It goes without saying that staff are the most important resource for any business. This is particularly true here at Suntory. We pride ourselves on being a company that takes care of its staff and responds to their needs.
Suntory provides a great working environment in which ambitious and hard-working men and women can thrive and succeed. Our human resources policies have been developed to reflect the following statements:

• To respect and take care of each and every member of staff, while leading them to reach their full professional potential.
• To encourage staff to develop their individual skill sets and professional strengths.

Personnel Performance System

Personnel performance reviews (staff evaluations) are carried out in order to assess how well staff members are contributing to corporate performance in their present position, and to ensure that the capacity of staff to make positive contributions is being fairly rewarded in remuneration packages. In order to carry out an accurate review based on actual performance, at the beginning of each year an interview will be held between managers and staff members, in which a ‘Work Objectives Plan’ will be drawn up. At the end of the year, a review will be carried out according to how well staff have performed against the objectives and according to the processes set out in the plan. This ensures the review to be objective and makes review outcomes easier to accept. We have found that the inclusion of this personalized performance element into the review process, rather than carrying out a simple examination of figures-based performance, helps to improve job fulfillment, too.

As the diagram above shows, the system means that managers meet with staff several times a year, in face-to-face meetings, creating a platform to discuss individual roles, performance, and evaluation results. This is not simply to ensure that remuneration is appropriate to performance. The year-long process also allows managers to help each and every member of staff to develop skills, to stay motivated, and to perform to his or her full potential. That is why the system is so important to the company.

Self Assessment System

Staff are requested to evaluate their attitudes to and performance in their current role, including how worthwhile they feel their work to be, how fulfilled they are, and what kind of work they would like to take on in the future (specific roles, departments). These evaluations are then considered, together with the overall direction of the company and managerial reports, thereby helping us to provide tailored support to each staff member in gaining the education and training and finding the challenges he or she requires.

Placing New Recruits

• In October, guidance sessions provide details on the company outline, business deployment, organizational structure, and the work undertaken by each department.
• In February, self assessment forms are submitted to the HR department, in which candidates can indicate the kind of work they would like to do upon joining the company, the kind of experience they would like to gain in the future, and information about their own strengths and skills (areas of study, qualifications, skills etc.).
• Final decisions on placement will be made in April, before which candidates will undergo a placement interview in which they will have the chance to discuss which departments and positions they would like to be placed in. Regardless of the preferences discussed in the placement interview, candidates will be allocated placement based on a comprehensive evaluation of overall company staffing requirements and individual suitability.

The self assessment form and skills & training plan for each staff member are then sent to the HR Department, where decisions are made based on staff preferences, overall company staffing requirements, and managerial reports. Rotation plans and skills & training plans are also considered, before the final decision on transfers is made.

Post-Retirement Re-Employment System

In order to respond to the needs of those staff who wish to continue to work after they have reached the age of mandatory retirement, we established our ‘Elder Partner System’ in 2000. The system allows us to introduce suitable roles to those staff coming up for mandatory retirement who wish to continue to work. In 2009, we were able to re-employ 122 staff members of the 129 staff scheduled to retire who expressed a desire to continue in employment.
This ‘Elder Partner System’ was amended in 2006, to reflect the increase in the start age of eligibility for public pension payouts and the enforcement of the amended Law Concerning the Stabilization of Employment of Older Persons (April 2006). 12 months prior to the scheduled month of retirement, an interview is conducted with the scheduled retiree to establish their interest in continuing work. Employment is offered to all those persons who meet certain conditions regarding health and travel to work.
The standard period of employment offered in post-retirement re-employment contracts was previously 2 years; this has been extended to a maximum of five years, offered in increments, in accordance with the amended employment law.
We will continue to develop and expand this system, in order to ensure that staff who have reached the age of mandatory retirement are still able to use the experience and skills they have built up over the years with the company.

Benefits Systems

We work to provide employees with an environment in which they can work well, work healthily, and work with assurance in the business world.

Accommodation for Unmarried Staff

Two types of accommodation are available: company-owned shared dormitory-style residences and rented space in private apartments. Accommodation is provided for approximately \8,000 a month, for a private room with air conditioning.

Promoting Diversity

At Suntory, we are committed to creating new value by ensuring we are willing and able to take on and maximize the potential of staff from diverse backgrounds, in diverse circumstances, and with diverse approaches to work. This is the core objective of our program to promote diversity in the workplace.
To ensure a working environment that is welcoming and accessible to women, Suntory has continuing to expand our childcare support schemes, and have obtained the "Kurumin" certification issued by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in recognition of workplaces that support parenting employees. As a result of our efforts to evaluate staff based on their drive and capability, rather than their sex, the percentage of staff at office manager level or above who are female is 6.7% (as of December 2009), more than double the figure from five years earlier.
We have also put measures in place to allow greater diversity and flexibility in patterns of work. This has involved expanding our range of work options, which currently include working from home, flexible hours, or combinations of options, and making these options available to all staff. The aim of our diversity promotion policy is to provide a working environment that will allow all staff to work to the best of their abilities in a style that is appropriate to their personal circumstances.

<<Scheme Use: Performance>>