Diversity Management to Achieve New Value Creation

Goals toward Achieving the SDGs

Goals and KPIs

2030 Goal: Be an organization in which diverse human resources continue to create new value by leveraging their strengths and individuality
2024 Goal: Establish a foundation that encourages diversity & inclusion

2030 KPIs: D&I training participation rate: Maintained at 100% (target: consolidated group)

Positive response rate to questions on employee awareness survey such as "I think our organization accepts people with diverse attributes and links them to organizational strength": 90%

Parental leave utilization rate by gender: 100% for men, 100% for women
2024 KPI: Create a system that encourages D&I

Approach and System

Basic Approach to Diversity

Our mission is "making work more fun and creative." We want to create a society that enables as many people as possible to enjoy themselves and express their creativity fully.

To achieve our mission, we must continue to empower everyone with both a "way to work a step ahead," such as by using IT to improve efficiency, and concrete solutions to solve problems that arise while working.

To achieve this, we ourselves must first practice this "way to work a step ahead," which brings together people with diverse values and attributes to create new innovations through work that is enjoyable. We believe that diversity is at the core of this approach. Going forward, we will create an organization where diversity is a strength and where people who share our mission and vision can come together to maximize team performance and create new value by respecting each individual, regardless of differences in values regarding work styles, life stages, nationality, gender, or other backgrounds.

Diversity & Inclusion System

We have established a system in which the People & Brand Division, which is responsible for brand experience and headed by the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), leads our diversity and inclusion promotion activities.

Chatwork's Main Initiatives

We are currently implementing the following activities to increase diversity. We also plan to formulate a medium- to long-term plan by September 2023.

Measures to Increase Diversity & Inclusion

Creating work styles that are not restricted by time or place
Creating a work system that matches each employee's life stage
- Reduced working hour system for permanent employees
- Flextime work system
Promoting participation by men and women in housework and childcare
- Promoting childcare leave for men and women

1. Work Styles Not Restricted by Time or Place

We continue to update our work environment to allow each employee to choose where to work according to their objectives. We have increased the number of options for working locations and thereby reduced restrictions on time and place, making it easier to balance work with child and nursing care.

Relocating to a New Office and Practicing a New Way of Working

In March 2022, we relocated our Tokyo office to the WeWork Hibiya Fort Tower and shifted from conventional office work^*1 to a new way of working that uses the offices, homes, and WeWork locations nationwide^*2.

This new system allows employees to work not only at offices, but also at home or at WeWork nationwide. This makes it easier for each employee to achieve the work and lifestyle they desire, whether it's by allowing them to move to a region where they can receive necessary support for child or nursing care or having more time for family and personal development by reducing commuting time. We will continue to reduce restrictions on time and place and update our work environment to make it easier for everyone to work.

*1 All employees worked from home as part of the work system to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We are currently adjusting home- and office-based work policies based on the current infection situation.
*2 WeWork: Flexible offices with community-style workspaces

2. Work System that Matches Each Employee's Life Stage

We have created a system that allows employees to choose their working hours according to their life stages so they can achieve a work-life balance.

Reduced Working Hour System for Permanent Employees

We have established a reduced working hour system for permanent employees that is not limited to child or nursing care, whereby they can choose to work according to their own objectives. This system allows employees to sign a work contract to work less than the working hours prescribed in employment regulations, while remaining in the employment status of a permanent employee.

These employees continue to receive the same benefits, allowances, and HR evaluation systems as regular permanent employees so they can develop their careers in an environment that challenges them regardless of whether they work full time, reduced time, or reduced days.

Results

Number of uses of reduced working hour system for permanent employees	10 cases/year

*As of December 31, 2022

Flextime Work System

We have introduced a flextime work system with core hours between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. This system allows employees to use their time autonomously according to their individual work and lifestyles. This system helps enrich the lives of all employees by minimizing restrictions on working hours. This allows them to spend quality time with their families and on housework, self-development, hobbies, and relaxation, balance work with both child and nursing care and activities for personal growth, and maintain good physical and mental health.

3. Participation by Men and Women in Housework and Childcare

We believe that having men and women share the responsibility of housework and childcare during the time from preparation for childbirth to childcare and giving each other time to spend outside of housework and childcare enables both parties to lead fulfilling lives that respect each other's time, without either being pressed for time or forced to give up on their careers.

Therefore, we encourage both men and women to take childcare and parental leave. More specifically, upon receiving a report from the employee or the employee's spouse that they are expecting a baby, we inform the employee and their family about work regulations, system use, and national and local systems so that both men and women can take childcare leave. We also show them easy-to-understand videos about the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act and help them visualize the process, from preparing for the birth of their child to returning to work, so they can report their desired length of childcare leave.

Results

Percentage of women taking childcare leave	100%
Percentage of men taking childcare leave	64.3%

*As of December 31, 2022

Employee Feedback [1]

I joined Chatwork, which has a flexible working style, after the birth of my second child in order to achieve my ideal life as a mother that balances career and family. In addition to the fully remote and flexible work style, the IR work I'm in charge of has a fixed schedule throughout the year. This allows me to easily set my own schedule so I can make plans with my children or attend their events when things are slow or ask grandparents for help during busy times like the month before the financial results.
At home, I prioritize the growth of my two sons and support their passions and talents. I help them with schoolwork and extracurricular activities, play with them, eat meals with them, and provide positive feedback so that I don't miss any small changes or growth. I am grateful to be able to work flexibly and spend a lot of time with my children.

Kanako Kanesaka
Corporate Planning Office

Employee Feedback [2]

My working style has become fully remote since joining Chatwork, allowing me to spend more time with my family. In December 2021, my family moved to Kumamoto, my wife's hometown. We did this to create an environment where we could raise our children in a relaxed manner. The population density there is just right for us, and we spend each day happy and relaxed.
I used to leave all household and childcare responsibilities to my wife, but now I can enjoy them while also focusing on my work. My wife is very pleased about this, saying that I'm more available to help out and that it's the best working style I've ever had (laughs). I think the main reason we were able to make the transition to a fully remote work environment without any major stress is the chat culture that had taken root within the company even before the COVID-19 pandemic. I moved to Kumamoto without any friends or acquaintances, but I've had the opportunity to meet those in the government and make friends with local business owners, making me feel like I will be able to start something new.

Yohei Harikita
Product Management Department, Product Division
Product Growth Team, PLG Department, Marketing Unit, Communication Platform Division
CTO Office