Diversity: Leveraging a Diverse Workforce

It is our conviction that employing people from diverse backgrounds—in gender, age, nationality, culture, lifestyle and values—will foster a work environment full of new perspectives and ways of thinking. This, in turn, will strengthen NSK’s competitiveness and capacity to avoid risks. This is why we are working to build a corporate culture that embraces diversity and is inclusive of all people and the values they hold.

The NSK Group is promoting diversity and inclusion in a three-phase initiative lasting from 2016 to 2026.

We will continue to take steps to empower women, which is an important management objective. At the same time, we will expand our initiatives in other areas, working also to empower non-Japanese employees and all those who identify as LGBTQ+. We are determined to advance all aspects of diversity and inclusion.

We also recognize that encouraging diverse employees to play an active role requires that we make progress in creating more flexible work arrangements. This is why we will move forward with work-style reform, hand in hand with diversity and inclusion, recognizing that they are critical to one another. In this way, we will work to ingrain new attitudes and change behaviors simultaneously.

• Priority 1: Promote a better understanding of diversity and inclusion
• Priority 2: Promote career advancement for women
• Priority 3: Promote the advancement of non-Japanese employees
• Priority 4: Support work-life balance (parenting, caregiving, medical or infertility treatment; Facilitating Work-Life Balance [related site] )
• Priority 5: Work-style reform ( Facilitating Work-Life Balance [related site] )

NSK established a Diversity Development Team in 2006, which worked to create workplace environments that promote a balance between work and personal life for all employees. In 2016, the team was reorganized as the Diversity Promotion Office and the promotion system was enhanced.

With a mission to "support increase employee engagement in the workplace and corporate culture by helping each person to make the most of their abilities and individuality," the office is developing measures with a focus on five priority areas to accelerate diversity promotion activities at NSK.

The NSK Group is undertaking the following initiatives to become an organization in which every employee understands the need for diversity and inclusion, and respects and accepts diverse workplace members and their values.

Main Initiatives

• Communicating commitment from senior management (diversity training for executives, and sharing diversity messages from the president and other executives)
• Diversity seminars and training
• Diversity lectures
• Unconscious bias training
• Information sharing on internal diversity portal site and social media
• Training on LGBTQ+ issues

With Japan's Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace now in effect, NSK investigated its current situation for the active participation of women, and analyzed the issues. We have created an action plan based on the results.

Main Initiatives in Japan

• Training for women serving as assistant managers / career-track training for women
• Role model lectures
• Workshops for women in the sales division: improvement activities and skill training, etc.
• Workshops for women in the technology division: social contribution activity (Riko-challe*)

Main Initiatives Outside Japan

• Diversity event held at the European Management Conference
• NSK Americas Women’s Development Program

* Riko-challe: An initiative led by the Gender Equality Bureau of Japan’s Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Japan Business Federation, to support career choices for female students who are interested in STEM fields

The NSK Group continually hires and trains outstanding human resources to support the operations of the NSK Group worldwide. The Group also works hard to assign the right person for each job. Key posts for global business operations have been identified as “global posts.” In consultation with senior management and human resources departments in each global region, we determine the leadership competencies required of people in these positions. With these competencies as core requirements, we devise successor plans and systematically promote, evaluate, and compensate our global talent. This program includes transfers between different world regions. We also provide a variety of human resource development programs such as education for future and current leaders. We are also working to develop organizational infrastructure to ensure that we make the most of our global talent across national and regional boundaries. We have, for instance, established and rolled out Group-wide guidelines designed to facilitate international transfers.

We will improve the environment and foster a workplace culture that allows non-Japanese employees to take an active role in advancing their own careers.

We are working to provide all internal information bilingually and to offer foreign-language education as well as information sharing and education in order to build a more inclusive corporate culture.

Main Initiatives

• Cross-cultural training
• Bilingual internal information
• Distribution of guidebooks
• Support and tools for foreign language education and learning
• Sharing information to create a more inclusive corporate culture
• Cross-cultural exchange and communities

NSK recognizes that the knowledge and skills of experienced senior employees are beneficial in growing its business. Our basic policy is to provide work opportunities to employees willing to continue at NSK after retirement. We have had a rehiring program in place since April 2001. NSK is committed to ensuring that its human resources system meets the needs of all employees. We will work to build environments in which the knowledge and expertise of veteran employees can be fully utilized to support the sustainable growth of our business activities.

At NSK, we believe it is our responsibility to provide suitable employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities. With four sites in Japan, special subsidiary NSK Friendly Service Co., Ltd. provides opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to work and thrive in our organization. Going forward, some of these employees will also be assigned to other sites to further expand employment opportunities.

NSK has clarified the following principles regarding LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other) employees, and awareness of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).
(1) We will eliminate discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation, while protecting the basic human rights of LGBTQ+ employees.
(2) We will increase the number of allies who understand SOGI and support LGBTQ+ employees.
(3) We will create workplaces and a corporate culture that allows everyone to play an active role regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Based on the principles, NSK has been promoting initiatives. In recognition of its activities, NSK has received the Gold PRIDE Index for four consecutive years.

*About the PRIDE Index

This is an indicator for evaluating the efforts of companies and other organizations toward LGBTQ. The five categories are Policy, Representation, Inspiration, Development, and Engagement/Empowerment. The awards are given in three overall levels: Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

Main Initiatives

• Enlightenment activities：Employee seminars, lectures, and e-learning sessions
• Guidelines for respecting transgender individuals
• Family benefits expanded to include same-sex partners.
• Establishment of LGBTQ+ consultation services
• Training for LGBTQ+ consultation providers
• LGBTQ+ Ally community activities
• Distribution of LGBTQ+ Ally stickers and pins
• LGBTQ+ events for children
• Installation of "all-gender" restrooms