Top Management Commitment

Photo: Photo from the Group DEI Forum held in 2021. Many faces of employees participating online are lined up on a large screen in the studio. Photo: Photo from the Group DEI Forum held in 2021. Many faces of employees participating online are lined up on a large screen in the studio.

・From the Group DEI Forum held in 2021

The top management commitment represents the commitment of management, including the CEOs of each operating company, to the promotion of DEI to all stakeholders. We will promote our efforts as a business strategy while continuously communicating our message.

Messages from top management

Putting “Live Your Best,” our new brand slogan, into practice

We live in an era where the social environment is changing rapidly and diversifying. “Live Your Best” expresses the Panasonic Group's hope for each and every person living in today’s world.

To live up to this ideal, we believe that the most important thing is to deepen our understanding of each other and stand side-by-side as diverse members of society.

The Panasonic Group has 240,000 employees, all of whom have diverse characteristics and abilities. By bringing together the understanding and support of these 240,000 diverse individuals, we will pave the way to ensuring that everyone can truly live their best.

In all workplaces, we should be able to say what needs to be said to each other, and to gather our collective wisdom in challenging each and every one of us to achieve happiness. We believe that this will give us a competitive edge and enable us to continue to serve society.

In order for each and every person in our diverse society to live their best, we aim to be the best company to work at by promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, providing a place where people take on challenges and organizations can maximize their strengths.

Yuki Kusumi,
Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer,
Panasonic Holdings Corporation

Photo: Yuki Kusumi

Mission and vision of DEI

In promoting DEI, the Panasonic Group has established the following mission and vision.

Mission: Success of each person who takes on challenges and the organization
Vision: Creating the Best Place to Work where diverse talents work at their best

Through our DEI initiatives based on these principles, we declare that we will contribute to developing an ideal society, with both material affluence and mental happiness, and to the happiness of as many people as possible.

Figure: In promoting DEI, the Panasonic Group has set forth its Mission: Success of each person who takes on challenges and the organization, and Vision: Creating the Best Place to Work where diverse talents work at their best. The entire Panasonic Group aims to realize developing an ideal society, with both material affluence and mental happiness are well fulfilled on a global scale. (A picture of the Earth is attached as an image of "global") Figure: In promoting DEI, the Panasonic Group has set forth its Mission: Success of each person who takes on challenges and the organization, and Vision: Creating the Best Place to Work where diverse talents work at their best. The entire Panasonic Group aims to realize developing an ideal society, with both material affluence and mental happiness are well fulfilled on a global scale. (A picture of the Earth is attached as an image of "global")

Employee Opinion Survey on Creating the Best Workplace

In March 2021, we conducted the Employee Opinion Survey on Creating the Best Workplace, a survey of employees in the Japan region. Of the 8,490 responses, the two most popular choices for employees' visions what would be the Best Workplace were "A company where you can work that benefits the world and society" (24%) and "A company where you can feel you are being of use to others" (19%). This result suggests the fact that both the realization of the Panasonic Group's vision, that is, the management philosophy that has guided the company since its founding, and individual job satisfaction are united in the minds of many employees.

Vision of Creating the Best Workplace

Figure: Pie chart showing the top two choices for employees' vision of creating the Best Workplace. The two most popular choices are "A company where you can work that benefits the world and society" (24%) and "A company where you can feel you are being of use to others" (19%).

Commitment of the CEOs of each operating company

In order to achieve the management that enables each employee to reach their full potential, operating company CEOs themselves are committed to promoting DEI and do so by incorporating it into business strategies.

As part of this effort, we established the Group DEI Promotion Council in fiscal 2022. This is a forum for management to share a common understanding of DEI issues that need to be addressed and to engage in ongoing dialogue on common group initiatives. Group CEO Yuki Kusumi serves as chairperson of this council, which is attended by the CEOs of each operating company and employees. Major actions are decided and promoted during these council sessions.

Photo: CEOs of each operating company and Panasonic Group CEO Yuki Kusumi in an online meeting
Online meeting of the Group DEI Promotion Council
Figure: The Group DEI Promotion Council is chaired by the Group CEO and includes the CEOs of each operating company and the Executive Officer in charge of DEI Promotion. The Group CEO shares feedback from Panasonic Holdings Corporation, while the CEOs of each operating company and the Executive Officer in charge of DEI Promotion share feedback from their respective operating companies. Decisions will be fed back to all parties, and DEI issues that need to be addressed will be promoted as Group-wide initiatives.

Employee Opinion Survey (EOS)

The Employee Opinion Survey (EOS) is a Group-wide indicator of DEI's vision: Creating the Best Place to Work where diverse talents work at their best.

This is an annual survey of all global employees (approximately 150,000 respondents in fiscal 2023) as a fixed-point observation of employee awareness, with the most important indicators being the positive response rate for employee engagement (self-motivated endeavor) and employee enablement (the right person for the right job, comfortable working environment). The results are fed back to the workplaces and utilized for human resource and organizational development.

Employee engagement (specific questions)

Employee enablement (specific questions)

Initiatives endorsed by the Panasonic Group

This part focuses on initiatives in the Japan region.

Endorsement of EqualityActJapan

In 2021, we expressed our support for EqualityActJapan, a petition-based movement for the enactment of an LGBT Equality Act in Japan. Based on our management philosophy, in the Panasonic Group Code of Ethics & Compliance we clearly state that we respect basic human rights, and do not permit discriminatory speech or conduct with regard to sexual orientation or gender identity, as defined by the applicable laws in the respective countries. At the same time, we are actively working to create a comfortable work environment by recognizing same-sex domestic partners as equivalent to legal spouses within our HR systems, and providing internal training to promote understanding of LGBTQ issues.

Image: EqualityActJapan logo. #EqualityActJapan "It’s time for an Equality Act"

Endorsement of Tokyo Rainbow Pride

We support Tokyo Rainbow Pride, a non-profit organization that aims to realize a society where LGBTQ persons can live positively without discrimination and prejudice. In addition to supporting activity plans through our pro bono program, since 2014, we have also sponsored the organization's annual event, continuing to participate in activities such as booth exhibits and parades.

Image: Tokyo Rainbow Pride logo

Endorsement of the recommendations of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ)

In 2020, we endorsed the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan's (ACCJ) recommendations to the Japanese government on legal equality in marriage. By recognizing the right of LGBT couples to marry, the ACCJ seeks to remove obstacles faced by companies doing business in Japan in recruiting and retaining talent and treating their diverse workforces fairly. Our endorsement of the proposal is in line with our stance since 2016 of recognizing same-sex domestic partners as equivalent to legal spouses within our HR systems in Japan.

Image: ACCJ logo

Endorsement of 30% Club Japan*

In 2021, we announced our support for 30% Club Japan, a global campaign to increase the percentage of females in key decision-making positions at companies, with the goal of increasing the percentage of female executives to 30% or more by 2030. To accelerate the participation of females in management, we are also working to further strengthen the management skills of our supervisors, in addition to holding study sessions for female employees and career development seminars for female leaders, and creating opportunities for them to experience the values and work perspectives of their role models.

*This is an initiative of Panasonic Holdings Corporation.

Image: 30% Club Japan logo. 30% Club Growth through Diversity