Message from the General Manager of HR and Administrative Division

Frontline employees: The source of value creation

We believe frontline employees are the key factor and the source of corporate value creation for the Group to compete fairly and squarely as a true global company while seeking profits and contributing to social development. The Group has always sought to be an attractive and competitive corporate entity with a focus on people, working to develop human talent that can respond flexibly to the changing times.

Diverse human resources and transformations with full participation are essential for further growth

In order for the Group to achieve the Growth Strategy of Good to Great, we must focus on acquiring more diverse people than ever before from a medium- to long-term perspective. Inparticular, we consider diversification of the talent responsible for management as one topic that should be addressed as soon as possible.
In addition to acquiring talent from outside the company, Kansai Paint revised and disclosed its executive remuneration system from May 2022. Also, since we reformed the HR system completely, it is necessary to quickly create an environment in which all Group employees can engage in challenges and transformations with full participation and aim to achieve the Growth Strategy.

Contribute to the Growth Strategy by rebuilding the talent development strategy

Based on this intention, we are rebuilding a talent development strategy that enables diverse individuals to play an active role over the next 10 to 15 years. Specifically, we have reestablished a clear vision for talent development and a training system that works at every level, and we are reviewing the evaluation system to promote employee growth and mindset reforms.
To achieve a shift to a “Great Company,” we must acquire and develop as many talented individuals as possible—people who embody our idea of “Profit and Fairness,” and who can continue to create new value at the forefront. I believe that by applying the expectations the company has of individual employees to a consistent vision and concrete system, we will encourage all employees to work together in the same direction. This will lead to business growth and transformation of the entire company.

Initiatives for diversity 　――Achieving a comfortable working environment and securing managerial talent

While we have positioned initiatives for diversity as an important management issue to further boost the competitiveness of the Group, we are working to analyze personnel data of Group companies, including overseas Group companies, and to review various systems.
Recently, in addition to promoting women’s empowerment in Japan, we have promoted diverse workstyles, moving toward a system that emphasizes diversity and inclusion. In addition to creating a comfortable working environment for employees through these initiatives, we aim to further secure diverse people who can contribute at the managerial level.

Maximizing value provided by human resources through mutual engagement

Building a sustainable talent development strategy from a medium- to long-term perspective is essential, but it is not enough. It is vital for management and employees to have a deep mutual understanding of company policy and the thinking of frontline employees. The Kansai Paint Group defines the term “engagement” as “the trust between the company and employees” not “employee satisfaction,” believing that trust should be a two-way rather than one-way street.

The first important point in executing the strategy is thoughtful communication between the company and employees. This should concern, for example, what the company should aim for, how the company would like the employees to be, and what should be done for making them realize these goals. It is also extremely important to check regularly whether the relationship between management and employees has been strengthened.Regularly reviews such as employee surveys should be carried out to measure fairness and enhance inclusiveness. We are utilizing the results from the surveys to make improvements. Rather than one-way accountability, we will continue to make every effort through a range of initiatives to ensure that our frontline employees can relate to management in a meaningful way, working in a comfortable environment with pride and enthusiasm. As a Group, we will seek profits and contribute to social development by maximizing the value provided by our human resources.