Human Resources Management
Work-Life Balance
Targets and Results / Examples of Initiatives
To encourage work-life balance, Sumitomo Chemical established key performance indicators (KPIs) along with three main targets: 1 Correct long working hours, 2 Encourage employees to take paid annual leave, and 3 Promote flexible workstyles. We
implement various measures to achieve these targets.
■ Measures to Promote Work-Life Balance
KPI
1 Correct Long

Working Hours

Measure Details

Aim to eliminate long working A.	Enhance Productivity by Utilizing Digital Tools
Enhance productivity by utilizing digital platforms and tools, automate and enhance
hours as a general rule (onefficiency of operations by proactively utilizing robotic process automation (RPA), conduct
average over 45 hours/monthtraining for effectively utilizing digital tools, etc.
worked after regular hours andon weekends and holidays)
B. Improve productivity by promoting a better work-life balancefrom fiscal 2020.
Regularly convene the Labor-Management Committee consisting of labor and management representatives, take various measures to improve productivity in each workplace,hold lectures to promote better work-life balance, etc.
C. 	Promote initiatives for the Sumika “Let’s Do This Declaration”
We declared details related to work-life balance in the Sumika “Let’s Do This Declaration,”
which is an initiative in which we proclaim those values and views that are of importance tous as a company. In addition, we have positioned the elimination of long working hours as
an action item.
D. Appropriately Manage Working Hours and Health• Reduced the upper limit on overtime work from April 2017 (upper limit: 80 hours permonth and 720 hours per year)• Regarding the occupational physician interviews for people working long hours mandated
by the Industrial Safety and Health Act, we have been enforcing our own guidelines, which
are more stringent than legally mandated, requiring interviews for people who work 70
hours or more of overtime in one month or 150 hours or more in a three-month period• From March 2018, we established an even more appropriate work management systemby displaying computer logon and logoff times when reporting work hours, moving awayfrom the existing system for reporting work hours.

Realize an average of 80% ofEmployees to Take paid leave taken annually from
Paid Annual Leave fiscal 2020.

2 Encourage

A. Create an annual leave chart that covers several fiscal years
Every year create an annual leave chart that covers several fiscal years to make it easier toplan far into the future and help encourage employees to take paid leave.
B. Encourage employees to take paid leave• Encourage employees to take paid leave during Golden Week and other similar periods• Encourage employees to create four-day weekends by adding days of paid leave to eitherside of weekends and promote taking time off in the September–November period• Encourage senior employees to take paid leave
C. Continue to systematically provide paid leave
Systematically provide five paid-leave days every year (does not include statutory leave)
D. Promote initiatives under the Sumika “Let’s Do This Declaration”
We declared details related to work-life balance in the Sumika “Let’s Do This Declaration,”
which is an initiative in which we proclaim those values and views that are of importance to us
as a company. In addition, we have positioned the use of 80% of paid leave as an action item.

3 Promote Flexible

Workstyles• Achieve at least 90% of maleemployees who have taken
extended childcare leave orother childcare-related leave
due to birth of a child during
the current fiscal year*

A. Promote and raise awareness about programsContinually promote and raise awareness about various programs that enable employees toflexibly adjust for their individual needs, including those related to life events like childcare andcaregiving. In addition, encourage male employees with newborns to take extended childcare
leave.
B. Foster an environment that allows the realization of flexible workstyles
By taking the measures outlined above in the action plan for 1 Correct Long
Working Hours, create an environment where it is easy to improve the productivity of employees
and their workplaces and to realize flexible workstyles.
C. Promote initiatives under the Sumika “Let’s Do This Declaration”
We declared details related to work-life balance, DE&I in the Sumika “Let’s Do This
Declaration,” which is an initiative in which we proclaim those values and views that are ofimportance to us as a company. In addition, we have set the following action items: creating
an environment that makes it easy for employees to fully utilize work-life balance systems,
facilitating the effective use of the flextime system, establishing a cooperative framework in
the workplace, and eliminating unconscious bias (including the assumption of fixed roles
for men and women).

* In the case of children aged one to three months, calculated as the portion taken by the end of the following fiscal year1Human Resources Management■ Systems and Measures for Better Work-Life Balance and for Use at Time of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Childcare
Early Pregnancy Period

Mid to Late Pregnancy

Around Time of Childbirth

Extended leave before
and after childbirthMaternal health leave*1
Measures to ease commuting during pregnancy

Maternal health leave*1
Extended childcare leave*2

Measures for taking breaks while working during pregnancy

Part of period is paid

Measures for doctor visits during working hours for
expectant or nursing mothers

Measures for doctor visits during
working hours for expectant or
nursing mothers

Measures to lighten work for expectant or nursing mothers

Measures to lighten work for
expectant or nursing mothers

Limitations on work for expectant or nursing mothers(overtime work, holiday work, work at time of natural disaster,late-night work, exemption from dangerous or hazardous work)

Childbirth
support leave*1

Limitations on work for
expectant or nursing mothers

Follow-up Program for Employees on Leave forChildbirth or ChildcareChildcare time

1 month before
extended leave

1–2 months before
returning to work

Interview

Interview before
returning to workA vailable to both males and females
Available only to females
Available only to males*1 Leave unique to Sumitomo Chemical*2 The Company’s unique program
encompassing legally mandated
extended leave around the time ofchildbirth and extended childcareleaveChildcare Period(Excluding Extended
childcare leave Period)

Extendedchildcare leave Period

Advancedbriefing

Expiredaccumulated paid leave
Limitations on work
due to childcare

Provide various types of information,
including company newsletter

Measures to reduce
working time for child rearing

Conduct regular communication

Nursing care leave(causes for care)

Enrollment in distance learning course(interested parties only)

Telecommuting(childcare reasons)

Results of Systems for Work-Life Balance (Sumitomo Chemical)(No. of people)

System/Measure
Extended childcare leave

Childcare/Nursing SupportTotalMaleFemale
Percentage of men*1

Other

Extended leave for nursing care
Nursing care leave
Childbirth support leave
Maternal health leave
Expired accumulated paid leave*2
Reduced working hours system
Telecommuting*3
Reemployment system*4
In-house childcare facilities*5
Mutual aid association support money for childcare*6
Suspension from work for special reasons for employees accompanying spouses going on overseas transfer*7Employee awareness survey*8FY2020

FY2021

FY2022

476
374
102
63.8
4133
171
41136
159
41
6136(101)
112
2

524
427
97
73.5
1156
174
44
179
179
131
4125(88)
116
1
—

480
411
69
77.4
2184
179
34
175
173
224
9121(83)120
3Conduct—

Note: Employee numbers do not include temporary employees, part-time staff, or dispatch employees.
*1 The percentage is the number of people who have taken extended childcare leave during the relevant period divided by the number of male employees who have hadchildren in the relevant period.
*2 Only for childcare and nursing care
*3 Number certified in each fiscal year (for childcare, nursing care, pregnancy, and other reasons that make coming into work more difficult)*4 Number registered as of the end of each fiscal year
*5 Number of users on April 1 each fiscal year. Includes users other than Sumitomo Chemical. The figures in parentheses are the number of Sumitomo Chemical users.
*6 Aggregate number of people at end of each fiscal year
*7 Number of applicants as of the end of each fiscal year
*8 Conducted once every three years (slated to be conducted once every two years starting from 2022)

2

Human Resources Management

Employee Awareness Survey
Sumitomo Chemical conducts an employee awareness survey that covers work, the working environment, career values,
diversity and inclusion, and work-life balance with the principle aim of grasping the current situation and uncovering
issues in order to enhance work environments and create more satisfying workplaces. Using the results of this survey, wepromote measures to further increase people’s desire to work at the Company.
2022 Employee Awareness Survey
Total of five points. Four points and above is a high rating, and many employees were affirmative in their awareness.
Item

Average employee rating

I am motivated to grow on my own using digital technologies.

4.0

The workplace culture allows people to easily go home.

4.1

The working environment is conducive to easily working while raising children or caregiving.

4.0

Going forward, I want to work at the Company.

4.1

In my workplace, there is no discrimination based on gender, age, birthplace, or nationality.

4.0

Daycare Facilities at Worksites
With support from the Company, we encourage the use of these facilities by setting a daycare fee that is lower than thoseof the municipalities. To make it easy for parents to accompany children to the facilities, we consider the commuting
method depending on the location, such as allowing employees to commute using their private vehicles in special cases.

Support for Childbirth and Childcare
For employees to achieve work-life balance, Sumitomo Chemical operates generous systems, for example, it offers a systemthat allows for a period far longer than is legally required for extended childcare leave (up to 3 years, 11 months) and asystem that offers male employees leave to support their spouses during childbirth.
In addition, to support employees’ balance of childcare and work, the health insurance association and mutual aid
association provide various forms of monetary support for childbirth and childcare, subsidies for home aides, and other help.

Kurumin MarkIn September 2015, Sumitomo Chemical was certified for the third time as a company that
supports childcare and received the next-generation Kurumin certification mark. Under this system,
business operators who successfully carry out action plans based on the Act on Advancement ofMeasures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children and meet all the certification criteria receive
certification from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.
This certification was in recognition of our third round of initiatives covering the period between
June 2012 and March 2015. The first certification covered the period between April 2005 and May
2007, the second one covered the period between June 2007 and May 2012, the third one covered
the period between June 2012 and March 2015, and the fourth one covered the period between
April 2015 and March 2020. The Company was commended for its initiatives to help promote
work-life balance, such as expanding in-house childcare facilities and encouraging employees totake various forms of leave. (We are currently applying for our fifth certification.)3

Next-generation
Kurumincertification mark