Sustainability

List of Systems and Measures

Otsuka Pharmaceutical is taking steps to nurture a supportive work environment through initiatives such as a new telecommuting system.

Systems and Policies for Career Continuity

New Telecommuting System	Otsuka's previous iteration of a telecommuting system allowed employees to work from home once a week. The system was set in place for all employees as a career development program to improve efficiency and productivity and create a healthy work environment. We have updated our telecommuting system with a new objective: To achieve sustainable growth through diverse working styles that reflect modern lifestyles. Employees can work from home at least ten days a month, with office time reduced to a minimum of four days a month.
Annual Leave by the Hour	All employees are entitled to take 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.
Work Interval System	Otsuka established this interval system to support the health of employees. The system designates a ten-hour interval between work shifts with a particular focus on supporting those employees who unavoidably finish work late at night.
Re-Challenge System	This system is for employees who leave due to marriage, childcare, nursing care, spouse's transfer, study abroad, etc., after working for more than three years with the company. Under the guidelines of Re-challenge, they can be re-hired full-time within three years of their leave.

Marriage, Childbirth, Childcare

Support for Cohabitation When Married	Employees who get married, regardless of gender, can apply for a transfer following a recommendation from their supervisor.
Maternity and Childcare Leave	Although Japanese law mandates that employees on maternity leave receive two-thirds of their salary, Otsuka employees receive full pay during maternity leave (before and after birth). As a general rule, employees can take one year of childcare leave, with a maximum of two years if extended.
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 3 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 3 years old.)
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.
Partnerships with gynecologists	Employees can easily consult with our contracted occupational health physicians and gynecologists.
On-Site Nursery	Our first on-site nursery opened in April 2011 in Tokushima City. The initial capacity of 100 doubled to 210 by the spring of 2018. We opened our second nursery in Osaka City in April 2014.

Caregiving, medical treatment, other

Caregiver Leave	Employees may take caregiver leave three times, for the total duration of up to one year. (Japanese law mandates up to 93 days of leave for each eligible family member.) If the employee chooses to use annual paid leave, leave may be taken in hourly units.
Flexible System for Caregivers	Employees can work shortened or flexible hours. Previously, this system was applicable for three years. However, since the duration of nursing care is not fixed, we updated our policy in 2018. Employees can now make use of this system as long as they need to provide nursing 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 (working hours are 10:00-15:00 in both systems).
Accumulated Paid Leave System	Alongside illness, childcare, and caregiving, employees can take lapsed paid leave for infertility treatment and menopausal treatment.
Volunteer Leave	Otsuka set up a system so employees who wish to volunteer in disaster-affected areas can easily apply for leave.
Re-Employment System	We established a re-employment system that allows employees to continue working after retirement up to the end of the month they reach 65 years of age.

Initiatives & seminars

Otsuka Women's Workshop	This workshop provides a forum for sharing information about childcare. It was established to help empower female employees.
WING: A Voluntary Leadership Study Group	This is a cross-organizational study group in which participants are invited from all over Japan. The participants are free to choose the theme and specific details of their activities, all done voluntarily. The concept is to propel the growth of Otsuka through personal and internal changes. The group identifies issues and develops solutions, which are then proposed to the company.
IkuBoss Seminars	These lectures for executives and managers promote synergy and a healthy work-life balance. In our pursuit to nurture a more comfortable work environment, we joined the IkuBoss Corporate Alliance^* in October 2015. *A corporate alliance proposed by NPO Fathering Japan.
Unconscious Bias Training	We conduct these training sessions with the aim of further empowering women and promoting diversity. We hope to foster female managers and create a comfortable working environment. The 2021 theme was "Understanding gender bias and building confidence."
Women's Health Seminars	These seminars are held throughout Japan to help women deal with their health and hormone-related issues, and create a more comfortable work environment. The sessions are open to both men and women.
Support Seminar for Balancing Work and Caregiving	These seminars are held to offer information on how employees can continue working while using various internal and external support systems when they need to provide caregiving. The company website also posts information on nursing care services.
Life-Planning Seminars	These seminars are held for employees who have reached the age of 57, giving them an opportunity to think about their future career and life plans.
LGBTQ Study Groups	All employees receive compliance training as well as information through Compliance Magazine — distributed via email. In addition, training is provided for those in charge of in-house consultation services to create a comfortable work environment for LGBTQ employees.
Foreign-National Employee Network	We provide cross-organizational networking opportunities for non-Japanese employees working in Japan.
Lunch On Diversity	To promote communication within the company, we regularly hold Lunch On Diversity — an event where participants can have lunch and attend lectures and panel discussions by people from both inside and outside the company,