Employees

Global perspective and respect for diversity

In addition to creating an organizational structure that can respond promptly to changing and evolving market needs, the Yamaha Motor Group has set its ideal goal for human resources to be a state where individuals and companies aim to continually create Kando^* by sharing lofty ambitions and cooperating to develop the business and help individuals grow. We are also striving to create workplaces where diversity is respected.

*Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feeling of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that we experience when we encounter something of exceptional value.

Yamaha Motor Group’s Human Capital Management Initiatives

As we develop our businesses globally, in addition to creating an organizational structure that can respond promptly to changing and evolving market needs, we believe that we are continually creating Kando* by having individuals and companies share lofty ambitions and cooperate to develop the business and help individuals grow.

Based on our fundamental belief that “all corporate activity originates first of all with and for people,” we believe that it is essential for employees to cooperate with each other and accept their different viewpoints and values, to improve their individual skills, and secure specialists in many technical fields and apply their accumulated knowledge in both developed and developing nations. The Company considers the fulfillment of its long-term vision, “ART for Human Possibilities: There is Greater Joy Yet to Come,” to be an extension of such initiatives.

Yamaha Motor has MBO(Management by Objectives) in place to develop businesses and achieve individual growth. At the start of the year, every employee describes and clarifies their targets for that year, then finalizes them following back-and-forth discussions with their managers. In the course of their duties, they discuss and confirm issues with their managers as necessary, and they receive interview opportunities to confirm the progress of their targets during the period. In the end-of-year evaluation, managers are evaluated on their actions such as training/development of teams, improving morale, and increasing motivation. General employees are evaluated on their contributions to the organization. This includes consideration of work done for the organization, such as improving organizational capability and contributing to the organization. Some managers undergo 180 degree evaluation. This provides an opportunity for managers to become aware of their own actions through evaluation by a wide range of people.

Furthermore, whole company is involved in improving working environments for employees, guaranteeing their mental safety and preventing harassment. We have set specific target values and are aiming to improve engagement.

Concerning our governance structure, in the past the Company actively engaged in discussions about human capital strategies by managing the Global Executive Committee (GEC), the Human Resources Development Committee and Global Execution Transformation – Human Resources (GET-HR). Starting in 2024, however, to further strengthen governance and optimize strategy when it comes to human capital management, we established a Human Capital Management Committee chaired by the President and Chief Executive Officer. It serves as a meeting body where executive officers with titles, and the heads of overseas locations participate to actively discuss human capital investment strategies, increasing engagement, and promoting diversity on a global scale. We have also set up a Talent Management Committee to hold deliberations on human resource development plans, assignments and development statuses when it comes to candidates for management positions in the Yamaha Motor Group. Through these means, we will increase employees’ autonomy over their careers while increasing the transparency of future career paths.

Creating Work-Friendly Environments for Individuals Where Diversity is Accepted

We have set employee engagement as an important indicator, and we are introducing globally-shared engagement indicators under the 2022-2024 Medium-Term Management Plan. We introduced the Yamaha Motor Global Awards in 2022, and the following year (2023) we also established the Employee Vote Excellence Award where employees can also participate in the voting. In FY2023, five excellent projects that embodied the unique style of Yamaha were awarded out of 30 entries received from business departments and Group companies in Japan and overseas. We aim to increase employee engagement through activities like these that celebrate success, and we hold the award ceremonies to coincide with Yamaha Day (we have set July 1st, which is the Company’s founding anniversary, and October 12, the founding anniversary of Yamaha Corporation as “Yamaha Day,” which headquarters and all Group companies in Japan and abroad organize self-directed events to commemorate). As initiatives to increase engagement, we are also focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion, and on human resource development.

To achieve the Yamaha Motor Group’s Corporate Mission of being a “Kando Creating Company,” it is essential that people participating from different backgrounds acknowledge each other and grow in order to display their value to the maximum. From the perspective of sustained growth and continuing to create new value that exceeds the expectations of our customers as well, we believe that the growth and participation of human resources with diverse viewpoints and values is indispensable.

We established the Yamaha Motor Group Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Policy in September 2023 and shared this policy at our workplaces and subsidiaries, in order to foster an organizational culture where diverse human resources gather and utilize new realizations and discoveries to create value while respecting different viewpoints and values. The focus of the statement is “creating Kando via diversity” as stated in the policy, and its guiding principle is “RESPECT.” (respect, period). “RESPECT.” means that everyone at the Yamaha Motor Group is responsible for interacting with colleagues, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders with a recognition that the opinions and rights of others have value. Based on that, we have defined focus areas and the Yamaha Motor Group’s position on those areas as we strive to create a workplace where all employees and executives are free to demonstrate their individualities (strengths, experiences, and ideas) to the fullest, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identification, disability, nationality, race, religion/belief, values, or experience.

Furthermore, when it comes to women’s active participation, we have established and are working towards a target for the percentage of female managers, and in the Medium-Term Management Plan, we have set a goal of 56 female managers at Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. by the end of 2024. In pursuit of that target, the number of female managers had reached 58 by the end of 2023. Our target is to increase the percentage of female managers in the entire Yamaha Motor Group from 10.8% in 2021 to 13% in 2024. We will continue to pursue initiatives aimed at meeting that target.

The ratio of mid-career hires appointed to management positions at headquarters is approaching the same level as the management appointment ratio for who joined the company as new graduates. We will continue to appoint people to management positions based on their characters and abilities and regardless of their mode of recruitment or other attributes.

Human Resource Development Policy

In addition to creating an organizational structure that can respond promptly to changing and evolving market needs, the Yamaha Motor Group has set its ideal goal for human resources to be a state where individuals and companies aim to continually create Kando* by sharing lofty ambitions and cooperating to develop the business and help individuals grow. We are also striving to create workplaces where diversity is respected.

The following three specific items embody that ideal state.

1. We will enact measures that allow every person to boldly face their individual challenges, and create a culture that encourages every person to tackle new things, independent of factors such as gender, age, nationality, race and values.
2. We will provide opportunities and support as needed for employees and executives with the motivation to apply themselves to seeking education throughout their lifetimes.
3. We will distinguish ourselves from other companies in human resources by training and cultivating them in the unique style of Yamaha based on the shared values of “Innovation, Excitement, Confidence, Emotion, Ties.”

Therefore, to achieve our ideal state, we want to work with the following kinds of human resources.

1. Human resources who strive independently and autonomously to increase their personal value.
2. Human resources who are able to act with a focus on teamwork.
3. Human resources who will increase the value of the Yamaha brand.

The Yamaha Motor Group undertakes a variety of initiatives in order to create the kind of workplace stated above.

Utilizing Global Human Resources

To globalize our human resources, we appoint excellent personnel to management positions regardless of their gender, age, nationality, orijinal affiliation or other factor. At overseas subsidiaries in particular, we are actively appointing local managers to fill management positions, aiming at a localization rate of 55% by the end of 2024. Moreover, although the rate of global talent recruitment as part of new graduates hired for management track positions at headquarters was 6% in 2023, we continue to make efforts to achieve the set target of 10%.

Furthermore, in 2020 we introduced the Yamaha Assignment Policy (YAP) which encourages global personnel transfers and empowers excellent personnel to succeed across national boundaries. Under this policy, we have recorded nine cases of not only management personnel but also line managers and expert specialists transferring from overseas locations to headquarters or between overseas locations, and we will work to expand this policy even further.

Human Resource Development

We offer stratified training, selective training for high-potential talents, training to refine specialized functional skills, overseas training systems that develop human resources who are able to succeed at the global level, coaching to enhance performance as an organization with cohesive teamwork, and diversity training. Additionally, to foster a culture of self-learning, we are expanding support for self-development and expanding options for learning along with providing on-demand education. As an initiative to increase the stability of business management, we have introduced successor development planning for positions the Company stipulates as key, and we are also engaged in systematic personnel assignments that put the right persons in the right positions.

For human resource development, to establish a mechanism where anyone interested in growing is given the opportunity to do so, we have introduced the Yamaha Motor Learning System (YLS) online and on-demand learning platform and also promoted self-development courses. 19,000 people have used YLS while a total of 5,039 persons had participated in self-development courses by the end of 2023. We have also been running a selective training program to develop global management personnel since 2015, which a total of 137 persons have taken part in.

To prevent training from ending at mere participation, we are also conducting tests to verify the effects of certain training courses.

Example 1: Theoretical-value-based production training

Theoretical-value-based production is method that involves analyzing tasks in production activities, defining only those tasks that truly produce value as value tasks (theoretical value), and working to eliminate all other tasks as much as possible. Instead of trying to improve on the current situation, we establish “theoretically valuable tasks” from the start and build no-waste processes from the ground up. In 2023, a total of 138 persons consisting of employees in manufacturing and activity promoters of business partners overseas participated in this course, leading to a total of 1.9 billion yen saved in reduced costs thanks to theoretical-value-based production.

Example 2: Selective training

We run the Global Executive Program, Yamaha Business School Global, and Regional Development Program as selective training programs for high-potential talents at locations overseas. 71 people took part in this training in 2021, 65 in 2022 and 95 in 2023, and the percentage of local employees occupying core positions (company general manager class) at overseas subsidiaries is growing steadily, from 50.8% in 2021 to 51.6% in 2022 and 55.6% in 2023.

Employee Engagement

Since the 1980s, the Company has carried out annual employee awareness surveys, and measured their satisfaction levels and motivation at work, as well as identified current issues. In 2020, we made significant changes to our previous methods, strengthening the significance of the indexes that indicate the degree of employee engagement (the state in which they are voluntarily undertaking matters while feeling an emotional commitment toward the organization or their work). Specifically, we are focusing on four questions related to engagement, and feeding results back in real time so as to enhance engagement. Each division swiftly formulates plans and implements measures to solve their respective issues, with the human resources management division providing follow up.

Preventing Harassment

In light of the rapidly growing need to address and adapt to human rights risks throughout the supply chain, the Yamaha Motor Group has stipulated in its Code of Ethics that it forbids slander against employees concerning matters pertaining to their race, nationality, philosophy of life, bodies, personality, families, etc., forbids words and actions that deny an individual’s personhood, and also forbids sexual harassment and all other actions that constitute harassment. However, anyone can become a perpetrator of harassment without intending to, and once serious incidents of harassment occur, they have the potential to affect not only the victims but also the Company, the organization and even our business activities themselves.

Therefore, we endeavor to foster an organizational culture that makes it hard for harassment to occur through initiatives such as spreading the diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) the Group is engaged in and increasing employee engagement. When an incident does occur, we handle it speedily and appropriately, including working to prevent a recurrence, and we continue to raise awareness and undertake educational activities to prevent harassment from ever occurring.

Moreover, in addition to the existing compliance incident reporting contact points for Japan, in 2023 we added new consultation points dedicated to harassment and labor issues, and we created a reporting line to allow people who suffered or heard or saw harassment to consult someone promptly on the issue. When we receive a report of harassment, we conduct a hearing with the persons concerned to confirm the situation, after which we take appropriate ways such as disciplinary actions or instructions, and take measures to prevent a recurrence.

Promoting Employment and Raising Motivation for People with Disabilities

For people with disabilities, in October 2015, we established Yamaha Motor MIRAI Co., Ltd., to provide a place where they can participate actively in accordance with their capabilities, and to promote their social independence. The company began full-scale operations in 2016, and has expanded its areas of business while holding various events such as company tours and workshop presentations in an effort to enhance the job satisfaction and motivation of employees. In addition, we promote understanding and cooperation throughout the Group by introducing the activities of Yamaha Motor MIRAI through our bulletin boards and company newsletters.

Ratio of Employees with Disabilities at Yamaha Motor

Supporting Work-Life Balance

We support career planning that is based on the assumption of mutual confirmation by both the employee and the Company, and aim to create workplaces that promote a healthy work-life balance.

We are enhancing our systems so that employees can work in ways that suit their individual circumstances, by providing childcare leave, nursing care leave, and family illness leave, as well as systems such as flexible work time, short working hours, and the rehiring of employees who resigned to accompany their spouse on overseas postings. For childcare leave in particular, we actively share examples of taking the leave and our efforts to create an environment where it is easy to take it, and we are working to increase the percentage of male employees who take it. (The rate of men taking childcare leave in 2023, including postnatal paternity leave, was 65.2％). We are also working to support employees raising children through “Wai-Wai Land,” an in-house childcare facility providing broad-based support for both “work and family.” In 2016, we expanded the size of this facility and increased the number of children who can be accepted.

Since 2021, under a new human resources system “Work in my style, work in Yamaha style.”, we have incorporated teleworking and staggered office hours to accommodate diversity. We have also introduced special leave in hourly units and shortened working hours for injury or illness. We continue to increase work style options so employees can meet challenges with vitality and passion at any stage of life.

Our policy is to reduce excessive work hours with the aim of reducing overtime, and in consideration of maintaining mental and physical health. We have also established Rules Regarding Overtime Work, which are stricter than the legal requirements, based on labor-management consultations. In addition, the Labor-Management Committee on Working Hours, comprising participants from both the labor union and the Company, meets every month to confirm the present state of working hours.

We also participate in the Human Resources Committee of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. We make use of the information obtained through the committee, exchanges of opinions, and other means to check the state at our company as well as to promote initiatives.

Regarding the use of paid leave, we comply with the Work Style Reform Act, set targets between employees and management based on the Act, and promote the taking of paid leave through initiatives including a system for taking consecutive days of paid leave. In particular, we are raising awareness and increasing the effectiveness of this system by sending special notices to those eligible for five consecutive days of paid leave.

Utilization of leave in 2023 was as follows. Childcare leave: 236 persons (male: 193 (including postnatal paternity leave), female: 43); Nursing care leave: 6 people; Family illness leave: 23 days earned, 2,450 minutes earned, taken by 10 people; Life support leave: 8,193.5 days taken, taken by 2,494 people.

In addition to measures for work style, we have introduced a “selectable employee benefit system” at the Yamaha Motor Headquarters since 2023. Employees can select from a menu of benefits set by the company to suit their individual lifestyle and receive subsidies. The system provides a variety of benefits for families; for example, child-raising and child care subsidies, family care subsidies, and travel expense subsidies.

Occupational Health and Safety

Stance and Policies

As stated in the Group’s Sustainability Basic Policy, we think that the health and safety of our employees is a foundation of the Company’s growth, and thus we work to improve working environments. To foster a culture of “Safety and Health First” and entrench initiatives aimed at reducing occupational accidents to zero throughout the entire Group, we have formulated the Yamaha Motor Group Basic Policy on Occupational Health and Safety, which further clarifies the contents of the Sustainability Basic Policy, as well as action guidelines, and targets for reducing occupational accidents. Along with endeavoring to ensure health and safety with the participation of all employees, we are pursuing the creation of comfortable working environments and trying to make the execution of duties smoother to lead to greater productivity.

Promotion Structure

At Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. under this policy, the Central Safety and Health Committee (chaired by the executive officer and chief general manager of the Human Resources & General Affairs Center and comprising occupational health physicians, representative supervisors of manufacturing, technology, and administrative divisions, and the labor union, among others), with authority delegated to it by the President and Chief Executive Officer, spearheads efforts to provide safe and healthy work environments that comply with standards, regulations and labor agreements concerning industrial safety and health. It also incorporates various activities aimed at achieving zero accidents into medium-term and annual plans. The supervising division for occupational health and safety is also expanding these initiatives to group companies in various countries.

Promoting the Occupational Health and Safety Management System

In 2023, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. overhauled the Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS) it had previously used, introduced ISO 45001, an international standard, underwent inspections by the certifying organization, and received certifications. We are working to prevent occupational accidents by implementing risk assessments (identifying and assessing harmfulness or danger) at workplaces, which forms the core of the operation of our management system, and systematically eliminating or reducing risks to occupational health and safety based on the results. Furthermore, to heighten the safety awareness of all employees, in addition to education and courses based on the regulations, we endeavor to provide a full range of lessons and training courses such as risk assessment and practical hazard prediction training.

In May 2023, an occupational accident occurred at the Company’s Hamakita Factory (Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu City) in which one employee working on the processing of engine components passed away. To prevent such serious occupational accidents from ever happening again, the Group as a whole is undertaking initiatives to prevent a recurrence, including conducting a comprehensive inspection of the safety of equipment and machinery and corresponding countermeasures, and reducing and eliminating risks through a thorough risk assessment. We are also working to raise safety awareness by establishing “Safety Day.”

In preparation just in case an emergency situation should occur, we have established reporting standards, methods, contact routes and emergency response procedures for the occurrence of workplace injuries, ill health, sickness and accidents, and we regularly conduct response drills to heighten their effectiveness. Moreover, when an occupational accident does occur, we place the highest priority on assisting the victims, and we investigate the accident scene, clarify procedures for identifying the cause, and strive to prevent a recurrence. We also conduct regular internal audits, verify the effectiveness of the management system and continuously improve the system.

As at the end of 2023, 18 companies, mainly manufacturing companies, had individually obtained ISO 45001 certification. To raise the level of occupational health and safety in the entire Yamaha Motor Group, going forward we will promote the development of an occupational health and safety management system based on ISO 45001 certification and strive to make continued improvements. Additionally, in 2008, we implemented an OSHMS Group certification system for the Group’s main manufacturing centers, which we have employed to prevent accidents, and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. endeavors to improve the level of management through regular follow-ups. We have drawn up work safety procedures for external contractors as well in an effort to prevent occupational accidents.

We monitor situations with regard to occupational illnesses (caused by exposure to chemical substances, organic solvents, dust, etc.) through workplace patrols, special health examinations, and we improve the workplace environment as necessary. We also endeavor to create safe and pleasant workplaces based on ergonomics.

Safety Education and Training

We are focused on developing human resources who can support workplace safety and a healthy environment through education and training to improve the skills of safety managers, supervisors, operations chiefs and others in similar roles, and by holding events such as occupational safety and health meetings. The main education and training programs on workplace safety held in 2022 are as follows. These were also carried out at group companies in Japan, and we are actively implementing training and education on health and safety at overseas group companies as well.

Number of Occupational Accidents

In 2023, there was one fatal accident at Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.,^※1 10 accidents requiring an absence from work, and 24 accidents that did not require an absence for a total of 35 accidents (including occupational illnesses). Across the Yamaha Motor Group^*2, there were two fatal accidents and 182 accidents requiring an absence from work in 2023.

The number of fatalities from occupational accidents throughout the Yamaha Motor Group from 2020 onwards was one in 2022 and two in 2023.External Assurance
There were no fatalities among contractors^*4 due to work-related accidents at Yamaha Motor^*1 from 2020 to 2023.External Assurance

We disseminate information about accidents that occur company-wide in an effort to prevent recurrence.

Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate^*3External Assurance

*1 The scope of coverage for 2020 to 2022 is regular employees including executive officers and part-time workers. The scope for 2023 is regular including executive officers and part-time workers as well as dispatch employees
*2 The scope for 2020-2022 is Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and consolidated subsidiaries and affiliated companies with manufacturing capabilities, a total of 31 companies. In 2023, the scope of coverage was expanded to encompass a total of 118 companies including Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., consolidated subsidiaries and affiliated companies (Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., 102 consolidated subsidiaries, three non-consolidated subsidiaries, eight subsidiaries not accounted for by the equity method, four affiliated companies).
*3 Rate of occurrence of occupational accidents requiring absence from work for one or more days per 1 million total actual working hours.
*4 Third parties (excluding indirectly outsourced labor) carrying out certain types of contract-based work for our business on the Company's premises.

Employee Health

Policy

As a “Kando Creating Company,” Yamaha Motor aims to provide customers with new excitement and more fulfilling lives. This requires that each and every one of our employees be “healthy,” both mentally and physically. We believe this enables them to make full use of their abilities and passion, leading to customers’ trust in the products and services we provide.

Additionally, we have set “Safety and Health First” as the Yamaha Motor Group Basic Policy on Occupational Health and Safety, and we consider employee health to be a key management issue for business management and the Company’s development. We will therefore work together with all employees to maintain and promote the health of our employees. Specifically, our three major issues are to achieve a health checkup participation rate of 100%, to reduce rates of metabolic syndrome (persons with it + those at risk), and to reduce rates of smoking. We are undertaking a variety of initiatives to that end.

Promotion Structure

To promote health measures, we have established the Central Safety and Health Committee (chaired by executive officer and chief general manager of Human Resources & General Affairs Center and comprising occupational health physicians, representative supervisors of manufacturing, technology, and administrative divisions, and the labor union, among others). We evaluate how well we are promoting health and productivity management, make any necessary improvements, and formulate medium-term and annual plans after determining our priorities.

We discuss the implementation of specific measures at the Health Promotion Team Meeting (comprising the secretariat, occupational health physicians, the Health Promotion Center, and occupational health nurses, among others), and we use achievement indicators to review the implementation status as we move forward. We also hold monthly health policy joint promotion meetings with the health insurance society to discuss collaboration on measures.

Health Checkup Participation Rate

We conduct statutory health checkups with a 100% participation rate (2023 results). Occupational health physicians also assess employment categories for all checkup results, with an assessment rate of 100%. We also emphasize following up on the results of health checkups, and have occupational health physicians provide thorough health guidance to prevent aggravation and assess whether an individual is fit for employment according to internal regulations on follow-up measures. Furthermore, we use a yellow paper system which serves as a recommendation for medical examination to connect employees to specialists for treatment as soon as possible. In 2023, 78% of employees who were issued a yellow paper saw a specialist for examination.

Reducing Rates of Metabolic Syndrome and Smoking

Employees who were found to be at risk for a lifestyle-related disease in a health checkup receive ongoing health guidance (specified health guidance) by nursing staff and registered dietitians. To deal with lifestyle-related diseases at an early stage, we offer health guidance for all ages, including the young, and provide a wider range of guidance than that stipulated by the national government. As anti-smoking measures, we have established regulations that prohibit smoking during working hours, and we provide guidance and various support tools to help employees quit smoking. The smoking rate among employees has dropped from 30.3% in 2013 to 22.2% in 2023. However we consider the still-high percentage of smokers to be a grave health concern for the Company, and we therefore introduced a complete ban on all smoking on company premises from January 2024 onwards. We plan to deploy this measure to all Group companies in Japan in the future.

Measures against Overwork and Maintenance of Work-Life Balance

The human resources management division and health promotion division are working together to promote proper working hour management. The average hours of overtime works in all companies in 2023 was 219.7 hours (year round). Employees who work excessively long hours are given guidance in consultations with occupational health physicians that follow more stringent standards than what is required by law, and health maintenance measures are thoroughly implemented at the workplace. The average number of days of paid leave taken has increased from 15.3 days in 2013 to 18.4 days in 2023.

Response to COVID-19

To prioritize the lives and health of our stakeholders, including employees, we responded to the outbreak of the coronavirus from 2020 onwards by establishing an organization for countermeasures, which determined various policies and responses and communicated information, such as by introducing telework and staggered office hours systems, and issuing instructions to expatriate employees and their family members to return to Japan. We are documenting the details of these responses as our Procedure for Business Continuity (Pandemic Influenza Version) to prepare for any future infectious disease pandemics.

Health Promotion

As part of our Companywide "Well-Be " health activities, we conduct various health programs including walking events and a "health mileage" program in which employees can earn points by improving lifestyle habits, such as exercising and eating well. Approximately 600 people participated in walking events held in 2023, and approximately 90% of respondents to a survey administered afterwards answered that they were “satisfied” with the experience. As a result of such initiatives, we were recognized as a Sports Yell Company 2024 by the Japan Sports Agency.

We also support employees' health from a nutritional aspect through measures such as providing healthy meals and rice enriched with dietary fiber at employee cafeterias, based on an analysis of health checkup results.

Health Support for Women

To address health issues unique to female employees, we have a special consultation desk and seminar programs. We also coordinate with the health insurance society regarding gynecological exams to make it easier for female employees to take the exams, while also ensuring they receive the follow-up support they need.

Support for Mental Health

To prevent mental health issues in employees, we conduct both stress check (Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (57 items)) and a presenteeism survey (WHO-HPQ) in an online format. The rate of undergoing tests exceeded 95% in 2023, and the overall health risk improved from 109 in 2022 to 107 in 2023.

After stress checks, occupational health physicians and nursing staff conduct follow-up meetings with all high-stress individuals who request it. We are also using the results of group analysis to provide feedback to the workplace in order to improve the work environment.

Additionally, to help maintain physical and mental health and to identify and address mental health issues at an early stage, we are utilizing our e-learning system to teach all employees about mental health self-care and all managers about caring for the mental health of those in their charge. We also conduct training for mid-career hires and newly appointed managers, supervisors and general managers on matters such as knowledge about mental health and how to handle it at the workplace.

When persons who took a leave of absence for either physical or mental health reasons are returning to work, we implement an in-house Return to Work Program before they resume work. After they resume, their supervisors, the Human Resources Division and occupational health physicians work together to follow up with the individual for about a year in an effort to prevent a recurrence.

Health Support for Employees Working Overseas

In addition to making sure employees working overseas take health checkups, in 2024 we restarted the system, which had been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, where we send occupational health physicians to overseas subsidiaries to monitor the local healthcare situation and living environment.

Before sending employees overseas to take a new post, we provide vaccinations and training on health management including preventing infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis. We also provide prophylactic medications to employees who are traveling to areas where there is a risk of contracting endemic diseases such as malaria.

To address mental health issues, we had been providing an external telephone consultation service for employees stationed overseas since 2005, but we revised the system to take a more proactive approach. In addition to establishing contact points for health consultations with in-house physicians, the stress checks carried out in Japan have been conducted in the United States since 2016, and in India since 2017. We expanded the checks to all employees stationed overseas in 2018.

Performance Indicators for the Promotion of Health and Productivity Management

With the catchphrase of “Work in my style, work in Yamaha style.” we are promoting health and productivity management with improveing work engagement as a key management issue. We have set target metrics for reducing numbers of high-risk individuals, workplace accidents, and employees missing work due to mental health problems.

Specifically, the rate of absolute presenteeism (most recent 4 weeks) improved from 60.0 in 2022 to 60.8 in 2023. On the other hand, absenteeism (days absent due to sickness) worsened from 12,295 in 2021 to 13,833 in 2022, but we will steadily continue our health management initiatives with the aim of reducing labor lost due to physical and mental illnesses and increasing employee engagement.

External evaluation

Yamaha Motor was recognized as a "White 500" Outstanding Health and Productivity Management Organization (Large Enterprise Category) for 2024 under the Certified Health and Productivity Management Organization Recognition Program jointly organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Nippon Kenko Kaigi.

Relationship with Labor Union

Yamaha Motor has concluded a labor agreement with its labor union “to establish working conditions and management systems that are based on mutually fair understanding and good faith.” Under this agreement, the Company provides the labor union with appropriate explanations of various measures to be implemented and publishes reports on labor management in an effort to ensure employees’ understanding of these issues. Moreover, the Company holds labor-management conferences and committee meetings regularly, as well as additional labor-management conferences taking up themes based on management initiatives or to address issues raised by the labor union. Officers of the labor union also participate in the management and operation of the corporate pension fund, the health insurance cooperative, and the mutual aid association.

As for ensuring the payment of minimum wages, not only do labor and management conclude agreements each year committing to the minimum wage, discussions between labor and management are also carried out regarding appropriate wage levels, including those using the consumer price index as a basis.

Yamaha Motor adopts a union shop system in which non-managerial employees are members of the labor union, where the participation ratio is 84% of all employees, and 63% globally. Domestic Group companies have also established labor unions or labor committees and engage in labor-management dialog through those bodies. Labor unions of Group companies including the Yamaha Motor Labor Union are members of the Federation of All Yamaha Workers Unions, and are pursuing mutual cooperation through the federation. Overseas Group companies have established structures for engaging in appropriate labor-management dialog based on the labor practices of the respective country or region, and wages are paid in compliance with local regulations.

Addressing Overseas Labor Risks

Many of our production sites are located in ASEAN member states, India, and China, where the risk of labor disputes is high. Accordingly, situations in these countries must be watched closely as we carry on our business activities. For this reason, we incorporate "shutdown due to labor disputes (strike, etc.)" into a risk management ledger employed across the Group, so that we can use it to monitor self-inspections and development of countermeasures.

Manufacturing companies regularly collect information about the legislation in each country and regional labor issues, work to strengthen labor-management relations, and ensure people know where to report and discuss labor issues. At the headquarters, we are working on sharing the know-how within the Group and maintaining and strengthening the communication system for emergencies, leveraging the knowledge accumulated over the years on labor dispute cases.

In 2023, there was no noteworthy occurrence of any labor issues.