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Duskin believes that motivated and enthusiastic employees who are stimulated in their daily work are a prerequisite for our business to grow. With this idea in mind, we have programs and structures in place, including a system for promotion to permanent status that expands career opportunities for highly skilled and motivated people, and a re-employment system for mandatory retirees. We are creating an environment where employees take full advantage of their talent and experience. This policy is defined in the Duskin Code of Conduct.
All employees are referred to as Hataraki-san, which means the people who make things easy for others around them. The Hataraki-san concept incorporates the philosophy of Duskin’s Prayerful Management. Employees doing their best for others without thought of personal convenience are appreciated by others, and find a greater sense of accomplishment and fulfilment in life.
To continue to Sow the Seeds of Joy for people and communities, Duskin believes balance between work and home life is important for the health of our employees. Accordingly, we have put various measures in place to reduce long work hours and create comfortable workplaces, aiming to keep the total work time per employee at below 1,850 hours annually. These measures include:
In addition, Duskin has maintained Kurumin certification from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare since 2016, demonstrating our commitment as an enterprise that supports our employees' childcare.
Duskin has a system for qualified non-career employees to change their paths to permanent career positions. Starting in FY2016, a new "area-specific specialist" course with limited transfers or changes within certain geographic areas was added to the permanent career category, expanding opportunities to obtain permanent career positions. Aiming to leverage our human resources even more effectively, we improved the system that enables area-specific specialists to make course changes to the "area-specific career track" or "career track" within the permanent career category.
Due to Japan's declining birthrate and a rise in the aging population, the government is implementing initiatives to encourage senior citizens to participate in the labor market. Included in the initiatives is the hiring of people up to 70 years old to address labor shortages and increase the sustainability of the social security system. Duskin has a program in place that re-employs employees after the mandatory retirement age of 60. As a general rule, those employees are asked to continue duties in the department where they worked at the time they retired. This system leverages their experience, and enables them to both demonstrate their abilities and share their knowledge.
Accompanying revisions to the Duskin pension plan in FY2019, we increased the base salary for rehired employees to increase their motivation and create an environment that encourages staff retention.
To enhance our corporate value and vitality through leveraging diverse human resources, it is essential to create workplaces where women can develop and demonstrate their talents to their fullest potential. Since many of Duskin's customers are women, women's perspectives are essential for creating and providing products and services, and for our business growth.
Against this backdrop, Duskin developed a second action plan extending from FY2019 to FY2021 in accordance with the Act of Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace. Under the plan, we have launched initiatives to support women's career development and nurture an inclusive corporate culture and work environment. Duskin has also set a numerical goal of increasing the percentage of women in managerial positions to at least 10%.
With the increase in two-income families and one-person households, there is a rapidly growing need for house cleaning and helper services. The demand for these services is expected to expand further with increasing need for daily assistance for seniors in our super-aging society.
Duskin started hiring non-Japanese employees from April 2017 after receiving approval from the Kanagawa, Osaka and Tokyo governments as a specified organization for the Project to Accept Foreigners Conducting Housekeeping Services in National Strategic Special Zones. These employees provide services at customers' homes after undergoing training.
We believe it is also a social responsibility of corporations to provide employment opportunities to people with disabilities. These employment opportunities should be individually matched to the capabilities of the recruits. To provide more job opportunities at higher retention rates, we are carrying out initiatives to examine the types of jobs suitable for the different range of skills and interests of people with disabilities and to establish a structure to assist them. We continue to actively promote employment of people with disabilities, and aim to reach a ratio of employees with disabilities of 3% or more at Duskin (non-consolidated). We will play our part to create a society where everyone can live with a sense of active participation, reward, and purpose.
Duskin offers various types of education and training to develop personnel to fully understand the philosophy of Prayerful Management and reflect it in their daily business practices. We conduct level-specific training for employees, including new hires, to teach the knowledge and skills required to effectively perform their duties; we also focus on training Area Managers, who support our franchise owners and energize the franchise network. In addition, we encourage employees to develop themselves through attaining publicly recognized qualifications and taking correspondence courses.
With the aim of improving the abilities of managers of each franchise business brand and their Area Managers, we are working to expand expertise and perspectives on franchise business management by providing opportunities to attend training programs sponsored by the Japan Franchise Association.
In 2016, Duskin established the Institute of Prayerful Management to incorporate our management philosophy into our everyday work activities and responsibilities. We focus on study sessions by lecturers from the institute as well as mini-lessons by Business Development Managers across the nation during regular meetings. The institute also publishes newsletters to share information and supports self-education via e-learning.
Duskin School is a training center — mainly for Direct Selling Group — that provides comprehensive training which ranges from management philosophy to operational knowhow for franchise owners, managers and staff nationwide. Duskin School provides opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills through its highly experienced instructors, extensive training curriculum, and fully equipped facilities.
Mister Donut College was established out of our founder's faith; as Seiichi Suzuki said, "Our people are intangible assets we must nurture with our hands." Based on this faith and guidance, the facility was founded even before we started franchising the business. To develop first-class business people in the food industry, we have put together a unique training system in a manual. In addition to donut production and customer service, the trainees learn about the philosophy of Mister Donut and the best attitude for serving our customers.
In March 2021, Duskin received Health & Productivity Management Organization 2021 certification, a certification system operated by the Nippon Kenko Kaigi (Japan Health Council) with the support from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Duskin has received certification for five consecutive years — every year since the system began in 2017. Guided by the Duskin Health-focused Management Declaration, we promote health management initiatives and strive to raise the health awareness of every employee.