Among the various management resources at its disposal- such as people, materials, money, and information-Suzuken believes that the keystone and driving force that make the company grow is people.
Since February 2005, Suzuken has taken human resources with desire and ability, cultivated them, put them to good use, and aroused their desire to take on a challenge. In doing so, Suzuken has initiated a Total Human Resource System that promotes the creation of human resources for the realization of the company we aim to become.
With this Total Human Resource System, Suzuken has introduced a course system that promotes employee career development; a salary system that reflects roles, contributions, and abilities appropriately; and an evaluation system that emphasizes the organizational management of people in positions of authority and the growth in ability of their subordinates, and develops human resources through a consistent process.
In regard to the ability-development system that constitutes the infrastructure of the Total Human Resource System, the company has systematically created a variety of study tools- such as training and self-education support programs, and e-learning-under the name Suzuken Human Innovation Program (SHIP), and has prepared systems to support the self-realization of employees.
Suzuken is being proactive in providing places and opportunities for diverse human resources brimming over with individuality to increase their abilities through study and exhibit those abilities.

Suzuken has created diverse ability-development programs-such as stratified training, division training, select training, and open training-so that through on-the-job training (OJT), off-the-job training, and self-education, employees do not simply acquire the required work knowledge and specialist knowledge, but are also able to execute their work independently (autonomously) as members of society (company employees) with a sense of ethics.

At Suzuken, we back up the ability development of individuals in order for them to achieve self-realization. The company subsidizes the cost of acquiring recognized qualifications for employees to study for career development and improvement following serious consideration of their own career visions.

At Suzuken, we provide a location where employees can flourish in tune with their life plans and career plans. As part of that system, once a year, the company accepts self-assessment-based requests from employees who want to exhibit the skills they have acquired in career development in a desired job type or position and connect this to the maximization of corporate results. The company reflects these requests in the implementation of personnel transfers placing the right people in the right jobs.

At Suzuken, employees who want to choose how they work in combination with their life plans, career plans, and family circumstances can submit requests once a year for a change of course or job family or a change of work location.

At Suzuken, we have appointed in-house career counselors so that employees can consult over problems, anxieties, and doubts over their jobs. These career counselors, who have acquired career development advisor (CDA) qualifications supported by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, respond empathetically as counselors in consultation on matters such as problems in work or in the workplace, and anxieties over the future, abilities, desire, or competence, working actively to provide assistance.

The company regards the promotion of hiring considerate of diversity as an important theme from the perspective of responding to people's diverse needs and corporate social responsibility, and undertakes the activities described below.

In April 2006, Suzuken introduced a continuing employment system through postretirement rehiring based on the revision of the Law Concerning the Stabilization of Employment of Older Persons. By doing so, the company is providing places for employees with the desire to continue working and to take advantage of the knowledge, skills, and experience that they have cultivated.

From the perspective of CSR, Suzuken fully understands the aims of the Law for Employment Promotion, etc. of the Disabled and is making efforts to promote the employment of disabled workers by employment requests to schools and proactive participation in interview meetings held by employment agencies.

Suzuken considers women as important human resources and is working on the creation of a workplace where women can exhibit their abilities to the fullest.
As a specific undertaking, Suzuken is making efforts in conformance with the Basic Law for a Gender- Equal Society toward enhancing its child-rearing and nursing-care leave system so that employees can raise their children and care for people while they work. In addition, based on the Law on Securing Equal Opportunity and Treatment for Men and Women in Employment, the company has established sexual harassment prevention regulations and is providing education to cultivate a workplace environment where sexual harassment does not occur.

Suzuken does not think there is anything more important than the management of mental and physical health for employees. The company is working on regular health checks and various aspects of mental health management of employees.
As well as distributing a handbook titled "Mental Health Management" to all employees and promoting the improvement of awareness of mental health, Suzuken has established a system in a tie-up with the Suzuken Corporate Health Insurance Society that enables employees to seek mental health consultation at any times from four health nurses stationed in Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.
In addition, every year, Suzuken employs a specialist institution to conduct a mental health diagnostic survey (mental health care) of employees. In addition to mental health consultation by industrial physicians and health nurses, the company has constructed a system that allows employees to seek consultation from specialist institutions as well.

Suzuken manages the working hours of employees using a working-hours management system that the company introduced in April 2004, and is working on shortening working hours and improving productivity.

In Suzuken's Corporate Ethics Charter and "Corporate Ethics Charter Guidebook", the company clearly specifies as the standard of conduct for directors and employees that individuals' diverse concepts of values, individuality, and privacy will be respected and that there will be no violent conduct, sexual harassment, or power harassment or behavior that ignores people's human rights, such as discriminatory words or actions relating to race, religion, gender, age, nationality, hometowns in Japan, beliefs, or physical characteristics.
Based on this kind of thinking, Suzuken prohibits in its company regulations sexual harassment inside or outside of the company and irrespective of whether such action takes place during or outside working hours. The company is making efforts toward preventing the occurrence of such activity, including carrying out sanctions against people who harass others.

In sales activities and deliveries to customers, such as medical institutions and insurance pharmacies, Suzuken uses a large number of vehicles. Because of this, the company is particularly concerned about traffic safety.
Aiming at zero traffic accidents and traffic regulation violations, the company is working on activities, such as education based on traffic safety posters and traffic safety slogans in each workplace as well as no-accident, no-violation awards.

To promote the creation of a workplace easy to work in at Suzuken, we regularly conduct employee awareness surveys and organization diagnoses. The items surveyed cover a wide range, including the organizational climate, human resource management, and management in general. The results of these surveys are reflected in various systems and undertakings, such as human resource measures.

The Human Resources Hotline is a consultation service that has been established in the Human Resources Development Department aimed at the early stage detection of unfair treatment and incorrect operation, and the prompt establishment of corrective measures in regard to all types of human resources related activities (human resource system treatment, sexual harassment, power harassment). The hotline accepts individual consultation and problems concerning human resources. Moreover, Suzuken has also provided a Corporate Ethics Hotline, the company's internal communication system.
In addition, a Complaints Consultation Service has been established within the labor union for union members, which will respond to all types of inquiries concerning the workplace.

At Suzuken, we have constructed good, healthy industrial relations based on mutual understanding and trust with the Suzuken Labor Union, which employees join based on the union shop contract. While the management environment changes quickly, the company and union meet on a regular basis to negotiate and discuss management problems and labor conditions.

In an environment where the importance of work-life balance is increasing, Suzuken has understood the aims of the Law to Promote Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation, established the First Action Plan covering the three-year period from 2005 to 2007, and enhanced the company's child- care leave system. In addition, the company will establish the Second Action Plan for the three-year period from 2008 to 2010 and enhance the company's child-care leave system still further.

Main Details of Suzuken's Child-Care Leave System

• The company recognizes child-care leave until children reach 2 years of age.
• Applications for leave can be made any number of times for the same child.
• The system has been revised so that an employee can obtain child-care leave even if the spouse is able to raise the child (the company promotes the acquisition of child-care leave by male employees).
• Conversion to paid leave for 5 days of child-care leave.
• The company recognizes short working hours for employees with children up to the 6th grade.
• Abolition of restrictions on the taking of half-day leave as a measure to promote the taking of annual paid leave.
• Introduction of a cumulative annual leave system.

Suzuken believes that the balance between nursing care and work in association with the progress of aging is important. The company has responded by enhancing its nursing-care leave system.

Main Details of Suzuken's Nursing-Care Leave System

• The company recognizes nursing care for periods of up to 1 year.
• Abolition of restrictions on the taking of half-day leave as a measure to promote the taking of annual paid leave.
• Introduction of a cumulative annual leave system.

On May 9, 2008, Suzuken received general employer accreditation for conformance with the required standard based on the Law to Promote Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation and acquired the "Kurumin" next generation accreditation mark. The company would like to continue investigating various systems from the viewpoint of work-life balance and to actively promote the combination by employees of work and home life to contribute to society.

* "Kurumin" is the nickname for an accreditation mark granted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. This mark is granted in cases where an employer formulates and enacts action programs for the support of child rearing by employees and certain fixed conditions are met based on the Law to Promote Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation enacted in April 2005.