Haruka Fujita
Diversity & Inclusion•Health & Productivity Management Dept.,
Human Resources Strategy Div., Strategic Headquarters

Mitsubishi Materials is aiming to contribute to a sustainable society through its corporate philosophy of “For People, Society and the Earth.” To that end, Diversity and Inclusion is essential. We believe that new value is created when diverse human resources mutually recognize and respect one another and actively demonstrate their individual abilities at their very best.
It is estimated that the percentage of diverse individuals who can make the necessary impact to create change in an organization is over 30%. At the moment, most of our decision makers are Japanese males who were hired as new graduates. Of course, each of those individuals has their own personality and values, but when viewed by attribute, the organization is highly homogeneous. Therefore, we have begun seriously discussing the question “Does our Group need Diversity and Inclusion?” Top management is now taking the lead in communicating these keywords within the company, and we are focusing on mid-career hiring, as well as hiring women, non-Japanese, and people with disabilities.
Specific initiatives to enable diverse employees to play an active role include the Sponsorship Program in which executive officers serve as sponsors to support the accelerated development of female managers, career building support for female career-track employees, action plans to promote the advancement of women and employment of persons with disabilities at offices and plants, development of a follow-up system for mid-career employees, language learning support for non-Japanese employees, trainings related to Diversity and Inclusion in general and unconscious bias, and encouraging male employees to take childcare leave.

To increase the diversity of our human resources and enable each individual to demonstrate their abilities, it is important for employees at various stages of life to be able to choose a work style that allows them to comfortably balance their personal and professional lives, including childcare, nursing care, and self- improvement. In April of this year, the Remote Work System was introduced for managers, and in May, the Work- from-Home System was introduced for all employees. Moving forward, we will continue to propose flexible work styles and enhance our organization’s performance. I’m currently working shorter hours, and this has made me more aware of prioritization and efficiency to produce results in a limited timeframe and of teamwork to ensure that operations are not delayed in the event of an unexpected absence due to a child’s illness or other circumstances. I hope that the coexistence of diverse human resources and diverse work styles will help us to reevaluate our norms and that our lives will be enriched by making the company a more comfortable place to work for all employees.

My current goal as a member of human resources is to make our employee engagement level top class among Japanese companies. To realize this ideal, it is important not only to introduce various personnel systems but also for employees to be enthusiastic about their work and voluntarily want to contribute to the company. Increased employee engagement benefits the company as it is related to productivity and turnover, but it is also linked to the joy and value that we derive from working, which makes it a very positive initiative for each of us. I would like to promote human resource policies from the perspective of Diversity and Inclusion so that everyone can work energetically, demonstrate their abilities, and contribute to society.