NITORI Group’s unique business model that integrates manufacturing, distribution, IT, and retail is supported by specialists who can think comprehensively and create new value. In order to train them, a transfer-based education in which they can experience a variety of occupations every two to three years is essential. It is an education system that forms the foundation of human resource development, designed to provide each employee with a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience. In recent years in which personnel are forced to solve problems that transcend the boundaries of industries and occupations, we require human resources who can apply knowledge on a broad range of fields and combine expertise in several subjects to generate innovation. Through transfer-based education, NITORI Group has increased the number of pillars of expertise each employee has and produced a large number of “NITORI-style specialists” who are able to solve problems from a broad perspective. We continue to aim for sustainable growth by taking advantage of the potential presented by being an organization with a wealth of elites.

Seminars in the U.S. is a major training program in NITORI Group, with curriculums prepared for each training stage, from the introductory course in which second-year employees participate, to the selective advanced courses. Approximately 1,200 people attend the seminars each year. The purpose of these long-standing seminars is to experience an “enriched lifestyle” with all five senses and to reaffirm the Company’s mission. We visit the U.S., where NITORI Group’s mission has its roots, to tour the chain stores that support the lifestyles of the general public and observe the latest initiatives, sales floors, and products, and through the seminars, our employees realize and learn a lot from the experience. In fiscal 2020, all of the seminars in the U.S. were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-term, ongoing initiatives are essential for human resource development, and to keep offering education, we immediately replaced the seminars with programs that take place in Japan and launched various new training programs.

• Training programs and initiatives that give employees learning opportunities and back up their growth[6.04MB]

We have various internal commendation systems and competitions to increase employee motivation and create innovation. Initiatives and results that are launched and produced by each individual, group, and department are acknowledged and recognized across the company. These commendation systems and competitions not only revitalize the company but also play a significant role in the development of the organization by uncovering hidden abilities and identifying talented human resources.

• NITORI Group’s internal commendation systems and competitions[5.77MB]

At NITORI Group, we believe that the physical and mental health of each and every employee is essential to the growth of our company, and we are actively working to maintain and improve the health of employees and their families. In 2013, we instated the Company’s exclusive NITORI health insurance society, and in 2016, established the Health Management Declaration. We work with our labor union and health insurance society to achieve our Group mission and vision and ensure that all employees fulfill their potential. Our efforts resulted in the accreditation in the Certified Health and Productivity Management Organization Recognition Program (White 500) for the fifth time in 2021.

• NITORI Group’s key initiatives[5.07MB]

NITORI Group promotes diversity and inclusion. We consider that fostering a corporate culture where employees in different circumstances and with different backgrounds, in terms of marriage, childbirth, childcare, nursing care, nationality, sexual orientation, etc., acknowledge and respect each other creates an empowered work environment and leads to the company’s growth. In particular, we are focusing on supporting women’s active roles. For example, we have been holding career support seminars since 2014 to encourage women to fully demonstrate their individual ability in carrying out their tasks. Female employees of all ages and positions participate in each of these seminars, where they discuss work-life balance and career plans, as well as exchange opinions on their workstyles. Issues raised in these seminars often lead to suggestions to the company and shape future policies. We aim to pay attention to employees’ voice and be a company where each female employee enjoy their work.

We have been enhancing systems that give employees diverse workstyle options, in accordance with their personal circumstances including marriage, childbirth, childcare, nursing care, and illness. To create a culture that facilitates the use of the systems, we distribute guidebooks to all employees to provide an overview of systems that support work-life balance and how to use them, and hold seminars for managers. We believe that enhancing the lives of employees can improve work performance, and aim to be a family-friendly company for both employees and their families. A half-day paid leave system was introduced in 2016, and a work interval system in 2017. To reduce overtime hours, we take a firm stance against unpaid overtime. Employees whose overtime hours constantly exceed 30 hours per month, as well as their managers, are notified by the Human Resources & Labor Division. If the monthly overtime hours exceed 45 hours, an improvement plan needs to be submitted to the management. We thus promote the reduction of overtime hours across the company. To accompany the change in workstyles, we also introduced a work-at-home system geared toward employees who work shorter hours to improve work productivity from 2016, and the telework system from 2018. These ongoing initiatives have been recognized, and we won the first prize in the 5th White Company Award.