Santen makes efforts to equalize opportunities in recruitment, placement, promotion, and skill development, and will continue to cultivate and develop human resources from a medium- to long-term perspective.
Santen's CORE PRINCIPLE "Tenki ni sanyo suru" underpins its efforts to create a strong organization and develop competent human resources too.
In FY2022, we revised our conduct assessment system into one based on our VALUES, which define the values on which we place great importance toward the realization of our long-term vision and the principles on which we will focus during the next five to 10 years in particular. We therefore ensure that each employee's daily conduct will connect to the realization of our vision.
In Santen, all employees discuss with their manager at the beginning of the year to set goals after coordinating organizational and individual goals, and they get evaluated based on their achievement of those goals at the end of the target period. In order for employees to achieve their goals, the company provides an opportunity (quarterly check-in system) to give advice through interviews with superiors during the target period. We support each employee in demonstrating and improving their abilities so that they can achieve a sense of accomplishment and grow.
For example, in Japan, we offer a variety of training programs, including medical representative (MR) education, new employee and rank-specific training. the aggregate length of training sessions in FY2021 was 48,612 hours.
With the progress of globalization of the company, we changed the training system from April 2020 with the aim of supporting voluntary growth. We are strengthening provision of management skills, global communication, and self-learning opportunities. In order to acquire the skills necessary for work, in addition to external training, we are strengthening internal online training and e-learning to create a learning environment that is not affected by time and place. In addition, we have a self-development support system in which the company reimburses part of the expenses for learning and testing of language and business skills that employees take and take for self-development.
In April 2020, we have started operation of a new internal job posting system, the Global Job Posting System. This system is open to all employees of the Santen Group, and is open to all recruiting positions within the Group. Through the recruitment position, employees will be able to know what kind of career and growth opportunities they have, and by encouraging themselves to take up a medium- to long-term career, it will promote employees' growth.
Since FY2017, Santen's Manufacturing Division has introduced the Meister System, an employee evaluation and treatment system uniquely employed in the Noto Plant and the Shiga Product Supply Center, Japan, with the aim of enhancing manufacturing operators' skills and motivation. Among the qualified candidates who have met the in-house criteria, the employees who have high levels of skills, achievements, experiences and trust from their subordinates, while performing "Individual Action Principles" that comprise CORE PRINCIPLE, are certified as Meisters.
In Japan, the company offers retiring employees three options: using the reemployment system, receiving the job-hunting support service, or receiving financial aid for job training and also provides job-hunting support after the period of reemployment. We also provide employees who are about to retire with career design training to allow them to understand reemployment, pension and other systems, as well as changes in the employment environment, and consider a life plan after retirement. We have thus established the employee support system to enable all employees to work for many years without worry.