Keeping people at SCREEN for one, or even two, decades

From left:
Shin Minamishima  Senior Managing Director Member of the Board Chief Officer of CSR Management SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
Midori Higashida  Factory Product Engineering Department Chemical Clean System Operations, Business Division SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.
Tomoko Yuge  CSR & Group Audit Department SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
Eri Iwata  Human Resources and General Affairs Department SEBACS Co., Ltd.
Ryoko Abe  Finance & Accounting Department SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
Ai Fujioka  Corporate Planning Department SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.

Date:May 30, 2017
Venue:SCREEN Holdings Head Office

The SCREEN Group is striving to further improve working environments and proactively develop human resources, with the goal of offering “decent work,” i.e. work that is fulﬁ lling and appropriate for human beings. With the theme of “keeping people at SCREEN for one, or even two, decades,” we brought together some female employees who are not only stakeholders, but are also pursuing a wide range of careers, to talk about working environments and human resources development within the SCREEN Group.

SCREEN’s Climate for Nurturing the Next Generation

Minamishima: In the Personnel Development Plan “Basic Philosophy” based on a medium and long-term perspective,” which we formulated last fiscal year, we declared a goal of “create an environment to train the next generation and developing diverse human resources together with all directors and employees.” How do each of you feel about the climate for nurturing the next generation in your own workplaces?

Abe: I joined the Group in mid-career, and for the first time in my life I found myself working for a boss who I could really respect as the sort of person I myself would like to become. Following my boss around as I learned how to do my job, I felt more strongly than ever that I wanted to become even more useful through my work, to become someone that others rely on.

Yuge: I also recall that when I joined the Group, I wanted to get to grips with my job quickly so that I could emulate the more senior employees around me. Even if you’re not particularly hungry to move up, I felt that SCREEN offers an environment and a climate in which if you master your job, if you work hard, you can take on various challenges.

Iwata: In the sense of nurturing the next generation, I want there to be more people who are a little bit aggressive, who take ownership and enjoy their work. To that end, I endeavor to get junior employees to join me as I work in a forward-looking manner to improve the working environment.

Higashida: In my workplace, too, there are also a lot of people who develop their skills by watching their seniors. But quite a few of them don’t know what to do after that. So I think we need a development plan to provide support in that area.

Systems and Environments That Enable Diverse Human Resources to Demonstrate Their Potential

Minamishima: Another important task is to establish workplace environments in which a diverse range of different types of employees can work with peace of mind. How do you feel about SCREEN’s systems and environments for supporting child-rearing and caring for elderly relatives? Fujioka: When I started bringing up children and working at the same time, I began to rethink how to control my work and how to get help from people, and I think that enabled me to understand the situations that different people face. It became a major starting point for thinking about the company and what I wanted to do, and for coming up with the best approach.

Abe: I was also busy with my kids, and for several years I took advantage of a system we have in the company for limiting our working hours and working shorter days. I gained the understanding of people in my workplace and support from people around me, and this period proved to be an opportunity to have another think about my own career. The experiences I had then have made me feel that I want to contribute to the company in some way or another. I’m reminded of how grateful I was for SCREEN’s support framework, which comprises various systems.

Higashida: It’s the same for both men and women. In my workplace, there are quite a few male employees whose partners are also working as they raise their children. They all have a solid foundation as great workers who do a good job. But on the other hand, they all have different lifestyles, and there are periods when they want to prioritize their families and focus more on bringing up their children. I think that at those times their superiors need to think about what’s the best sort of career to map out for them.

Yuge: I used to work in a section that was close to the manufacturing frontline, so I know that there are times when your work-life balance inevitably tilts toward the work side, such as when you’re put in charge of a difficult product. Every department is working to improve the work-life balance and change ways of working, but the work performed by each department has its own characteristics, so I think each department is going to have to think for itself about how to implement such initiatives on the frontline.

Fujioka: In my case, I gained a range of experiences through my work once my children had got bigger and I wasn’t so tied up with looking after them. Now I’m going to be sent overseas to get an MBA. When you know you’re being counted on to succeed, you’re going to do your best. Anyone would. I think that there’s a lot you can achieve if you’re willing to put in that bit of extra effort.

Keeping people at SCREEN for one, or even two, decades

Minamishima: The topic of this discussion is “keeping people at SCREEN for one, or even two, decades,” but what do you think is needed to make SCREEN a corporate group which people can work at for a long time?

Iwata: I want to put together mechanisms and systems for enabling the personnel and general affairs department at SEBACS* to serve employees as individuals. My goal is to create mechanisms that convince all employees that the company has established and is administering, systems that review employees as fairly as possible and that enable them to move forward together. I hope that a decade or two from now I will have produced meaningful results through these systems.

Yuge: I think there should be a mechanism for actively rotating employees based on personal growth considerations. Personally, I was transferred from a manufacturing management department to the CSR department at Holdings, and I think that having the potential to work in various departments boosts the experience and skills of individuals.

Higashida: Though it might be difficult to achieve in a department in which high levels of expertise are required, I also think rotation is the best way to go. Personally, I motivate the young employees in my workplace by getting them to think about how they can take their competence to the next level. My goal is for these people to be in supervisory or managerial roles a decade or two from now.

Abe: Obviously, training programs and systems need to be in place, but I think another important factor in human resources development is to have people that others want to emulate. To achieve that, it is vital for the people higher up to think about how they can instill confidence in young employees and motivate them to succeed. I personally intend to give my subordinates and juniors tests that they need to overcome in order to get them to fully experience the joy of work.

Fujioka: A lot of my superiors are the sort of people that I’d like to become myself, and I’ve been lucky in that they’ve given me advice and played a big part in my growth. I think a good way of giving this sort of experience to more people would be to establish a mentoring system, whereby individuals, if they so choose, have the chance to consult with seniors and superiors in departments other than their own and receive career advice from them. I still only have Head Office experience, so I don’t know anything about the manufacturing frontline. But if we had a mentoring system, I’d be able to obtain advice from and interact with people with frontline experience, and I think this would enable me to plug the gaps in my knowledge.

Minamishima: Listening to your opinions, I felt that with human resources development it’s important to produce a lot of people who, like yourselves, achieve personal growth and augment the overall capabilities of the organization. I hope you’ll work with me in developing diverse personnel who can provide a foundation for enhancing our value as an enterprise.
*SEBACS is a subsidiary of SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.
*The titles are at the time of the event.

Etsuya Hirose
Managing Director Head of ESG Research
QUICK Corporation

At this gathering, I felt that you have a foundation for acknowledging human-resource-related elements as integral to a company’s strength, and for constructive dialog aimed at sharing and resolving issues. Human resources are a key factor in the enhancement of enterprise value, and are also vital component in ESG assessment. Going forward, your task will be to ﬁ nd ways of implementing the suggestions and reporting on the progress being made with them and the results they are delivering. Based on principle of respecting employees that is enshrined in your company’s CSR Charter, I think it will be important for you to continue with this kind of dialog in order to raise your value as an enterprise.