At Panasonic Connect, we believe that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is — first and foremost — a non-negotiable human rights issue that must be addressed in situations where rights are not protected, whether due to being in a minority or for any other reason.
Furthermore, we consider DEI to be a source of our competitive advantage. In a business environment where constant transformation is required, it is difficult for a company to survive without diverse perspectives. To be a company that drives innovation and maintains resilience in the face of change, we have positioned DEI as one of the pillars of our management strategy.
In June 2025, the results of a joint study by Panasonic Connect and Meiji University on “The Impact of DEI Promotion on Employees” was accepted for publication in the Nature-affiliated journal “Humanities and Social Sciences Communications“ (published by Springer Nature on June 20, 2025).
This study analyzed data from 3,000 employees and evaluated diversity from three aspects: attributes, values, and skills. The results scientifically demonstrated that combining diversity in values and skills, in addition to attribute diversity, has a positive impact on both a sense of belonging to the organization and the meaningfulness of work. By scientifically demonstrating the value of DEI, for which clear evidence has been limited, this research is expected to support management decisions and strategy formulation for corporate DEI initiatives.
Panasonic Connect is continuously working to reform its highly flexible corporate culture, where each individual with diverse values can thrive and exert their full potential. We aim to realize a society where all people can live and work happily.
Since 2017, we have been conducting the DEI Caravan, where the executive officers in charge of DEI visit all business sites for frank, in-person discussions with employees. This is a crucial initiative for management to hear employees’ voices firsthand and translate them into future measures.
We appoint a DEI Champ (promotion leader) in each workplace to drive autonomous DEI activities tailored to the specific challenges of that workplace. Additionally, since 2023, we have been holding “Connect DEI Month,” an intensive period of DEI-related events such as seminars and hands-on workshops. Along with company-wide initiatives like the DEI Forum for all employees, DEI relay messages from executives, and cross-industry exchange seminars, there are also events independently planned by Champs for their own departments, providing various opportunities to engage with DEI.
Panasonic Connect does not operate in isolation; we actively involve external organizations in planning various initiatives. The Gemba Roundtable is a new form of meeting where employees and executives think together about the future to create a better working environment from a frontline perspective. We distribute program materials so that other companies can also implement them.
Pride Action30 was co-planned by Pride House Tokyo and Panasonic Connect, born from the desire to create a better society by having companies raise their voices in support and understanding of LGBTQ+ individuals. We gather and share “actions you can take now” with society. 20 companies participated in 2024, and 65 companies participated in 2025.
*Employee Engagement Survey by Korn Ferry.
We implement a wide variety of activities aimed at creating an environment where everyone can thrive, addressing the needs of various minority groups in our workplace. These include initiatives related to gender, LGBTQ+, disabilities, cross-cultural understanding (for foreign nationals, mid-career hires, and different generations), and balancing work with childcare, eldercare, or medical treatment.
Supportingthe Success of Diverse Talent, Regardless of Gender
One of our key initiatives to diversify our decision-making layer is the promotion of women to leadership positions. We aim to increase the ratio of women in management positions to 30% by 2035. We support career development and network building through Cross-Mentoring and Cross-Border Training with other companies and industries. In March 2025, for International Women’s Day, we held a talk event called REAL LEADERS, where female leaders shared their candid career stories, presenting a vision of future leadership that is valuable for everyone, regardless of age or gender.
Promoting Paternity Leave
In 2019, we endorsed the 100% Paternity Leave Declaration by Work-Life Balance Co., Ltd. In addition to creating and distributing a paternity leave guidebook and holding roundtable discussions with employees who have taken leave, we have offered 30 days of paid childcare leave for all employees, regardless of gender, since 2022. As a result, we have achieved a high paternity leave uptake rate of 101%* and an average leave duration of about 48 days.
Respecting Diversity and Equality — Toward a Workplace Where Everyone Can Be Themselves
We have received our first Rainbow certification in the PRIDE Index 2024, an evaluation established by the non-profit organization work with Pride to assess workplace initiatives for sexual minorities, including LGBTQ+ individuals. Our highly-rated efforts include the operation of the Rainbow Business Network, a platform launched in February 2024 for ALLY companies to connect and learn from each other. As a group, Panasonic has received the Gold certification for nine consecutive years since 2016.
Creating an Environment Where Everyone Can Work with Peace of Mind
Our executives, including the CEO, have obtained the Universal Manner Test Level 3 certification and participated in an experiential program to deepen their understanding of minorities. In this program, they experienced the perspectives of people with various disabilities, including hearing and visual impairments and wheelchair use, gaining a real sense of the difficulties and inconveniences they face in daily life and at work. This served as an opportunity to re-recognize challenges from both hard (facilities, infrastructure) and soft (awareness, systems) perspectives, in order to provide the necessary considerations and mechanisms for everyone to work with peace of mind.
Renaming and Revising the Menstrual Leave System
Based on feedback that it was difficult to take menstrual leave because employees felt uncomfortable directly telling their managers they were “having their period,” we renamed the leave to “Dandelion Leave (commonly known as T-Leave)” starting in April 2023.
We also revised parts of the system to flexibly address individual menstrual health issues, allowing leave for PMS and enabling half-day leave. As a result, the number of employees taking the leave doubled, making it easier to access.
Holding Experiential Workshops and Providing Sanitary Products
To deepen understanding of menstrual pain, we held three experiential workshops on the topic, with participation from employees including executives. As a follow-up action, we began an initiative to stock sanitary products in women’s restrooms from the end of October 2024. Furthermore, in response to numerous survey requests for sanitary disposal bins in men’s restrooms, we started installing them from October 2025. This is to ensure that all employees, including those who need special consideration due to illness or health conditions, as well as sexual minorities, can receive the necessary support when they need it. Through these initiatives, we are creating a work environment where everyone can feel secure.
Financial Assistance for Egg Freezing
In October 2023, we introduced a subsidy program for egg freezing. This program is designed to empower our female employees to design their own autonomous life plans for their success and job satisfaction, with egg freezing as one of their options, thereby enabling them to choose from a wider range of opportunities. Specifically, we subsidize up to 400,000 yen for the egg retrieval and freezing costs that employees pay to clinics. We also conduct seminars for employees to deepen their understanding of egg freezing and improve their health literacy.
We conducted hearings with approximately 180 employees, including those with disabilities and their managers. By closely understanding their perspectives, we are implementing various facility improvements in our factories and offices.
Adjusting the height of buttons and switches in ostomate-accessible restrooms to create a user-friendly design for everyone.
Ensuring commuting safety and convenience by providing dedicated, covered parking spaces.
Increasing attendance rates by reducing the burden of movement through the installation of a ramp at the entrance.
Improving peace of mind during emergencies with the installation of flashing emergency guide lights with audio guidance, enabling situational awareness through both sound and light.
Reducing the burden for wheelchair users entering and exiting rooms by introducing automatic doors with facial recognition.
Calming emotions and alleviating stress for individuals with mental, intellectual, or developmental disabilities by creating a "Calm Down Room" as a rest space.
HR Systems that Support a Diverse Workforce and Evolving Career Paths
Amid diversifying work styles and values, we are expanding the flexibility and options within our HR systems to enable each employee to autonomously design their career and life plans. In addition to existing initiatives like our remote work system and Smart Work (discretionary labor) system, we are enhancing programs tailored to individual needs, covering working hours, location, leave, and side businesses.
In terms of leave systems, in addition to promoting the use of annual paid leave, we have introduced systems that allow employees to autonomously choose how they take time off, such as “All-Season Leave” and “Challenge Holiday.” The Challenge Holiday is particularly promoted through a mechanism that links executive compensation to the leave uptake rate, encouraging its establishment and active use (99% uptake in FY2024, 98% in FY2025).
Regarding work styles, we have increased flexibility in working location and hours through our “N-day workweek (3 or 4 days a week)” and “Work Anywhere” systems, creating an environment where employees can choose their own way of working. Our external side-business system, “Fukugyo!!”, provides opportunities for employees to apply their expertise and gain external inspiration, which they can then leverage for success within the company.
Through these systems, we aim to create an environment where each employee can work authentically, leading to improved job satisfaction, performance, and employee engagement.
The physical and mental health, as well as the safety of our employees, are the foundation for autonomous career development and performance improvement. The practice of health and productivity management leads to improved work engagement and a reduction in absenteeism and presenteeism, thereby enhancing organizational performance. Panasonic Connect has been recognized as a “White 500” company, the highest rating under Japan’s Certified Health Productivity Management Outstanding Organization Recognition Program (Large Enterprise Category), for five consecutive years. In addition, all our manufacturing sites have obtained the international standard for occupational health and safety, ISO 45001, and are systematically managing health and safety risks.
Aiming for zero unwanted secondhand and thirdhand smoke in the workplace, we implemented a no-smoking rule during working hours starting from April 2024. This initiative has encouraged more employees to quit smoking, and the smoking rate has been steadily declining (a 1.3% decrease compared to the previous year). We are now working toward our goal of achieving smoke-free premises at all sites by April 2027, by setting specific targets for each location.
We have introduced a “Near-Miss & Hazard Prediction Management System,” which allows all employees to report near-misses and predict hazards. Through this system, we conduct risk assessments of potentially dangerous areas and implement countermeasures in advance. Furthermore, we strengthen our safety management by analyzing the accumulated information and sharing it across the company.
*1 Method: Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ)
*2 Method: Average presenteeism score, based on the University of Tokyo's single-item Presenteeism Question (SPQ).
*3 Method: Average number of leave days per employee due to sickness.
*4 Frequency Rate: The frequency of accidents/incidents.
*5 Severity Rate: The severity (seriousness) of accidents.
Fostering Employees’ Creative Challenges by Promoting More Advanced AI Utilization
Panasonic Connect is driving its transformation into an AI-driven organization, positioning AI utilization as the core of its management strategy to achieve both employees’ autonomous growth and enhanced operational productivity.
At the heart of this transformation is our AI assistant, "ConnectAI," which has been available to all employees since February 2023. Since its introduction, employees' AI utilization skills have evolved from simply "asking" for information to "assigning" complex tasks. As a result, the time saved through AI utilization reached 448,000 hours annually in 2024 (a 2.4x increase from the previous year). With this freed-up time, employees are focusing on more creative work and accelerating their autonomous career development.
As the next step, we are further advancing our AI utilization. While expanding the scope of our "Specialized AI," which answers company-specific questions, to areas like quality control and IT support, we have now begun trial introductions of a "Business AI (Agent)." By having AI autonomously perform specific tasks such as assisting with accounting approval creation and legal checks on subcontracting laws, we aim to free employees from routine work and shift them toward more strategic roles.
We firmly believe that maximizing each employee's potential through the full use of AI will lead to the company's sustainable growth. As a pioneering example of AI utilization among Japanese companies, we are committed to contributing to the productivity improvement of Japan as a whole.
