Round-table Discussion of Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion(DE&I)

Seki

ONO’s concept of DE&I is based on the idea of “difference” x “unity.” Talent with different backgrounds and ideas working together will give birth to new insights and ideas. That is what ONO is aiming for.
Promoting the participation of women is not only one of the major elements for promoting DE&I but also the issue that we are most focused on. Despite only 4.1% of managers being women in FY2022, women account for 38.2% of the new graduate recruits. Furthermore, we have created systems that offer support for balancing work and childrearing so that women can work and participate for many years, which has resulted in almost all employees returning to the Company after taking childcare leave.

Okuno

Ms. Kondo is a role model for promoting the participation of women as she became a manager in her thirties after returning to work following maternity and childcare leave. What do you think about the current situation?

Kondo

Over the past decade, the environment has changed so that women can work for many years, but there are still few female employees who want to become managers. Because many women in their thirties who are manager candidates returned to work after maternity and childcare leave, they probably feel “I am not qualified to be a manager.”

Okuno

A system in which more senior coworkers act as mentors and provide support when taking up a management post would probably provide women with peace of mind and make it possible for them to try to become managers. What is important is moving forward one step at a time, such as further expanding existing systems.

Seki

I think that one such step is increasing the percentage of men who take childcare leave. While the actual figure depends on the department, 65.2% of male employees took childcare leave in FY2022. I think that making contributions so that women can participate throughout society will also promote DE&I at ONO in a roundabout fashion.

Hata

I think that anyone would struggle to balance work and childrearing after returning to work following maternity and childcare leave. How was it for you, Ms. Kondo?

Kondo

Although it depends on the person, I was able to find time for work by sharing childrearing responsibilities with my husband and making use of services such as babysitters and housework helpers. When a child is young, there are difficult situations such as having to quickly take time off from work, but I was able to have a normal life by not trying to do it all myself.

Okuno

After returning to work, you worked reduced hours. Were there things related to work that you tried to do?

Kondo

I was always conscious of making efficient use of my limited time. One valuable thing I learned from the experience was how to get the most performance out of limited time by getting creative.

Okuno

A person creatively trying to efficiently conduct work will probably have a positive impact on those around them and increase productivity.

Seki

We live in an era that stresses a rich private life. Therefore, when a person with time constraints becomes a manager, it probably creates major spillovers for the organization, such as transforming how people think about work styles.

Hata

Some people have an image of female managers as being perfect people who can balance work and their private life. However, there are many women who struggle since they are unable to balance the two despite trying. Do you have any advice for them?

Kondo

Although there seems to be many women at ONO working hard to perfectly balance work and childrearing, I was unable to do that. When working, I want employees to make the most of the various company systems, including reduced work hours, telecommuting, and flexible working hours, to match the particular life event they are confronting. This does not apply only to childrearing.

Okuno

Society overall, too, is stressing efforts related to DE&I. If there were a move to transform corporate culture and create systems, this would make it possible to not only generate sustainable growth for a company but also create value for society.

Kondo

For example, ideally, capable people, regardless of gender, would take part in management candidate training. To achieve that, too, it is probably necessary to give consideration to training programs and system design for people who find it difficult to participate for any of various reasons, such as their home situation.

Okuno

Some people hate lumping all women together, but there are many companies that have training for women.

Seki

That is right. It is necessary for the company to do more until they can get women to want to participate on their own.

Kondo

People with small children are encouraged to finish their work and quickly return home, and many of those are male employees. In recent years, for many married couples, both work, and if one of them leaves most of the housework and childrearing responsibilities to their partner, this places a work burden on their partner’s company. It is necessary that ONO, of course, and all of society view this as an important issue.

Okuno

Women will be able to participate throughout society precisely because of mutual help. I think that it would be wonderful if the statement “you should go home early” was not directed to individuals but made from a broader perspective as an “issue for society.”

Kondo

I do what I can to communicate that.

Okuno

The participation of human resources who possess a broad perspective is indispensable for companies to generate sustainable growth in the long term, not simply pursue short-term profits. It is precisely because of this that it is necessary to possess a sense of unity and create an environment so both employees with childrearing experience, of course, and diverse human resources, regardless of nationality or handicap, can participate.

Seki

ONO is creating various support systems related to DE&I, but I would like to see more focus on raising awareness and providing education so people make more active use of those systems.

Okuno

It is great that we were able to uncover long-term hopes through today’s dialogue. Let’s all work together to promote DE&I so that ONO can achieve sustainable growth.