Human Resources Strategy

Toward Advanced Human Capital Management

Basic Policy

To become a leading bank that supports the agriculture, fishery, and forestry(AFF) industries, food production and consumption, and the daily lives of local communities, the Bank has established a basic policy on human resources management (Human Resources Management Policy) and will continuously support human resources who continue to autonomously take on challenges and make changes.

Continuously support human resources who continue to autonomously take on challenges and make changes as financial professionals with a sense of contributing to the AFF industries and local communities.

Based on this basic policy, the Bank implemented a revision of its personnel system in April 2023, with two major conceptual pillars of “autonomy” and “expertise,” aimed at enabling employees to autonomously enhance their expertise so they can play active roles both internally and externally, resulting in advancement of the organization. That way, the Bank is committed to human resource development and support for the career development of employees.
For human resource development, we have introduced the notion of job competency, or required abilities for particular duties and functions, in addition to common competency, which defines commonly required abilities. Through interviews between supervisors and subordinates, we confirm the required abilities (competencies) and review and evaluate the behaviors demonstrated in various work-related situations, with the results being fed back to promote staff awareness and commitment to enhancing expertise. In addition, we offer a wide range of training programs in which employees can participate on their own initiative, thereby supporting autonomous skill development.
For the development of employees’ careers, the Bank places the right people in the right jobs based on the competency, aptitude and career perspective of each person, and supports their self-fulfillment through work by adopting the Job Posting Program to enable autonomous selection of one’s next job, the Trainee System inside and outside Japan to provide opportunities to experience jobs, and the Course Change Program to expand the fields of action. The Bank is also actively involved in recruiting external human resources to gain a competitive edge.
To enhance employee engagement, the Bank is promoting initiatives to facilitate diverse work styles, such as a flextime system and a system for employees to choose their own transfers based on life events, and to improve health management and benefit programs for employees.

Human Resource Initiatives

The Bank is implementing a diverse range of programs for human resource development, including various trainings, external dispatch programs and reskilling support to encourage autonomous learning by employees.
As a hierarchical training system, we offer trainings according to the roles required for the different employee grades from associate to management. Meanwhile, each employee can apply for various training programs, external education programs and overseas study programs to develop competencies, acquire new skills and knowledge, and foster a challenging mindset.
The Bank is also working to enhance its theme-based education system for the realization of its strategies. To prepare for the introduction of the job group system in fiscal 2024, we are preparing and implementing educational programs by job group to develop specialized human resources in each business. In addition, we are working to develop DX experts and provide reskilling support to encourage employees to play active roles inside and outside the Bank.

Hierarchical Education System

Theme-based Education System

Examples of educational programs by job group—Human resource development for the Food and Agriculture Group

Survey on Employee Engagement

The Bank conducts a survey at least once a year targeted at all employees and introduced an engagement survey in fiscal 2021. The results of these surveys are reported to the Board of Directors and other relevant bodies. By visualizing employee engagement through analysis of the survey results and identification of issues, we discuss and implement effective measures to ensure that employees feel valued in their work and work environment, increasing their engagement and, as a result, we aim to enhance the vitality of the organization.

Continued Identification with the Bank’s Purpose

My Purpose Project

The Bank launched the “My Purpose Project” in fiscal 2022 to provide an opportunity for directors and employees to reconfirm for what purpose and for whom they work.
As a part of the project, the Bank’s directors and employees have visited farmers to do farm work by joining the “JA farming support team.” A total of 300 directors and employees had participated in the team’s 12 visits as of June 2023.

Internal Public Relations Initiatives

The Bank started internal PR activities through a corporate portal, with the aim that such delivery of internal information and communication among directors and employees would help them identify with the Bank’s Purpose and see it as their own personal business. In fiscal 2022, internal information was delivered 48 times, communicating how directors and employees recognize “shared value” when engaging in their duties and how diverse people are working actively within the Bank.

Anti-Harassment Measures

To prevent sexual or power harassment as well as harassment on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth and child- or nursing-care leaves, we engage in a wide range of activities such as providing e-Learning and position-by-position education, guidance and consultation by the persons in charge of human rights issues throughout the organization, and external contacts for consultation.
We have established and are operating a harassment hotline with which employees can conduct individual consultations, and are seeking to ensure a broad awareness that employees can quickly access the harassment hotline whenever they need to. Further More, we strive to protect the privacy of the persons concerned and to take prompt action.
So that we can ensure psychological safety in the workplace, we are focusing our initiatives on preventing harassment and strengthening the harassment hotline function.

Occupational Health and Safety

The Norinchukin Bank engaged in developing working environments where employees can perform their duties in good health and with a sense of security.
Our health management policy is formulated each year by the Occupational Hygiene Committee. This policy prescribes measures to be taken to reinforce the management of the physical and mental health of employees and help promote their health.
While ensuring that all employees take regular health checkups, we urge their families to take health checkups as well. According to the results of these checkups, health guidance is provided by industrial doctors and medical staff. Efforts are also being made to reduce working hours, considering the possible adverse impact of long hours of labor on employee health.
As part of its efforts to ensure mental health at the workplace, we advise self-care methods for employees, offer counseling and other consultation opportunities, and conduct position-by-position mental health education. In addition, we carry out stress checks, offer readily available self-checking functions and have the Mental Health Consultation Room in place to provide consultations as required at the medical office in the head office of the bank.
To increase the health consciousness of employees and establish the practice of doing moderate exercise on a regular basis, we offer a wide range of educational programs and welfare services. Specifically, we subsidize sports club memberships and have health leaders lead health promotion activities.

Labor Relations

The Norinchukin Bank has an employee union as a counterpart organization to its management. In addition, this employee union employs a union shop system. As a general rule, all employees become union members on joining the Bank.
Our employee union has the authority to negotiate with management on important matters such as the maintenance and improvement of labor conditions for its members. Furthermore, surveys are conducted with members to aid in negotiation with management, and forums have been established for offering various recommendations to management. For any changes in personnel and labor-related systems that would exert significant impact on the lives and work styles of union members, management is required to come to an agreement with the employee union, whether through the management committee, the labor committee or other negotiations.