Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Corporate
October 30, 2023
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Receives Eruboshi Grade 3 Certification as an Excellent Company Under the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Otsuka) has been awarded a three star rating, the third and highest grade, in the Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Eruboshi Certification program for our outstanding efforts in promoting women's advancement and other related initiatives.
The certification is based on five evaluation criteria, which include hiring practices; sustained employment; working style, including working hours; percentage of management positions held by women; and diverse career paths. Otsuka met all these criteria, earning the three-star certification.
Otsuka regards diversity and inclusion (D&I) as a management strategy that leverages the distinct strengths of each employee, driven by the conviction that a diverse workforce can drive innovation and global expansion. The company's D&I Promotion Project is at the forefront, actively spearheading the enhancement of systems and initiatives to foster D&I.
Senior leadership took early action in 1990 to advance women's participation in the workplace by launching initiatives such as women's forums. In more recent years, Otsuka has intensified efforts to establish an inclusive environment through the introduction of workshops designed to empower women employees, the hosting of seminars focused on women's health, and the adoption of the Family Smile Support System. Furthermore, in 2017, the Otsuka group demonstrated its commitment to advancing women's empowerment by officially endorsing the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), a comprehensive set of guidelines for companies that voluntarily champion women's progress.
Moving forward, Otsuka will continue to enhance our human resource systems to ensure that all employees can work with vitality, good health, and a sense of purpose. The company will also focus on improving the workplace environment and implementing a range of initiatives aimed at maintaining and boosting motivation. As a group of companies driven to innovate, we aim to harness the potential of diversity to drive new value creation and enhance our corporate capabilities.
Otsuka's Key Initiatives to Promote Women's Advancement (Digest)
Systems and policies for career continuity
| New telecommuting system | Employees can work from home at least ten days a month, with office time reducible to a minimum of four days a month. |
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| Annual leave by the hour | All employees are entitled to take a portion of annual paid leave in hourly units of up to five days per year. In addition, employees may take up to ten half-days of paid annual leave per year. |
| Accumulated paid leave system | Alongside illness, childcare, and caregiving, employees can take lapsed paid leave for infertility treatment and menopausal treatment. |
| Support for cohabitation when married | Employees who get married, regardless of gender, can apply for a transfer following a recommendation from their supervisor. |
| Flexible childcare system |
Shortened working hours are available to employees with children who have not yet entered elementary school. (Japanese law mandates this for those with children up to three years old.) This flexible system is available from when pregnancy is confirmed until the child enters junior high school. (Japanese law mandates this for those with children up to three years old.) |
| Flexible system for caregivers | Employees can work shortened hours and adjust start and end times. The duration of caregiving may not be known with certainty, so employees can make use of this system as long as they need to provide care. |
| Support System for Medical Treatment | We implement shortened and staggered hours so that employees may continue working while undergoing medical treatment, including cancer treatment and kidney dialysis. |
| Family Smile Support System | This system allows employees to work from home for 12 months and commute to the office once a month. Those eligible for this support are women from the time of pregnancy to childbirth, employees with children below the first grade of elementary school, and caregivers. |
| Leave of absence due to accompanying spouse on assignment outside Japan | Employees who have been with the company for at least three years may take a leave of absence for up to three years if the leave is necessary due to the spouse's transfer from Japan to another country. |
Other systems to enhance workplace convenience
| Partnerships with gynecologists | Employees can easily consult with our contracted occupational health physicians and gynecologists. |
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| On-site nursery | Available in both Tokushima City and Osaka City. |
Initiatives and seminars
| Otsuka Women's Workshop | This workshop provides a forum for sharing information about childcare. It was established to help empower female employees. |
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| WING: A Voluntary Leadership Study Group | The group identifies issues and develops solutions, which are then proposed to the company. |
| IkuBoss seminars | A series of seminars for executives and managers with the aim of nurturing a more comfortable work environment. |
| Unconscious bias training | Training to promote the development of women managers and the creation of a comfortable working environment. |
| Women's health seminars | Seminars to raise awareness of women's health issues, utilizing expertise gained through product R&D. The sessions are open to both women and men, both within and outside the company. |
| Support for balancing work and caregiving | Information is provided through seminars, and a contracted caregiving consultation service offers support for caregiving-related issues. |
| Promoting male involvement in childcare | Otsuka has cultivated an atmosphere where everyone can easily participate in household and childcare responsibilities leading to a 100 percent rate of male employees taking paternity leave in FY2022*1 |
- *1Number of male employees who took maternity leave during calendara year / Number of employees whose spouses gave birth during the same period.
D&I at Otsuka
To foster innovative products and services that drive the company's growth, Otsuka recognizes the importance of leveraging the contributions of a diverse workforce. Top management actively promote D&I, believing it is a key driver for success. In 2007, they established the Diversity Promotion Project (now known as the Diversity & Inclusion Promotion Project), and today, the project's mission is to create an inclusive working environment for all employees, regardless of their backgrounds.
Eruboshi Certification
- https://shokuba.mhlw.go.jp/published/special_02.htm（in Japanese）
"Eruboshi Certification" is a program based on the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace. It recognizes companies that meet specific criteria and exhibit excellence in promoting women's participation and advancement in the workforce.