Employee Engagement and Organizational Culture

Santen’s listening framework integrates the voice of our people into data-driven business decisions, enhancing our team member’s engagement and commitment to Santen. Leveraging results from our listening exercises, we are continuously seeking to improve people-centric policies and practices.

Since 2022, we have conducted company-wide annual engagement surveys with Great Place to Work^®, an independent research firm specializing in workplace culture. The survey covers aspects such as employees’ pride in their work, trust in working relationships, camaraderie, happiness, stress, and understanding of our Core Principle, Vision and purpose. In parallel with the annual surveys, we regularly conduct ‘People Pulses’ to gather detailed employee feedback and sentiments on specific people policies and practices, such as our global Performance & Development (P&D) process.

Based on the results of the 2023 survey, we identified “communication” and “collaboration” as common issues across the company and have implemented improvement measures.

• All corporate offices hold bi-directional communication sessions at least twice a year
• As a foundation for employee growth, we ensure career conversations between supervisors and subordinates within the Performance & Development process

The 2024 survey showed significant improvement in scores, particularly indicating the success of the improvement measures focused on “communication” and “collaboration”. However, “communication” and “collaboration” remain ongoing issues, and we also recognize “equity” and “impartiality” as additional challenges.

After collecting and analyzing further comments from employees and information from corporate officers and HR business partners, we found that the issues with “communication” and “collaboration” are not only within vertical relationships within the organization but also in horizontal and diagonal relationships both inside and outside the organization. Improving these areas is key to enhancing organizational transparency, breaking down silos, and creating a more comfortable and stronger organization.Regarding “equity” and “impartiality”, we see challenges in the management of human resources, such as promotions and evaluations.

Addressing these issues and working together with employees will lead to further improvement in engagement. We will continue to strive to create a rewarding workplace where employees can realize the value of working at Santen.

We disclose the result of the engagement survey.

Santen is committed to creating a rewarding workplace where employees can realize the value of working at Santen.

Due to the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been reimaging the future of work more seriously. Santen announced the "New Work Style" in May 2021 as a guideline to be shared with all its employees working around the world. To achieve further growth, it is pivotal for every single employee to realize the most suitable "way of working" so that we can leverage our potential as individuals and as a team.

The global guideline of New Work Style at the company is touching initiatives such as Flexible Workplace, Digitalized Processes, Well-being and lifestyle, Flexible Worktime as well as community contribution, all based on our values. For example, We adopted the concept of 'Digital Workplace' to accelerate the new way of working and are deploying IT infrastructure for all the members of the company can work comfortably from anywhere anytime. In addition to 'go paperless', digital signatures and streamlined online approval system, the company is expanding internal online communication tools so that we are able to be motivated and improve our productivity even working from home or elsewhere. Our employees have a choice of where, when and how to co-create our success through meaningful work and interactions to positively impact Happiness with Vision worldwide.

The company has introduced a wide variety of employee welfare and benefit systems, for example in Japan: asset-building support systems such as employee stock ownership and asset-building savings; systems to support employees in child or family care according to their life stage, including leave and shortened working hours; medical examinations on many items, which help employees continue to work in good shape; and survivor's pensions.

In Japan, the company offers retiring employees options: using the reemployment system, receiving the job-hunting support service and job-hunting support after the period of reemployment.  We conduct “Career Design Training” for each age group to promote individual career development and provide opportunities to regularly review career and life plans. We continue to support our employees in finding their own sense of fulfillment and goals, and in growing within those frameworks.