Based on our corporate philosophy of "Well-Being," the Benesse Group has developed businesses with people at the core. In order to support these businesses and help solve social issues, it is important to have an environment in which diverse human resources with different ideas and values can fully demonstrate their individuality and abilities and play an active role.
In addition to the Benesse Group Human Rights Policy, the Benesse Group DE&I Policy Statement outlines our stance and intention to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in order to realize an organization where people can work as they wish and where each individual can utilize his/her individuality and diversity as strengths.
■ Diversity
■ Equity
■ Inclusion
Based on our corporate philosophy, "Well-Being," the Benesse Group believes in the potential of people and is committed to realizing a world in which everyone can grow throughout their lives and live their lives to the fullest. To realize this goal, we have established the Benesse Group DE&I Policy Statement based on our belief in the importance of an environment that respects the diverse values and experiences of individuals and allows them to make the most of their individuality at the sites where we conduct our business.
This policy Statement applies to all Benesse Group executives and employees. Our goal is to create a better future where diversity is respected and supported, and where each individual feels that his or her existence is recognized. To this end, we will continue to grow sustainably by fostering a climate of equity and inclusiveness, where people can enjoy each other's growth.
We will promote the creation of a workplace environment that supports the activities of motivated and capable female employees and extend this to the entire group. We will promote specific measures such as setting targets for the ratio of women in senior management and building a pipeline.
We will achieve the legally mandated employment ratio and improve the quality of employment by promoting the creation of workplaces where people with disabilities can continue to work for a long time. As a fundamental approach, we will respect the abilities and aptitudes of people with and without disabilities and strive to create a comfortable and productive workplace where they can exercise their abilities in a rewarding manner.
In response to the social issue of the super-aging society, Benesse is working to create an environment in which seniors can play an active role and easily balance work and nursing care. Specifically, we are extending the retirement age for full-time employees (*), promoting health through the "Benesse Health Declaration," and holding "seminars to help employees balance work and nursing care" to help them continue working.
In order to create a workplace where everyone can work comfortably, Benesse conducts "LGBTQ training" for all employees, and holds an annual "Diversity Day" for employees. We also provide information on LGBTQ issues at the annual Diversity Day for employees. We also aim to promote understanding throughout society by communicating diverse values and various forms of happiness not only within the company but also to society through our own media.
* As of 2023, only Benesse Corporation and Benesse Style Care
The Benesse Group continues to challenge and evolve as a corporate group that supports people's aspirations to improve and solve problems throughout their lives under the philosophy of "Benesse = Well-Being".
Society is undergoing drastic changes, including an accelerating birthrate decline, widening inequality, rapid aging of society, and changes in technology. In order to continue creating value for society in this environment, we believe it is important for each and every employee to return to the starting point of "what the purpose of our business activities is" and continue to take on challenges by keeping abreast of changes in customers and society.
In February 2023, the Benesse Group's Purpose (raison d'etre), "Anybody can enjoy lifelong growth. We must work toward a world in which everyone can live their own life. Benesse will continue to aim for these ideals" was stated. This "world in which everyone can live their own life" includes the very idea of DE&I. In order to realize this Group Purpose, it is essential to have diverse human resources who can respond to diverse customers.
DE&I is promoting activities to increase the participation of women in the decision-making process by achieving a 30% ratio of women in management positions by 2025 for the entire group. In addition, the "B-STAGE" employee proposal system, launched in 2021, has taken root as a management mechanism for creating new value and has attracted a variety of ideas that take advantage of diversity.
As a structure to support these activities, we have established the Sustainability Promotion Committee, whose management members include the President and Representative Director and full-time directors, to formulate specific plans and achievement targets for social issues. In addition, the Diversity Promotion Department, a specialized department, has taken the lead in creating a corporate culture that recognizes individual differences and supports each other by providing all employees with training and opportunities to communicate through "Diversity Day" and other events.
In order to continue to be an indispensable corporate group, we will continue to vigorously promote DE&I to realize a world in which everyone, including customers, stakeholders, and employees, can live their own life.
Representative Director and President, CEO
of Benesse Holdings, Inc.
Hitoshi Kobayashi
The Benesse Holdings Group Personnel Headquarters coordinates with related personnel departments at each Group company, supervising and supporting the activities of each company. Policies and issues are regularly discussed at Group human resource manager meetings of the human resource managers of each company, and important topics are reported and discussed at the Group HR Committee, which is chaired by the CEO and consists of internal directors and full-time auditors. In FY 2022, the Diversity Promotion Department was established as the division responsible for promoting women's activities and diversity. This department conducts diversity awareness surveys, has established an LGBTQ consultation service, and provides training for employees.
We also actively promote the employment of workers with disabilities, and we have created an employment system in cooperation with Benesse Holdings, all Group companies, and Benesse Business Mate, a special-purpose subsidiary established for the purpose of employing workers with disabilities.
| Division | Role | Responsibilities |
| Benesse Holdings Human Resource Department | Responsibility for employment of people with disabilities in the group |
|
|---|---|---|
| Benesse Business Mate (hosts the Disabled Employment Promotion Office) |
Secretariat for employment of people with disabilities by group companies, employment and retainment support |
|
| Group companies | Employment of people with disabilities at the level of individual companies |
|
The Benesse Group is committed to the promotion of women as part of its diversity initiatives.
Benesse Corporation, a major Group company and the main business in education, has promoted gender equality since the 1980s, even before the Equal Employment Opportunity Law came into effect. There are no differences in remuneration or training systems based on gender. Our organizational culture is rooted in the belief that anyone with ambition and ability can play an active role. Since the 1990s, we have implemented systems such as maternity and childcare leave and shorter working hours. Today, each of our employees has the discretion to manage and find fulfillment in their work and personal live, supported by our comprehensive systems. As of April 2024, women hold 33% of management positions at the company.
Please see below for information on Benesse Corporation's various work-life management initiatives and systems, including childbirth and childcare support.
At Benesse Style Care, another major Group company, whose main business is nursing care and childcare, more than 60% of all employees are women, and many women are also active as heads of elderly care homes and nursery schools. Female employees in a wide variety of roles and employment statuses are actively engaged, and if their preferred working conditions match the needs of the company, they can work in diverse ways that suit their life stages. Since the introduction of the Childcare Allowance, which supports full-time employees with children in nursery schools, and the Shorter Working Hours for Childcare System, available up to the third grade of elementary school, the number of users has been increasing year by year.
Please see below for information on Benesse Style Care's various initiatives and systems to support employees throughout different life stages, including childbirth and childcare support.
We aim to achieve a female management ratio of 30% or more across the Benesse Group by FY2025 and will continue to design and train the human resource pipelines of each company.
(Year ended 31 March (%))
| Measurement index | Target | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Percentage of female managers (major company) |
Benesse Corporation: 39% | 35% | 33% |
| Benesse Style Care: 37% | 33% | 33% | |
| Number of female executive directors (Benesse Holdings) |
1 | 0 | 0 |
（As of April each year/Full-time employees）
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Ratio of female to male employees (%) |
Men | Ratio of female to male employees (%) |
Men | Ratio of female to male employees (%) |
Men | Ratio of female to male employees (%) |
Men | Ratio of female to male employees (%) |
||
| Women | Women | Women | Women | Women | |||||||
| Benesse Corporation | Employees | 1,007 | 53 | 1,087 | 53 | 1,127 | 52 | 1,173 | 52 | 1,651 | 48 |
| 1,152 | 1,218 | 1,220 | 1,259 | 1,544 | |||||||
| Section managers | 134 | 35 | 149 | 35 | 157 | 35 | 143 | 38 | 185 | 36 | |
| 73 | 82 | 85 | 89 | 103 | |||||||
| Departmental directors | 41 | 35 | 47 | 33 | 67 | 31 | 71 | 29 | 72 | 27 | |
| 22 | 23 | 30 | 29 | 27 | |||||||
| Executives | 12 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
| Benesse Style Care | Employees | 3,438 | 64 | 3,597 | 64 | 3,585 | 64 | 3,624 | 64 | 3,628 | 64 |
| 6,008 | 6,267 | 6,430 | 6,521 | 6,506 | |||||||
| Section managers | 305 | 39 | 317 | 37 | 329 | 37 | 340 | 36 | 341 | 37 | |
| 191 | 190 | 190 | 194 | 198 | |||||||
| Departmental directors | 85 | 20 | 87 | 17 | 86 | 20 | 87 | 22 | 90 | 20 | |
| 21 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 23 | |||||||
| Executives | 9 | 18 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 8 | 20 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
(Year ended 31 March of each year)
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Employees Taking Leave | Number of Returnees | Number of Employees Taking Leave | Number of Returnees | Number of Employees Taking Leave | Number of Returnees | Number of Employees Taking Leave | Number of Returnees | Number of Employees Taking Leave | |
| Benesse Corporation (full-time employees, specialists, contract employees) | 56 | 57 | 52 | 59 | 76 | 85 | 80 | 84 | 123 |
| Benesse Style Care (full-time employees, specialists, associate employees) | 267 | 236 | 252 | 232 | 301 | 225 | 307 | 267 | 312 |
（As of April each year）
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benesse Corporation (full-time employees, specialists, contract employees) |
76 | 50 | 53 | 58 | 41 |
| Benesse Style Care (full-time employees, specialists, associate employees) |
230 | 280 | 280 | 290 | 299 |
（As of May each year）
| 2020 | 373 |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 414 |
| 2022 | 381 |
| 2023 | 411 |
| 2024 | 378 |
The Benesse Group aims to provide more flexible parental leave and support for both men and women in balancing work and childcare. In addition to general childcare leave, Benesse Corporation has established its own paternity leave system, which includes 100% pay for five days as part of its male childcare leave system. In addition to the legally mandated childcare leave system, Benesse Style Care promotes a balance between work and childcare by providing two days of special paid leave when an employee’s spouse gives birth. The number of employees taking this leave has been increasing every year through individual notifications and confirmation of employee intentions. We will continue to ensure through awareness of the system among employees and encourage active use of parental leave by ensuring psychological safety through case studies and other measures.
(Year ended 31 March of each year (%))
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benesse Corporation (full-time employees, specialists, contract employees) |
62 | 49 | 51 | 51 | 66 |
| Benesse Style Care (full-time employees, specialists, associate employees) |
50 | 58 | 49 | 58 | 65 |
The difference in wages between men and women is analysed as being due to the low proportion of women in senior management positions. Benesse has an established culture in which anyone with ambition and ability can play an active role, without distinction between men and women in terms of remuneration and training systems. While leveraging this strength, in order to bring the ratio of women in senior management positions closer to the ratio of women in the overall workforce, each company will set goals and work on measures such as monitoring the ratio of women in management positions and developing workshops to strengthen the executive pipeline.
(Year ended 31 March (%))
| 2023 | 2024 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fulltime employment | Part-time/fixed-term employment | all workers | fulltime employment | Part-time/fixed-term employment | all workers | |
| Benesse Corporation (full-time employees, specialists, contract employees) |
85 | 88 | 71 | 88 | 91 | 77 |
| Benesse Style Care (full-time employees, specialists, associate employees) |
94 | 109 | 91 | 94 | 109 | 92 |
In April 2016, Benesse Corporation achieved the third rank (highest rank) in the designation system of the Act for Promoting Active Participation of Women in the Workforce. Companies receiving the third rank must meet the standards set by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for the five conditions of 1) recruitment, 2) work continuity, 3) working style including work hours, 4) ratio of women in management, and 5) diversity of career paths. Benesse is determined to promote its initiatives in this area even further going forward.
(Reference) Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare database website for companies promoting active participation of women (in Japanese): Benesse Corporation
The Benesse Group is working to create exciting, fulfilling workplaces where people of all abilities and disabilities can work together and make the most of their individual abilities and aptitudes. It is therefore an active employer of people with disabilities and maintains a high level of compliance with statutory employment rates. The Benesse Group as a whole aims to create an environment in which diverse individuals are accepted and employment of people with disabilities is completely normal.
Benesse Business Mate was established as a special-purpose subsidiary in 2005 to promote employment of people with disabilities by Benesse Corporation, Benesse Style Care, and other group companies.
It was joined in 2016 by Benesse Socius, which was established as a Type A ongoing employment support business, creating further employment within the Group.
| Vision | Benesse Business Mate fulfills its role as a special-purpose subsidiary to employ people with disabilities while also being a self-sufficient company with competitive power in the market in its business areas, aiming to be an essential presence both for the Benesse Group and for society. This company will also play a role in supporting the employment of people with disabilities for the Benesse Group. |
|---|---|
| Role |
|
As a Group, Benesse Holdings officially endorsed The Valuable 500, an international initiative that promotes the inclusive social advancement of people with disabilities, in March 2021. The Benesse Group is moving forward with action under its Sustainability Vision with the goal of creating a society where people with disabilities can participate and be active in social activities, an idea advocated by The Valuable 500. For more information, please see below.
Monisu Certifications are awarded by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare to small and medium enterprises, regarding the initiatives and activities of the employment of people with disabilities and the stability of such employment, have been excellent. Benesse Business-mate, Inc was awarded a Monisu Certification in November 2021 for its efforts to increase the number of people with disabilities employed by expanding occupations and carrying out operational reforms, along with the creation of a pleasant working environment, culture, and systems that motivate and support individual employees.
[Benesse Socius Ota Center is Certified as a Tokyo Metropolis-Certified Social Firm]
The Benesse Socius Ota Center has been Certified as a Tokyo metropolis-certified social firm in accordance with the Tokyo metropolitan ordinance. A Tokyo metropolis-certified social firm refers to a social firm that hires more than 20% of its employees from among those who face disadvantages in job hunting, such as people with disabilities, single parents and people who have suffered social reclusion, etc., as part of autonomous business activity.
Since its establishment in 2016, Benesse Socius has been striving to expand the employment of people with disabilities in the welfare job area. As a type-A continuous employment support office, its mission is to increase such people's willingness to work and their capabilities and to encourage their independence by providing support according to the characteristics of each individual who is working at the office. The recently certified Ota Center has been continuously working to provide an opportunity for self-reliance since the establishment of Benesse Socius. With this in mind, it will take on new challenges to facilitate the employment of people who face disadvantages in job hunting, such as people who have suffered social reclusion and single mothers, even though they don't have disability certificates.
The Benesse Group Human Rights Policy stipulates that "We will respect diversity and will eliminate discrimination or violations of human rights based on nationality, race, ethnic groups, beliefs, thoughts, gender, age, disability, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or employment status" and "We will also respect diversity within the workplace and continue to demonstrate our values and philosophy for the “Well-Being” of our customers and other stakeholders with responsibility and integrity".
As part of our diversity activities based on this policy, we are also promoting LGBTQ initiatives.
We will continue to study LGBTQ-related systems and further promote understanding of LGBTQ issues, while taking advantage of employee feedback, in order to create an environment where all individuals can work with vitality and enthusiasm.
This is an external consultation service provided by a specialist counselor and provides an environment in which consultation can take place without being known within the company. Anonymous consultations and consultations with non-LGBTQ individuals are also available.
We provide LGBTQ training for all group employees, managers, and personnel in charge of human resources, including recruiting managers, with content tailored to their needs.
Gender-neutral restrooms are located throughout the company building.
We support employees' awareness of and participation in LGBTQ-themed events outside the company, as well as sending out messages to all Group companies to raise awareness of LGBTQ issues.
Benesse Holdings has been awarded Silver certification for the second consecutive year in the PRIDE Index 2023, an evaluation index for LGBTQ and other initiatives in the workplace, developed by the voluntary organisation work with Pride. We were commended for its efforts to deepen understanding of sexual diversity, including awareness-raising activities and the establishment of a dedicated consultation service for LGBTQ employees and others involved in the workplace, based on employee feedback.
Two Group companies, Benesse Style Care and Waris, also achieved Gold certification. Benesse Style Care has revised its personnel system to treat same-sex de facto marriages in the same way as legal marriages and to apply condolence money and condolence leave. Furthermore, in addition to e-learning training for all Benesse Group employees, the company plans to conduct Benesse Style Care's own training for managers, as well as staff-oriented 'workplace climate building' training.
Benesse Corporation and Benesse Style Care changed the age of compulsory retirement from 60 to 65. Over 3,000 employees over 60 work at Benesse Style Care, and about 120 employees over 60 work at Benesse Corporation.
The Benesse Group also announced the Benesse Health Declaration in 2018 to maintain and improve the health of our employees and their families based on our corporate philosophy of “Benesse – Well-being,” and we work to unify the company, employees, and insurance to promote health.
The Benesse Group employs personnel of various nationalities due to its business expansion across many regions. Benesse Corporation mainly recruits and trains personnel in East Asia to meet the needs of its growing educational services business. Through local job creation, the company contributes to the revitalization of the societies and economies of those regions.
| Benesse Corporation China | 1,099 |
|---|---|
| Benesse Corporation GuangZhou | 125 |
| PT Benesse Indonesia | 56 |
| Benesse Consulting for Educational-Producing (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. | 45 |
| Benesse India Private Limited | 8 |
| Benesse Hong Kong Co., Ltd. | 5 |
Last updated : 2024/08/01