortable at work.
In fiscal 2022, the total of annual actual working hours of back-office workers was 2,056, with the paid annual leave uptake rate standing at 74%, representing substantial improvements over the figures for fiscal 2016 (when annual actual working hours stood at 2,245 and the paid annual leave uptake rate at 48%) and highly productive workstyles are being instilled. In this way, the Group is working to instill workstyles with a high level of productivity.