Society
Development of Human Resources —Employee Journey—
Global HR Policy
To support a self-driven career, we have a job-based personnel system in place across the Group. We have implemented various measures in accordance with defined duties and personnel requirements. These human resource management activities follow our Global HR Policy as their fundamental principle.
Diverse Talent Acquisition
Recognizing that innovation comes from diversity in talent, Sysmex Corporation hires people with different experiences and values. Under the slogan of “anywhere, anytime, and anyone,” we hire people throughout the year based on their character, regardless of nationality, race, gender, age, employment history, or disability.
Our recruitment is based on job type and position, allowing applicants to apply in accordance with their specializations or work preferences. We also monitor our efforts to hire job applicants directly from overseas universities1 and set hiring targets by gender2 to actively promote the recruitment of diverse individuals.
Hiring and developing human resources who support our growth strategy is an important aspect of our human capital strategy. We have been investing in human capital, maintaining a balance between the sustainable improvement of value-added productivity (15,042 yen per hour in fiscal 2024) and total labor cost.
- 1 The proportion of employees with foreign citizenship, hired directly from overseas universities, among all new graduates hired: about 9.9% in fiscal 2024
- 2 The proportion of female employees among all new graduates hired: 43.0% in fiscal 2024 and 40% as a target for fiscal 2025
Assignment According to the Needs of Employees and Teams
Sysmex Corporation determines departmental assignments based on matching the needs of the individual and the organization, supporting employees in their autonomous career development. A matching algorithm is used to determine the optimal divisions that new graduates should be assigned to, ensuring that both the new graduates desires and the requirements of the divisions are suitably considered. These initiatives yielded significant results in fiscal 2024. The three-year turnover rate for new graduates (the rate of employees resigning within three years of joining the company in fiscal 2021) was 16.7%. In addition, our voluntary turnover rate in fiscal 2024 was 1.8%, achieving our target of less than 3.0%.
Evaluations and Commendations to Encourage New Attempts and Recognize Achievements
At Sysmex Corporation, we have introduced an evaluation system incorporating the concept of continuous performance management (CPM) to achieve agile responses to changes in the internal and external environment in times of drastic transformation. This system encourages employees to take on challenges by flexibly reviewing their targets and actions in response to changes, without sticking to the original targets that they set at the beginning of the term. We evaluate them based on a point-addition system. It assesses not only individual performance but also organizational culture, human resource development, and team performance, aiming to promote both employee contributions to our business and the growth of individuals and teams. Employees regularly have one-on-one meetings with their supervisors throughout the year. These meetings provide them with opportunities to discuss day-to-day operations and career development, as well as goal setting and evaluation. They assist with individual growth and build mutual trust. In our semiannual Corporate Culture Survey, we assess our employees’ level of confidence in leadership to develop future leaders and improve our organizational culture.
Additionally, our Group CEO Award is given to recognize divisions and teams. It annually honors individuals and teams that contribute significantly to the enhancement of corporate value and that address social issues by practicing the Sysmex Way, our Group corporate philosophy. In line with the establishment of our long-term corporate strategy VA33 and the refinement of our corporate philosophy, we launched the “Challenge & Anshin Award” in fiscal 2023. This award recognizes excellent contributions in five categories (IP･Idea, Eco-Social, Sales & service, Quality, and Operation). To motivate R&D engineers and heighten awareness of intellectual property, we have also introduced the Patent Grand Prize, the Patent Meister designation and the Filing Commemoration Prize.
Training Programs Tailored to Individuals
To respect diverse working styles and values, Sysmex Corporation offers a wide range of learning programs that help employees develop business skills and build career plans based on their aspirations.
Employees can even join some of the programs across national borders through the availability of online courses for learning from home. In fiscal 2024, all employees participated in one of these conducted training programs. The benefits include the growth of individual employees and enhanced productivity through skill improvement and exchanges between participants, resulting in better mutual understanding and cross-functional networks. (Investment in training in fiscal 2024: 82,400 yen per employee.)
Our Corporate Culture Survey indicates that most of the employees support these training programs; 68% of them provided positive responses, noting that they were offered opportunities for growth through such programs. Sysmex Corporation also supports continuous learning by employees of all ages and ranks. Our “smart work” system, intended to facilitate diverse working styles, encourages employees to spend 15 minutes of their daily working hours on self-study. During fiscal 2024, our employees spent an average of 53.4 hours on learning.
Development of Next-Generation Leaders
Developing next-generation leaders is crucial to Sysmex’s human capital strategy for enhancing sustainable corporate value. Upon joining the company or being newly appointed to a position, employees are supported in making an early impact through on-boarding training*. Since the introduction of a job-based personnel system, we have conducted talent reviews to measure differences between the desired and actual roles of each position. We have also regularly monitored the sufficiency of our talent pool and the availability of successors for senior positions.
For the candidates chosen as successors, we formulate development plans to address individual issues and offer necessary leadership development programs. Among these programs, a selective leadership program for employees with the status of being “ready to be a successor” provides them with opportunities to think from a leader’s perspective, facilitating their promotion to higher positions. In fiscal 2024, on-board training was undertaken by a total of 611 employees, while selective training (for candidates chosen as successors) was undertaken by a total of 163 employees.
Additionally, we conduct cross-regional and cross-border training programs aimed at developing global leaders.
- This program aims to promote understanding of the Company among newly joined employees, including recent graduates and mid-career hires, and to support their development into valuable contributors from an early stage.
Career Design
To support employees who wish to change their career path, our apprentice system provides a trial period during which they can work in the new role and team, allowing us to assess their suitability before making a formal assignment. Furthermore, by introducing the job-based personnel system to the Group’s affiliated companies, it is now possible to compare employees’ responsibilities and skill levels across divisions or Group companies based on common grades. Matching employees’ preferred locations and areas of expertise with suitable roles has effectively helped them not only in the phase of career exploration, independence, and establishment but also in building their second careers through reskilling efforts and work experience.
Development of Digital Human Resources (Cross-Reskilling)
Since fiscal 2023, Sysmex has been offering a digital human resource development program to support the improvement of digital literacy among employees. These programs define types of digital human resources and level hierarchy for Sysmex based on the digital skill standards (DSS) created by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA). It provides development programs suitable for each combination. In addition, we put forward the idea of cross-reskilling (“experience and knowledge cultivated to date” x “digital technology and knowledge”) and have increased opportunities and options for employees to be widely active in corporate activities. Furthermore, we aim to achieve specific results in active work beyond learning, such as problem-solving, social contribution, and the like.
One of the features of this program is the introduction of a digital human resource type called “Digital Rookie,” which enables employees to begin broadly learning digital literacy without being restricted to a specific classification. In addition, a framework has been established that allows employees to select a digital human resource type aligned with their preferences and skills, enabling them to leverage their individual expertise. Furthermore, we have created a community in which employees can teach and support one another, and we are working to foster a culture of mutual learning aimed at improving digital literacy and skills. As of fiscal 2024, a cumulative total of approximately 5,000 employees have participated in the Digital Human Resource Development Program. By level, approximately 500 employees have acquired internal certification at the beginner level, and more than 190 at the intermediate level. We are also actively developing citizen developers*, and to date, approximately 180 applications have been created that contribute to the creation of customer value and the improvement of operational productivity.
In addition, since fiscal 2023, we have launched the AI human resources development program in collaboration with the Human Resource Association of Mathematics. Under the guidance and mentorship of university professors and data scientists, the program aims to equip employees with the ability to develop practical AI models and to enhance their project execution capabilities.
Sysmex is developing an environment in which employees who have learned digital literacy and employees with advanced expertise have a common language, and digital transformation (DX) initiatives are spontaneously undertaken.
- Citizen development refers to initiatives in which employees in business divisions who are not IT specialists develop their own operational applications using low-code or no-code tools, thereby promoting digital transformation (DX) in a frontline-driven manner. These developers are referred to as citizen developers.
Training for Research and Development Personnel
In addition, as educational programs for R&D personnel, we also provide a wide range of curricula, including specialized engineer education programs in which participants inherit our unique technology and acquire new technology, integral training so that participants can learn the essence of technology for coordinating diagnostic agents and detection devices, and educational programs in which participants study international standard project management methods, and the like. We are committed to the development of all R&D personnel. Furthermore, the R&D division also focuses on “organizational learning” to translate the growth of individual researchers and developers into organizational capabilities. By accumulating the knowledge and experience gained through R&D activities as organizational learning through regular dialogue and opportunities for information sharing, we are contributing to the continuous improvement and advancement of R&D activities.
Sysmex EMEA Campus
For all employees in the EMEA region*, Sysmex has established the EMEA Campus, a training space offering various online and offline training programs. The EMEA Campus plans lectures and workshops on various themes, including skills for general business and technical abilities, with the goal of developing future leaders, enhancing skills, and creating internal networks. For managers, “Ready to Lead,” a customized leadership training program, was set up to help them master team management skills. Other diverse programs are available on such subjects as human resource development, coaching, and reverse mentoring to support the acquisition of skills needed for leadership.
- EMEA: Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Other Human Resource Development Programs
| Company | Program/Measure | Objectives/Overview |
|---|---|---|
| Sysmex Corporation | “Monozukuri ” Professional Training Activities | They promote the development of human resources for manufacturing as one of our production reforms. They provide training for new employees and develop human resources with the ability to guide the next generation of those engaged in monozukuri (manufacturing). Training offers necessary skills for those who will become multifunctional workers, as well as technical knowledge necessary for monozukuri. |
| DX Literacy Education | It offers DX literacy training to develop skills to effectively use AI and other emerging technologies for the purpose of developing new ways to use data, increasing operational efficiency, and implementing innovations. | |
| Sysmex America | Sysmex University | It is a training program for all employees in the United States, Canada, and Latin America that combines online and offline sessions. It offers courses focusing on wide-ranging subjects, including business skills (e.g., leadership skills and project management), specialized skills, and mentoring. |
| Sysmex Managerial Excellence Development | It is a six-month training for selected personnel, including newly appointed managers. It aims to strengthen management skills by providing insight into the roles and responsibilities of Sysmex management. | |
| Leadership Circle | An intensive one-week training program for next-generation leaders. | |
| Sysmex Europe | Sysmex Academy | It offers programs in which trainees acquire product-related and medical knowledge. It aims to increase trainees’ specialized knowledge and develop trainers for customer training. |
| Sysmex Shanghai | Sysmex Shanghai University | Online training is provided for all employees. The initiative started in fiscal 2019 to support professional employee growth. |
| Sysmex Asia Pacific | LinkedIn Learning | It offers around 100 online training courses using a social media platform (LinkedIn) for all employees. It is designed for trainees to acquire and improve skills such as management, leadership, critical thinking, business analysis, and data analysis. |
| Sysmex Academy | It offers online programs in which trainees acquire medical and product-related knowledge. |
Talent Management Utilizing Advanced Technology
Specifically, we promote talent management by developing an environment in which employees can work flexibly in accordance with the nature of their work and their lifestyles (such as by introducing a remote work plan and providing online training), assisting their autonomous career formation through the utilization of matching algorithms, providing real-time feedback on employee engagement surveys, and utilizing other advanced technologies.
Sysmex Receives “Human Capital Management Excellence 2024 Gold Award” for its Commitment to Excellent Human Capital Management and Information Disclosure
Sysmex Corporation received “Human Capital Management Excellence 2024 Gold Award“ at the “Human Capital Survey 2024*,” which was organized and implemented jointly by HR Technology Consortium, GIA., HR Research Institute, and MS&AD InterRisk Research & Consulting, Inc. We were highly evaluated for our initiatives to enhance corporate value through human capital management.
- Special website for Human Capital Leaders 2024: https://www.hrpro.co.jp/human_capital_survey/2024/