Otsuka Holdings Selected as Nadeshiko Brand for FY 2022
March 22, 2023
Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President and Representative Director, CEO: Tatsuo Higuchi) has been selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Stock Exchange as a Nadeshiko Brand*1 for fiscal 2022.
Since 2012, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Stock Exchange have designated companies making outstanding efforts to encourage women’s success in the workplace as Nadeshiko Brands, which are introduced as attractive stocks to investors who emphasize medium- to long-term improvement of corporate value. Amidst a growing focus on diversity in the labor market, the Nadeshiko Brand initiative aims to accelerate efforts to encourage women’s success in the workplace.
Based on the corporate philosophy of “Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide,” Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. are engaged in business as total health care companies. Convinced that a diverse workforce can drive innovation and globalization, diversity and inclusion have been positioned as key aspects of our management strategy. At Otsuka group companies, Diversity and Inclusion Promotion Teams lead development of proactive initiatives to embrace and promote diversity. Efforts to encourage women’s participation and success in the workplace are one aspect of these initiatives. In 2017, Otsuka Holdings became a signatory to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)*2, a set of corporate principles that offers guidance for empowering women in the workplace.
Among initiatives to nurture a diverse workforce, we organize in-house and community seminars based on knowledge developed through research and development of products to support women’s health. We also work with gynecologists and other health care professionals to ensure adequate support for various life stages. Organization of consciousness-raising Ikuboss (work-life balance) Seminars and introduction of role models are among our increasingly successful efforts to promote men’s involvement in housework and childcare.
Systems to support diverse styles of working and life stages include Family Smile Support System, which enables employees with childcare or nursing care obligations to work from home for one year and the Work Interval System*3, mandating minimum rest periods for shift workers. To ensure that employees can continue to work with peace of mind, we are establishing company child care centers and accelerating our efforts to create supporting work environments. Currently, women are taking leading roles in various organizations and projects.
Based on the corporate philosophy of “Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide,” the Otsuka group will continue to contribute to the health and well-being of people around the world.
*1 Scope of survey: Otsuka Holdings and Otsuka Pharmaceutical
*2 The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) are a set of Principles offering guidance to business on how to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community, formulated in 2010 as a collaborative effort between the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). As a signatory to the WEPs, a company demonstrates its dedication to contributing to workplace, marketplace, and community environments that encourage advancement and empowerment of women.
*3 Aims to create a healthier working environment by designating a set interval between shifts, with a focus on supporting employees who unavoidably finish work late at night.
■Reference
Details of various initiatives can be found at the following websites.
Otsuka Holdings: Diversity & Inclusion：（https://www.otsuka.com/en/csr/society/people/diversity.html）
Otsuka Pharmaceutical：Diversity & Inclusion （https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/sustainability/diversity/）