Empowerment of Women | Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd.

We are actively promoting the hiring of female employees, and we have set up a system that makes it possible for almost all female employees to be able to advance their career to a management position. To do this, we have abolished the general position in the human resources system and switched to a career-track position, including the so-called localization model. We have set numerical targets for the appointment of women in management positions, and we are also considering expanding the fields where women can actively work to include on-site construction and design, and research and development, as well as regularly holding seminars on the career development and skills improvement of female employees.
In addition to the appointment of women in management positions, we are also implementing a range of initiatives aimed at creating a workplace environment where all female employees can demonstrate their full capabilities and work with vitality.

Holding Meetings for Women

TakasaGo! Woman Pride 2024

On Friday, October 18, 2024, we held TakasaGo! Woman Pride 2024, bringing together about 400 female employees. Building on feedback and opinions from the TakasaGo! Woman Pride 2023 event held in the previous fiscal year, this year’s event focused on panel discussions and group work.

In addition to the main event this time, we also held a three-month series of programs open to participation by male employees as well, including talk sessions featuring employees active both inside and outside the Company, as well as outside experts speaking about diverse work styles and career development, site visits primarily for female employees without construction management experience, and training sessions on career building and leadership. We will continue this initiative with the goals of encouraging women’s ambitions, building networks among female employees, cultivating a culture that respects diversity and encourages self-directed growth, providing development and career opportunities for all age groups, and ensuring that every employee recognizes themself as an Environment-Creator^™—personnel who take on the challenge of creating value.

Program for TakasaGo! Woman Pride 2024

Lectures on “Self-Directed Career Development for Female Employees” by Professor Koizumi of Sagami Women’s University

On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, as part of TakasaGo! Woman Pride 2024, Professor Kyomi Koizumi of Sagami Women’s University delivered lectures on self-directed career development for women, which drew the participation of over 100 female employees.
The lectures that day featured three themes: (i) considering the necessity of female leaders, (ii) approaches to one’s career in an era of uncertainty, and (iii) priorities in career development. For the lecture on priorities in career development, Natsuki Hiraiwa , Representative Director of FM Sagami Co., Ltd., was invited to participate in a talk session, during which she shared her career trajectory and the criteria she used to make decisions at turning points. Through actual examples based on her concrete experiences, she provided female employees with opportunities to discover new perspectives.
Various participants indicated that they learned about the idea of career anchors for the first time, which broadened their horizons; that they could develop new perspectives as someone who was unable to find a role model; and that they could become aware of their own values and attitudes toward work which they had not considered at length previously.

TakasaGo! Woman Pride 2023

On Friday, October 27, 2023, we held TakasaGo! Woman Pride 2023 in Tokyo, which was attended by approximately 360 participants, or 90% of all female employees. This event was organized to help female employees personally embrace the need for active participation of women and encourage self-directed career development, as well as to build networks with colleagues from other departments and branches whom they had never met before, so that they can not only share work-related concerns and career advice but also potentially discover role models among fellow employees. The program included a keynote speech by an external lecturer, a presentation by a female outside director, and a panel discussion where three employees discussed their thoughts and experiences regarding their own careers. Various participants indicated that the event was an invaluable opportunity to speak with many people from different branches and age groups, and that they felt grateful to have more people in the Company whom they can rely on; and that they found the event useful as they could relate to many parts of the actual experiences of the three panelists.

Diversity Management Training for Managers with Female Subordinates

In parallel with leadership training for women, career design training, and training for employees returning to work after childcare leave, we conducted diversity management training for managers who are tasked with developing female employees. There was a high level of interest in the training, as applications far exceeded the initial capacity of 50 participants, leading us to hold additional sessions. We plan to continue holding such training in the coming fiscal year and beyond, and encourage even more managers to participate.

Training content

The environment surrounding workers like us: Why is the promotion of diversity and the active participation of women necessary?
Grappling with issues related to the active participation of female employees
Learning key points for the development of female employees
Learning how to manage employees with time constraints: From the perspective of promoting the use of paternity leave, etc.

Feedback from participants

I learned that addressing diversity leads to a transformation in work styles in the organization and contributes to improved performance.
I learned that there are differences in the thought processes of women and men. I felt the training provided useful insights on initiatives aimed at increasing the number of female managers.
The training was an invaluable opportunity to understand the importance of diversity management and identify my own unconscious biases. I would like to take conscious action instead of allowing this awareness to fade with time.

Dialogue between the President and Female Employees

In October 2021, we held a talk session between President Kojima and female employees at the Company. It was an opportunity for President Kojima to exchange opinions with the female employees on ways to advance the careers of women and about female participation overall.

Dialogue between the President
and Female Employees

Conducting Menstrual Pain Simulations

As part of efforts to foster mutual understanding in the workplace, we conducted a “menstrual pain simulation event” at our head office. This event was open to all employees regardless of gender, and its goal was to promote understanding by allowing participants to experience the physical and mental burden of menstrual pain using simulation equipment.
Menstrual pain poses a daily challenge for many people and can affect their work performance and cause psychological stress. However, for those who have never experienced menstrual pain firsthand, it is often difficult to understand the pain and discomfort involved. We planned this hands-on event in order to bridge this gap in understanding and create a workplace environment where everyone can work comfortably.
A total of 59 employees (48 men and 11 women) participated on the day of the event. In the post-event survey, many participants indicated that they have achieved a deeper understanding of menstrual pain and that the experience provided insights for improving the workplace environment, pointing to the meaningful opportunities created for promoting diversity in the workplace.